Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-10-12
A BRIEF FOR LADY MACBETH

An apology might be needed for tax
ing the time of q cultured audience for
a discussion of Macbeth now, when the
reading public is mad over David
Ilarum and is not unacquainted with
Mr.. Dooley; yet at the risk OF missing
applause, which after all should never
be overralned, shall venture to devote
o short time to this masterpiece of the
past, Notwithstanding the ephemeral
successes Of our present-day rroduc-
tions.
In criminal cases, juries arc often
told that if they cannot find verdict
of murder in the first degree they may,
III the. evidence so warrants, bring in a
verdict of manslaughter and SO while
not claiming that Lady Macbeth stands
free OF guilt, my effort will be to show
that the grade of her crime is lower
than usually appears in the indict-
ments framed against her by her
critics.
The keynote Of Lady Macbeth's char
aeter is found in her speeches following
the reading of the letter from Macbeth
Ia letter showing in every line the
swelling aud turbulent hopes of that
great chieftain.
CLAIMS thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be
What thou art promised.
Then wishing him beside her she eS-
presses her aim to remove
All that impedes thee from the golden round
Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem
To have thee crown'd wlthal.
These noble sentiments in them
selves far from provoking aversion
arouse applause; and before condemn
ing Lady Macbeth 1T must appear that
the end she sought was unlawful, or
being lawful, she adopted unlawful
means for its attainment.
First, as to tho end sought by Lady
Macbeth.
Her aim was the crown of Scotland
for her husband. Who was he and who
was she? 1t is true that Shakespeare
does not in this great tragedy aocur-
ately follow history in its details, and
under the microscopic criticism of the
realists, he would probably be accused
of painting false pictures. But whilo
Shakespeare ignored details, he never
failed to grasp the principles of stu
alton, and when his pen began to sketch
the portrait of a queen he did not take
milkmaid for model. Lady Macbeth,
in the play and in history, stands ire
eminent among her contemporaries, first
among the women of Scotland. OF
royal blood through descent from Ken
meth H.. the dignity of her station had
been maintained by her marriage with
Gilcomgain, maormor of Moray, a
powerful prince next in dignity to the
royal line. Malcolm H., grandfather
OF King Duncan, put Giloomgain to
death. Macbeth, then Thane of Ross,
offered her hospitality and protection
and soon conceived for her an affection
eliminating in marriage. Her second
marriage was nobler than her first for
Macbeth was of the royal blood. He
was, like Duncan, a grandson of the
preceding King Malcolm through a
daughter Doada, wife. of Finlay, the
powerful maormor of Moray, and stood
equally distant with Duncan from the
kingly Inheritance Duncan succeeded
his grandfather in 1894, but both abroad
and at home was unable to maintain
the arms of Scotland with credit In
those early times, without doubt the
right of q King to rule depended largely
on his ability to hold the reins Of
power. freeman says: Nothing is
clearer to our early history than the
personal agency of the King II =
The King must be If not the worthiest
of the nation at any rate the worthiest
of the royal house, BY his somewhat
ignoble defeat before Durham where
tho inhabitants were able to repulse
him with loss, and that too without
assistance from the royal troops of Eng
land, and by his losses at Pentlanc
Firth, where he was defeated by hi.
cousin Thorfinn. Earl of Caithness ant
son Of the Danish Sigurd, he plainl,
showed his inability to maintain thu
royal power. But much graver situa
tion confronted the ruling house O
Scotland under Duncan's weak regime
These were the days when the Dane
were attempting to spread the bound
aries of their power. They found op
posed TO them the Anglo Saxons in Eng
land, and the Uelts in Scotland ant
Ireland. After nearly two centuries 0
cruel strife, the Irish Celts were yictori
Gus over their inveterate enemies q
Clontarf in 1914, and the Danes there
after gradually vanished as u politica
factor from Ireland. The Danes wer
no less persistently the enemies of Eng
land. As early as the last quarter Q
the eighth century they commence,
their devastations of the English towns
and one Of the chiefest glories OF Kin
Alfred is his renowned resistance to til
Danish power. The Danes, though a
times defeated, returned to the conflict
NM uuAoI oMoSGlli Ouub anu Inelf sue
oessors, Danish Kings ruled Englan
from 1913 ito s1042. These warlik
foreigners sought to suhtlue Scotland
Here they were confronted with til
Scottish Celts, similar in spirit an
mettle with the Celts OF Ireland. Will
the intermittent struggle is proceed
ing, Macbeth succeeds to the dignitie
of the great Celtic chieftianship {
Moray By the death Of his fathel
Finlay, and the weak Duncan succeed
to the throne by the death Of Kennel
ii. Besides proving himself an incom
potent general, unable to Withstand I'll
power of Thortinn the Dane he mario
the daughter Of Sigurd the Danish Ea
of Northumberland. By his inactivii
in the field and by is domestic all
ances, the crown Of Scotland SCENE
about to pass from Celtic to a DAM.
dynasty. Resistance to such caIami
Gus success of tho Danes called forth
Brian Boru in Ireland, and m Alfrt
in England. Who would defend ii
glory of the Scottish Celts? No one WI
SO lifted for the task OF the times
Macbeth, close to the throne in bloo
powerful in arms and inheritor of Il
lest traditions of the Scottish Celts.
every rule governing the monarchies
those days, it was the right and the du
of Macbeth to displace Duncan. if Il
weakness Of the reigning King ieopa
died Celtic supremacy il Scotland.
then Macbeth. as the strongest of ii
Celtic chiefs of Scotland had the rig
to preserve the ruling power in d
native race it was not wrong for Lac
Macbeth to declare:
Siamis thou art and Cawdor, and shalt b
Iaaft IasNua 81 -.-rI