Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-12
THE LADIES OF SHAKESPEARE
CRITIC COMES TO DEFENSE OF
OPHELIA AND LADY MACBETH.
Murderess of Duncan Was Not In
Observation-Disclosures Daughter 9io
-
Was Not Untruthful. M

From the Literary Digest.
Dr. Horace Howard Furness.' the noted
Shakespearian critic. comes to the de-
Tense of several Shakespearian ladies who
have suffered more or less under the
cloud of invidious aspersions. DIR. Fur
ness brings forward a vindication of
F., Ophelia from the charge of falsehood and
| tried to clear Lady Macbeth Of the charge
at having done her bloody deed while her
brain was fired by alcoholic stimulation.
| DR.. Furness as reported by the daily
press, states the case more fully in these
| words: ~
There are two lines in Macbeth to
| which 1 have never heard but one inter
probation. and this Interpretation haa
always been to me not only most inartis-
tic but even revolving. 1t is in the sec
ond scene of the second act, where Lady
Macbeth enters with the words:
That which hath made them drunk hath made
bold: o.
What hath quenchd them hath given me fire,
The Lady Was Sober. -
Il know of no published explanation Of
these words other than that given a
hundred and thirty years ago by Mrs.
Griffiths who remarks that Shakespeare
seems to think that a woman could not
some degree of intoxication.' All subseA
quent commentators have either quoted
Mrs. Griffiths or omitted any reference 70
the passage; her Interpretation remains.
therefore, the only one, as far as L know.
and is not only so gross. but implies such
| violation of all art in representing a
heroine as intoxicated that L will not
listen to it. Rather any solution. how
ever far-fetched or feeble or childish. that
that Lady Macbeth in that supreme hour
was sustained by drink
In the attendant circumstances DR..
Furness thinks may be found another ex.
PLANTATION. Thus: -
Duncan was sleeping beneath the roof
of his own kinsman. not only kinsman,
but the most loyal and trusted of Thames
Could king he more secured? Verify.
with the knowledge of this security, might
not vigilance, SO far from being increased,
be relaxed? Let the fumes of wine and
wassail mount to the brain-the king was
absolutely safe: there could be none TO
harm him, by this conviction all fears
were quenched. and the sleep of every
head in the castle might, for that night
at least, be sound and deep. This then
it was, as | think. this assurance of alb
Solute security, this utter absence of sus-
picion, that beguiled the chamberlains
into relaxation of watchfulness and into
sleep and it was this knowledge of the
existence Of this assurance and of the
absence of this suspicion that made Lady
Macbeth bold. In the full consciousness
of an all-pervading sense of security she
could count on the success of the murder
and be fired with zeal to aid it, What
had quenched all guards had given her
fire. ia
Il know it may be objected that she
afterward says tafterward, pray observer
that she had drugged the grooms possetsI
Had this fact caused her holiness, She
would, think. have mentioned it at first.
But If it be still maintained that she re-
ferS to the drug. it must then be admit
ted that she had herself partaken of il.
Why. then, was not she herself druggeti.
too? If the drug had quenched the grooms
why was not she. too, quenched? Drugs
do not produce directly opposite effects
accelerate the pulse in one person and
retard it in another do not forget that
in planning to murder Lady Macbeth had
told her husband that she would convince
the chamberlains with wine. but this re-
fers to the possets. and does not counter
vail 1 think. what l have just said as
to the Interpretation of her first words.
The Dramatic Mirror. in commenting
editorially upon DR.. Furness' efforts to
save Ophelia from the disgrace of teli-
ing Hamlet lie," observes:
Sweet Ophelia!
I'm his defense of Ophelia from the
charge of falsehood in that she answers
Hamlet's question, Where's your father
with AT home, my lord DR. Furness co6-
tends that the speech of Claudius to Ger
trude disclosing his purpose with Polo
MUS to secrete themselves that they may
hear uamet's speech with Ophelia is an
aside to Gertrude, and that Ophelia does
not hear it, and thus is innocent of the
stratagem. The speech referred to as ana
aside is that beginning For we have
closely sent for Hamlet hither.' and when
Claudius and Polonius leave the scene
Ophelia slipposes that she and Hamlet are
alone as he enters. DR.. FurneSs quite le-
ultimately answers that, in. the absence
of direction as to asides. the text OF the
First Folio gives intelligence absolute
freedom as to the readings.
SD
Good feeling is about the only source of
good manners. Good breeding simply az
fords a species of storage for keeping
~. DIV