Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-07-15


and Macbeth is 10 deeply moved by
them and gives them bis partial conf
dence. Banquo, too, is brave, noble,
and loyal as Macbeth ia base and false.
Sophoclessaid OF Eschylos: Eschy-
los does what is right without knowing
why Such was hrs tribute to the I'M
conscious workings Of genius, and Shake
spcare's great creation of Lady Macbeth
is entitled 10 the same enconium. for in
all dramatic productions it is not ex-
cellcd in the power and strength OF ITS
portrayal, and in tho subtle completely
OF its construction, thus revealing those
unconscious workings that characterize
genius alone. Mrs. Jameson. in note
to her essay on Lady Macbeth, states that
she has heard Mrs. Siddons say that
after playing the part OF Lady Mac
beth for thirty years she never read
ii without discovering in it something
new, and | had similar experience with
Charlotte Cushman. On entering her
parlor one morning found her reading
the part of Lady Macbeth which she
was to perform that night. and l re-
marked to her, "Does not the frequent
performance OF this part weary you 2"
and she replied, "No. Although have
been playing il oil these years, never
read it without seeing some new beauty
in it," Such, therefore, we're the tri-
buteI OF these two women Of genius and
followers of the histrionic art to Shake
spcare's Lady Macbeth.
A vast amount OF criticism has been ex-
pended upon the physical characteristics
OF Lady Macbeth, and the conceptions OF
it are very antipodal. Maclise, in his
celebrated painting of the banquet scene,
has represented her as large woman OF
coarse and muscular development, and
great physical strength. DR.. Bucknill
has described Lady Macbeth as Ga lady
beautiful and delicate, whose one VIVID
passion proves that her organization was
instinct with nerve force unoppressed by
weightof flesh. Wefgure Lady Macbeth
to have been tawny or brown Rachael,
with more beauty, gray and cruel eyes.
but with tho same slight, dry, con-
fguration and constitution instinct with
determined nerve power" And Mrs.
Siddons had an idea that Lady Macbeth
must have been a small, fair, blue-eyed
woman, effeminate, nay ever fragile. ]"
/ refer TO all OF these conceptions OF the
appearance OF Lady Macbeth simply to
say that they are purely imaginary and
that there is nothing whatever in the text
OF the play to justify any such apprehen-
sion of tho appearance of Lady Macbeth.
ALI that is said of her appearance in the
play is that she has "little hand, and
that she says herself in scene ], Act ",
which is the great walking scene, when
she speaks as follows
Here's the smell OF the blood still;
All the perfumes 81 Arabia will not sweeten this
iittie hand. Oh. oh, oh :"
The successful presentation Of Lady
Macbeth depends upon the tragic genius
OF the woman who enacts the character,
and Shakespeare WAS too consummate q
dramatist TO state IN the text of his play
any physical characteristics of woman
that would limit the rendition Of Lady
Macbeth to any particular physical
type of woman. Charlotte Cushman.
whose surprising genius has often been
illustrated in the performance of Lady
Macbeth, and who in its rendition COM
manded the applause of two continents,
was large, tall, masculine, exceedingly
homely woman, and yet her performance
OF Lady Macbeth was one of thrilling
and imperious power The criticism that
has been made by some critics that Lady
Macbeth must have been beautiful to
have commanded the love of Macbeth L
dismiss as too puerile for discussion.
Men of the typo of Macbeth are attached
to women for other qualities than mere
physical beauty, Just as the genius of
George Eliot and Madame dc Stael COM
manded for them the love of men.
Lady Macbeth is the incarnation OF
ambition and strength of will, and | can
only view her as female monster,
whose sole redeeming trait is her devo-
ton to the fortunes of her husband I;
and vet it is impossible to estimate how
far the qualification Of her own ambition
was concurrent with her in her desire for
the advancement of her husband. Shake
speare clearly presents this view OF her
own greatreward being involved in the adj
vsncement Of Macbeth by causing Mac
beth to say to her in the letter
which he writes her after his in
terview with the "weird sisters" he
closing it by saying my dearest part
ner of greatness, that thou mightst not
lose the dues of rejoicing by being tgno-
rdRt Of ,Ohat greatness is promised
thee" And her personal advancement,
therefore, as well as the preferment OF
her husband, induces her to engage in
crime. Mrs. Jameson, carried away by
her emotional nature and her desire as q
woman TO soften the character of Lady
Macbeth, says: 81 do deny that he has
represented in Lady Macbeth woman
naturally cruei,' Invariably Sav0ge,'
or endued with pure den,oniac firm
ness" Ifever there could have existed
a woman to whom such phrases could
apply--a woman without touch of
modesty, pity, or fear, Shakespeare
knew that thing so monstrous was unfit
for all the purposes of poetry. II Lady
Macbeth has been naturally cruel, she
needed not 80 solemnly to have abjured
all pity, and called on the spirits that
wait ON mortal thoughts to wlScr her
nor would she have been loved to excess
by man of Macbeth's character. And
she also says in another part OF her essay
on Lady Macbeth: 1--WE must then bear
in mind that the first idea OF muir
dering Duncan is not suggested
by Lady Macbeth to her husband it
springs within his mind. and is
revealed to us before his first interview
with his wife-before she is introduced
or even alluded to-" These views OF
Mrs. Jameson's are totally erroneous.
While it is true that the murder of Dun
can occurs TO Macbeth Immediately after
his scene with the "weird sisters" it
is also true that his note to Lady
Macbeth communicating that scene
does not contain one suggestion
"to catch the nearest Way that is,
kill Duncan. In scene 5, Act l., Lady
Macbeth makes her first appearance,
reading this letter from Macbeth, and at
its conclusion follows it with the solilo-
guy in which she indicates not only that
the murder of Duncan has occurred to
her. but that her desire is that Macbeth
might be by her side that she might
stimulate him to the performance OF the
deed, saying