The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-11-02
THE EVIL EYE.
shakespeare's Yelled AIlusiOns to 1t
In Orchard ILL.,"


In Orchard ILL.,"
There are several passages in Shake
Tpeare's play of Richard I'LL" which,
taken in connection with an ancient
superstition rife in the England Of
Elizabeth-indeed, still flourishing in
many parts of the continent and even
lingering here and there in our own
land yet-seem to indicate probabili-
ty that the dramatist meant us to un-
derstand that Richard, as conceived by
him, possessed the power Of "fascina-
ton" through the evil eye. 1t Is true
that Shakespeare does not say this in
so many words, but the fact Of the
prevalence of the belief in the evil eye
in his day would render 1t unnecessary
for him to do more than hint at or
suggest 1t, and a far stronger argu-
ment in explanation of his not making
the statement direct would be found in
the common persuasion that attaches
to so many folklore superstitions that
it is dangerous to mention supernatu-
raj or uncanny things by name. We
are not obliged to assume in conse-
quence of this that Shakespeare him
self believed in the evil eye, and for
the present purpose it does not matter
whether he did or not, but we do know,
as he knew, that most Of those who
formed his audiences believed in it.
For his ends the notion would have a
striking dramatic value, and it would
also help to explain the extraordinary
way in which Richard fascinated"
first Ann and then Elizabeth immedi-
ately after having wrought them seri
Gus injury.
To turn to the passages in question,
in l, ii, 45 Globe text Ann Nevil says
with reference to Gloucester, mortal
eyes cannot endure the devil" The
word ''devil' here would have in this
case not general, but special ap-
propriateness, since possessors of the
evil eye were supposed to have &C.
quired that mischievous organ, with
it's powers Of bewitchment, through
compact with Satan. 1, II, 70, contains
the word Infection" applied by Ann
to Gloucester, term regularly used
Of the evil eye. In /, ii, co. we find the
phrase ''devilish slave" used to Glouces-
ter by Ann. This, viewed in the light
Of the other passages we are dealing
with the devil, whereby he became his
agent or "hells factor to buy souls"
(VI. Nv, 72), in pursuit of which bust
ness the evil eye bestowed on him by
Satan would be invaluable in attract
ing and fascinating" customers. Again,
in 1. ii, IA, Ann splits at Gloucester. It
is needless to remark that from the
all peoples one of the commonest anti
dotes to Fascination" (the technical
term for the action of the evil eye) or
other evils was despuere nahum. In
1. ii, 149, we have the accusation again
hurled at Gloucester by Ann: "Out of
my sight! Thou dost infect mine eyes,"
In l. Iii, 225, we find another accuser in
Queen Margaret, who, to Gloucester,
says, 'That deadly eye of thine" In
Nv. /, Sc, the Duchess of York, his
mother chimes in as a third accuser
with the words addressed to herself in
reproach for having brought into the
world such a monster as Richard), "a
cockatrice hast thou hatch'd to the
world, whose unavoided eye is murder
GUS" The beliefs about the fatal
glance Of the cockatrice are too well
known to enter into and are in them
selves outside the scope Of this note,
but it should not be forgotten that this
beast also infected" the air around it.