New-York tribune., 1905-11-14


is that vestige remains Of any castle OF mac
beths time and that those tales OF haunted rooms
in Glarlis and Cawdor are mere fabrics OF roman
tic fancy. The castles of the tenth century IN
Scotland were made of timber and sod, and ilnle
has long since bestowed them in that omniverous
wallet wherein he puts aims for oblivion 1t Is
essential that the student should be acqtalh'eu
with Scottish history, but in the study Oh Mac
beth" ii is essential that ne should we" inc
tragedy not abstract ana epltonhe VI -0''
but a fabric of the poetic imagination
Raphael Honshed. the old historian dieu ah
elderly man. in about 1880, at which time Siiahe
speare a lad of sixteen. The passages IN
Holinshed's Chronicle, and in other OLD FecoIos'
that reused the Imagination OF the poet can readily
be designated for they such as no impression
apie person can read without sense Oh "e'Iu'ie9s
and thrill Of dread Consider, for example ti'i9
extract from Sir Thomas Mores Life OF hils
Richard III upon which in part, Shakespeare
radically false but superbly dramatic portraiture
of that monarch founded:
Il have heard by credible report Of such as were
secret with his chambers that after this aboni-
nable deed (the murder of the princes his nephe"s1
he never had quiet in his mind; he never thought
himself When he went abroad his eS
whirled about. his body privily fenced, his lalo
his dagger. his countenance and manner
like always ready to strike again. He took III
rest at night; lay long waking and musing; sore
wearied with and watch, he rather slunlpefeo
then slept. Troubled with fearful dreams SUD
denly sometimes started he up, leaped out OF MS
bed. and about the CnamDef 80 was Ills ic0t
less heart continually tossed and tumbled with the
tedious impression and strong remembrance Of his
abominabe deed
Consider also this passage from Holinsheo
Chronicle relative to secret murder, committed py
Kenneth, the brother OF King Dufe, who poisoheo
Duffe's son. Malcolm:
Thus might he seem happy to all men, but yet 70
himself he seemed most unhappy, as he that cou1d
not but still live In continual fear lest his Wleheo
practice concerning the death of Malcolm Dune
ls.l,+ ln6p of
For cometh fl to pass that such as are priekeo
in conscience for any secret offence coInIlltteu
have unquiet mind. And, as the lame
goeth it chanced that voice heard as ne was
In bed in the night time to take his rest utterlhS
unto him these the like words, in effect; 1hlnh
not Kenneth, that the wicked slaughter Of Malcolm
Dufe by thee contrived is kept secret from the
knowledge of eternal God. The klng Win
this voice being stricken into great dread ana terror
passed that night without any sleep coming In his
eyes,
The weird lines of Mickle, in the fine ola oaliad
that prompted Sir Walter Scott to write "kenli-
worth" here float into memory from the realm OF
Long Ago:
The death bell thrice was heard to ring
And thrice the e'Is raven aapp'd his ,yanE wing
Around the towers Of Gunner Hail
shskesneare died in 1915. The First Folio, which
contains the first collection OF his dramatic worhs
appeared in 1923, seven years later 1t contains
thirty-si1 plays, "Pericles '-afterward adoeo IN
the second Issue OF the OIO' DNAAA9
included There are, all scholars know. Iour
Folio editions of Shakespeare: 1925 1882 1868 ire
vsed in 1864. and 1885, The First Folo is the only
authority existing for seventeen of the plays Ihe
Third Folio published for the first time not only
'Pericles' but six other plays, attributng them
to Shakespeare, which have long been considered
and classified as doubtful" Betterton, that great
actor Qss5-1718D told Charles Gdon his later con-
temporary Q6s5-172Q, that the First Folio contained
'all those plays that were truly Snakespeares. 5.
,s,16 and tn Stq
by the First Folio. as the basis of Shakespearian
scholarship. Betterton had made a pilgrimage TO
shskespeare's birthplace had acted the great parts
in Shakespeare had thoroughly studied the subject
and was in possession OF the traditions In the
theatre. As to "Percles." modern research has
definitely ascertained that Shakespeare not its
author, but its reviser. and that he wrote only a
part Of ISee the excellent book on this SUBJECT
by Professor Albert H. Smyth. called Pericles
and Appolonus." Macbeth" is in the First Fo-
uo (pages 1S1 to 151), and that imprint OF 1t was
the first ever made. The tragedy was written some
time between 1903 and 1910 It contains an alu-
sion,-
Some
twofold balls and treble sceptres carry
TO the union of the crowns of Scotland and Eng
land. which occurred at the accession of James l.
In 1908 and 1t was seen at the Globe Theatre, Lon
don, by Simon Forrnan. the astrologer Q562-l6lD
on April 90 1910 related by him in his BOOK or
PLAYS and Notes Thereto for Common Policy.
the manuscript of which is in the Bodleian LII
brary at oxford. The text Of Macbeth seems 10
have been much marred-probahly by the actors
In the Globe Theatre. Passages from Thomas Md
dleton's play of The Witch" drama of later
composition than Macbeth" but not known till
IT'S when the manuscript Of it was discovered
were inserted into it, and when the manuscript
came to light the accusation was promptly nade
that Shakespeare had borrowed from Middleton
some of the Witch rhymes and also the part of
Hecate.
Mention has been made of the spontaneous ana
involuntary flow of poetry. sometimes excessive and
inappropriate, in Shakespeare's plays. Examples OF
this are instructive In The Merchant of Venice.
toward the end of the second act, servant an
nounces to his mistress, Portia, the approach OF
Bassanio, and to this lackey. who is only an incl
dent is allotted the following speech:
Madam there is aghted at your gate
young Venetian one & that t c9meS his I6fd 6eiore
hs bnggth sensible bs eSsrfeeu, ees breath
a sfs sey ef rGh a abassador xaas Sss Of 1Is oye not
day in April never came SO sweet ,,,
As this fcre-spurrer comes before his lord
In the fifth act of Macbeth" when the furies
Iashing him. when the pail is descending upon him,
when the hour of doom has struck and the clouds
of horror and death closing TO engulf him for
ever his officer Seyton, tells him of the queens
demise. and thereupon his words are these:
She should have died hereafter.
There would been a time for such q word
Tomorrow and tomorrow and to-morrow
CseDs in this sxsbs psifs oa's oa ea9ed '1 fne 60
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
-rts ,Sav 10 dusty Out brief candlsi
Iife's but walking shadow: poor player
And then 4. heard more: II is a tale
Told by idiot, full Of sound and fury,
sgn,fyinE nothing
beautiful words Shakespeare's view of the
emptiness and nothingness of mortality: sermon
in a poem: but with it's professional simie Of the
poor player" absolutely inappropriate on the lips
of Macbeth