The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1911-11-10
Hamlet Traditions Violated

haired, fair.skinned people. therefore.
Ham ct was of that type: and Dickens
agreed thoroughly with Fechter, whose
blond Hamlet created great Juror
both in this country and In England,
where rectt:.cr As: p':yc! the part
In the sixties
While Fechter's Is the most note
worthy blond Hamlet In the history
Of the American stage. perhaps Beer
bohm Trees takes second place In
that respect. Tree. when he came to
study the part. accepted Fechter's
conception Of the physical appearance
OF Hamlet as the correct one and &C.
corded Fechter high praise for ven
turing to portray Hamlet as a blond
| against all stage traditions
But" said Mr. Tree. at the time
of his visit to this country. about
twenty years ago Il went somewhat
further In my presentation Of Ham ct
| than Fechter did While carefully
studying the play. | discovered that
Shakespeare depicts Hamlet as having
worn beard. and beard therefore
added to my makeup"
But, Mr. Tree, where does Shake.
speare give Ham ct beard?" one OF
| his auditors asked
Il refer you to these lines In the
second scene of the second act OF the
play, where Hamlet is speaking" said
| Mr. Tree:
Am a coward? Who calls me a
villain?
Breaks my pate across? Plucks of
my beard
And blows It in my face?'
4 also felt that was justified tn
following Shakespeare's de!ineatiou
bv making up Hamlet as fat man.
continued MIR Tree "Fech'er did moi
have TO do that for he was very cor
pulent at the time he began to play
Hamlet Perhaps you recall the line
spoken by the queen Of Hamlet in the
second scene OF act five:
| res TAI ana SCant III DTedtu.
! Beerbohm Tree however in play
ing Hamlet wore the conventional
back costume But not so Richard
Mansfield, who thereby made one oil
the most striking departures from The
conventional Hamlet in the history Of
the Eng'ishspoaking stage Mr. Will
liam T TAFT who is high authority
on dramatic presentations In this
country. in speaking to me Of Mans
fields Hamlet said:
Il think. after all. that the most
daring and ahso utely unique portrayal
, of the personal characteristics Of Ham
let was that which the late Richard
Mansfield ventured to make
Mansfield was familiar With the his.
tory OF Denmark and with the cas-
toms of the Danish people He was
born within sight Of the peninsula Of
Denmark He was very high au.
thority upon Danish history And 1t
was in accordance with the historical
| IdCt mat lie uTeSSSU Ills I1dNlicl III ICu
velvet
OF course. it caused great deal
of criticism. to which Mansfield simply
replied that he had teen faithful to
history. since red velvet was the co or
and material with which the r0va'
family of Denmark up to the sixteenth
century CARRIED themselves when in
mourning However, a Hamlet dressed
IN red velvet, true though 1t may have
been historically, did not seem 10
American audiences SO appropriate
tor Hamlet as the dark velvet cos
tune usually worn; and am sure
that Mansfield. who was stickler o.
historical accuracy, was greatly dfsap
pointed thereby. though outwardly ne
may have shown characteristic disdain
for the pub les opinion =
| Downright. 1911 ov f J Edwards. All
Rights Reserved.'