The sun., 1910-05-22
Mae,erIInck's Macbeth. '

The wAy Of the translator il hard
MAURICE MAETERLINCK tells us this with
Inimitably gracious style IN his newly
published version of Macbeth His
Introduction to the play - simple and
pespiCaCious 4 loving student for
many years n the English poet he IA
acquainted with the vast commentary
that has parasitically encumbered that
giant oak; his notes reveal the depth
and breadth IT his reading. 4 literary
critic asked tho other day. Why trans
late SHAKEsPEARE, The answer Is OBJ
vious. BeCau-e u is SHAKESPEARE 40
English writer. with the possible sXcep-
tion of CHAUCER. il ~ dificult 10 trans
pose to another language; vet SHAKE-
sPEARE has been turned into nearly
every language and still remains SHANE
sPEARE SHELLEY and MEATS. MARLOwE
and MILTON evaporate in translation:
but SHAKESPEARE even when shorn Of
his music remains the essential SHAKE-
sPEARE. He Is more lyrical IN Italian.
-turdier IN German. more rhetorical in
French vet his essence remains. This
cannot be- said of GOETHE in French or Of
lBsEN in English II. as has been con-
tended by modern iconOclastic critics.
the philosophy of SHAKESPEARE is bor-
roWed from MoNTAIGNE. his humor
from RABELAIs, and his history from
PLUTARCH, HOLINsHED and the Italian
romancers. and II his poetry is not
translatable. what then 10 the secret Of
his power when garbed in foreign Ian
guage, MAETERLINCK does not pose
this question. though he is conscious Of
rs CompleXity.
His introduction poses as a prelimi-
nary the question Of the trilOgy Ham
Jet, lear and Macbeth. The latter Is
in the world Of tragedy solitary peak
which .EsCHYLUs alone could have at
tanned Many critics will disagree with
this contention, for Lear has been held
10 h. the Himalayan summit How
ever, We can but fell in line with the BEL
gian poet at present, for he is chiefly con-
cerned with Macbeth. He finds the
play a son Of biography more or less
Legendary u floats on the confines Of
history and legend The form is con-
fused the chief characters not sympa-
the'ic Macbeth Is not a p,scs bicn
fare. u II too long Of the more than
two thousand verses about one-ffth
must he suppressed ;or reprasPntatio ion.
This history ~ two crowned assassins
- reDugnant for their intelligence il
mediocre. their morals on the other side
# good and evil their show of repent
ance null. in a word. therp is little in the
machinery Of the drama 20 win our ap-
probation Al the qualities that do not
go 10 making 2 masterpiece are absent
Nevertheless a masterpiece Macbeth >
Is. and one that quite o ercrOws Cor
SEILLF. RACINE. GoFTHE w. are now
quoting MNFTFKLINCS, who sets himself
the task IT solving again tho enigma
For me schOlarly Frenchman from Vol
TNIHE 10 FAGuEr plav must be liter
a'urs ~ we'll ~ moving drama II must
develop iogi"allv according ~ canon.
II not Greek then Gallo. METER
u,oK. with his Flemish Temperament,
@oI are tempted 10 add his Gothic f1nd
has No such scholastic scrIples. His
own theatre shows him q pO@t who first
,upp.i On the entertainments. mysteries
and horrors II the Elizabethan aud later
writer tie knows MARIOwE as we'll a.
WEUsTER JOHN FORD a. we'll a. BEAU-
MOST and fLETCBER. Thus u nav b.
seen that Macbeth, with ~ profound
painting oi sinister souls. amss dam sgs
would stir him 10 hrs marrow.
he points Out the imDersOnality Of
The UOet. the conversational diapasOn
q realistic speech 10 often 10 be found
above al his favorte thesis that a
--amItist II the first order ran mRasst
the Interior dialogue $50 MAETER-
LINCEs remarks IN IBsENs Master
builder IL IN the Oase n SHAKESPEARE
triumphantiy yindicatsd. The very
pauses IN -Maobeth are pregnant with
horror The drtestabIe crime is but ths
irameWOrk around which hovors the