New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-10-30

before the murder in the collapse Immediately after
It. In the moments Of bsleful bfooding. and ID toe
banquet scene.-the latter being the climax OF the
representation. The bleak and awful desolation Of
that midnight hour al the end of the broken feast
has never been better interpreted than by Henry
Irving and Ellen Terry. In this as in all charac-
ters Irving Is viewed primarily an impersonator.
not as reader. Acting and elocution go together.
but they not Identical, and there may be great
acting with but little regard for sonorous delivery
and decsmatory grace The world Will probably.
Edwin Booth: but he character VIII not lack a
great interpreter and representative as long as
Irving can act Il he is acting II now.
Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth affords an original
and profoundly hteres b sa a1r Tine
artistic purpose that wonderful actress Is always
she touch of the analyst: no player so absolutely
conceals the mechanism OF art Perhaps II Is not so
certainly never derives from the acting of Ellen
Terry even the fainteSi impression OF laborious
her is the spirit that dwes in inaccessible places
the angel that comes for no entreaty and stayed for
OF anxious sign but those Of Intuition. and those
Ideals are always the b Ses 3phsa %ss never ,r
Her intuition as to Lady Macbeth perceives that
woman being essentially feminine. however ca
pable OF evil-who sways her husband. not simply
sS tine W but by here ensRanmenf for
him. and by her love. That is, substantially the
probably the greatest actress that ever lived
who whatever may have been the d.snsu !i ,1
beth. declared the part 70 be all woman fiery. su-
fbrs and the subtlest charm. 1, Is character
that has always been In dispute. Fanny kembe,
view entirely al variance with that of her i.ustri-
ous relative, defined Lady Macbeth absolutely
aaences the type of a power literally internal that
al last is extingushed not by remorse. but the dis
body Charlotte Cnshmsn great ihs OK
should be regarded the great ancestor OF ali the
Bowery rufiians and she told the present writer
beth were puny ana feeble and therefore ludicrous
IN the hands OF woman so pow S sb as a SeS
that both Macbeth and his wife were always IN,
toxicated-placed ali the emphasis upon the Wild
tremor OF passionate murderous strength and not
any of II upon the charm Ellen terry rs Ere
woman presented by her is both beautiful to the
of self-conaict: the glorious. deso.ate emblem OF
soul at war with itself she Is evil and she Is the
evil: and when at length the iorments OF renorse
have seized upon her she SINKS slowly inrough ul,,
the suicide. At first enthralled by the dream OF
,SS eTsseyt Instant and not the remote con-
sequence she is incarnate courage ana I'M
scrupulous and audacous expedition. but when the
bideous crime has been accomplished. when her
blood-staned partner and herself and the summit OF
;nSperiai sway are alone in those desolate wakeful
nights that TEEN with dark omens mysterious ter
rors and vague spectral shapes, that threaten
silently, with unseen eyes, her misery begins-to
which there is no limit and for which there can be
no relief At no time has Ellen Terry's acting been
more spontaneous: her voice more M OF meaning;
her delivery more copious and flexible; her action
more direct and decisive her MOOD more sees
woman, and not as a fend the passages maj seem
prominently beautiful are those Ina. n"hiest ,ir
haunted hend-driven' hopeless Giiin M III t.e
lonely hours. when the weaker will OF the wretched.
the steadfast fidelity Of the wife whom he loves.
and whose less imagin native ana more reso'ut"
rnediatey before and after the banquet were won
derfully suggestive TO the imagination ana they
surely that the true note: Tor II Macbeth ana me-
wife be merely butchers. their characters are
fate IS no more consders6e than t6at
that perish. In the sleep scene Ellen Terry Goa
sDicuously SHOWS the feeling which is at the basis
OF her whole ideal Of the character, and which in
spires her whole treatment Of IT, She Is the
sta,uesque personihcaton Of sorrow; and in th-s
the method seems to have been wisely derived
from the tradition Of Sarah Sddons-the absolute
seen more impressive figure or had better reason
to he grateful for shakespe iriar Interpretation
both, touching TO the heart ana inspiring to the
The tragedy has been set with hne aPpr,ecia-
io1 of the rude saendor Of apee 5eo5sn m snd
solemn accessories to drama Of crime and OF pre-
iernatnral aseney in The yserfous forces aoI or %
10 end. NJ Howe Is precisely The man for tne
aHi simple nosy M N. to Sg was s'S ali the
sorrow he created a splendid effect of pathos The
three Weird Sisters effectively shown by Mr.
Valentine Mr. Hague and Mr. Archer-and. as
those parts typify the whole structure of the spir
ttua environment with which the tragedy is in
vested right performance OF them is Indispensable
and OF the highest value.
Character is despOtc. destiny is inevitable. The
tragedy Of Macbeth" dark.y freighted with those
and with many other. terrible truths. when last
il actually comes home 10 the heart. strikes upon
II with appalling shock. and thrills It with
the trumpet Of doom. Time is rushing on. and
with II opportunity.-the great opportunity OF
choice between good and evil Either
elect 10 take direction from without and be
swayed by every blind impulse that agtates our
being must choose 10 obey that unerring
monition Of duty which is the voice Of God in the
human soul. As is the character. so Will be the
decision; and either way the rapid river bears us
onward with incessant velocity and impetuOus
things may be learned from Ma cbeth" the awe
and terror Of preternatural surroundings; the de-
ceitful. trdnsitOry spendors which. with Internal
malignty. attend and tantaliZe the brief hour of
successful wickelness. the total steriltv of
victory OF evil the colossal force OF insurgent
human nature. when abandoned to active depravty
and confronted with death; and the gloomy magnlf-
cence OF the courage that is born Of despair More
than ALTHOUGH precept ever Intended IN
that colossal epic of spiritual YUin.-we may learn
from II 10 anchor upon conscience and thus to
stand firm and fearless amid the distractions Of
circumstance. the storms OF passion. the havoc Of
chance and al the seeming disasters OF lnscrutabie
fate
MAURICE KAUFMAN'S CONCERT