Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-05-08
THE TRAGEDY
Of MACBETH"
DR.. Gray Sees In Ii Differ.
ence of Character of
Men and Women
CAUTION VERSUS IMPULSE
Once Committed Crime Makes
Man Calloused; Women,
Remorseful.

/ A wonderful genius and true read
er OF the human heart rather than
a mediocre playwright who shows
lamentabie weakness in depicting
character. as Tolstoi has described
Shakespeare, was the Bard OF Avon.
shown to Santa Feans Saturday night
by DR.. f. Mcqueen Gray. president
of the University of New Mexico
! DR.. Gray's lecture was on THE
/ Tragedy OF Macbeth" and this work
OF Shakespeare's as treated by Dr.
Gray was a convincing proof thai
| Shakespeare is, after all the great
man most Shakespearean students
! proclaim him, even the great Tolstoi
Notwithstanding
! This was the last lecture in the
{; series given here in the University
Extension Course, and Library Hall
was filled with we'll known \ Santa
Feans. Professor Rupert f. Asplund
| presided.
Preceding the lecture, Miss Ross OF
Albuquerque recited in her happy
style and greatly pleased the audi.
ence. The Ladies Quartet Of this
city sang and furnished the musical
part of the program which was evi-
| IDENTIFY appreciated Mrs. Rapp ac.
ccmpanied on the piano
DR.. Gray then began his lecture on
Shakespeare's great tragedy and for
nearly two hours held he close atten-
ton of admirers of the worlds great
est interpreter OF human life.
! The lecturer recited passage after
passage from the great tragedy and
then commented on them.
OF chief interest no doubt, was DR..
Gray's comparison OF the two leading
/ characters, Macbeth himself and his
wife, Lady Macbeth. These two
characters in themselves show the re.
markable difference in the character
| of man and woman
Before the murder, Macbeth shows
signs of timidity; his bump of caution
is in evidence. His wife. on the other
hand, shows the mailed fist, the iron
nerve and the dominant character
which overcomes Macbeth's fears.
She is the instigator and well did the
lecturer initiate the Kissing vipery
| tones of Lady Macbeth egging him
on.
ITO many readers of Shakespeare
ii seems strange said DR.. Gray,
that Lady Macbeth should appear so
calloused while Macbeth, the soldier
and strong man, should go to pieces
lat the very idea of murder But
this merely shows the psychological
difference between a man and a
woman in regard to crime and brings
up the code OF honor This. of
course. is delicate subject to treat.
but 1t is safe to say that he main idea
OF honor, virtue and probity is largely
pound up in society. Honor grows
in man as belonging to the law max
ing and the law giving sex. In an
act OF this kind man loses the re.
spect OF his friends; he risks all that
man can risk. for his very stand.
ing in the world is at stake A man
leeis ne is part of society; more
than that, that he is the very pillar
or society. In the history of crime
we nnd, as a rule there is a long
hesitation and a gradual breaking
down of the barriers before the deed
is done
Not So With Women.
with woman. on the other hand.
mere is great difference A woman
has at the bottom of her mind
great contempt for law. 1t is quite
natural that she should have. If we
look at the history of women in the
past ages We find that she never had
any share In law making and it is
quite natural that she should look
with disfavor on laws with which her
sex had nothing to do. We see that
attitude even in this country in this
age in the custom house regulations
Women seem bent on breaking these
laws and feel no twinge of conscience
III SO doing. This is a natural nosi.
ton, for a sex not consulted in max.
ing laws cannot be hoped to lend aid
TO preserve them. A woman can
commit a crime without the slightest
thought OF the consequences or how
her social position will be affected
Man. on the other hand, premeditates
because OF the two he is most eau.
tious. A woman is naturally impul-
sive but her femininity protects her
tnat femlninity, that delicacy. that
natural shrinking from wrong doing
Is intuitive, but once refinement is
broken down then she goes ahead
with an abandon that is startling.
Il say, therefore, in this scene in
which Lady Macbeth appears the
hardened murderer rather than her
soldier husband, there is nothing ex-
cessive. Lady Macbeth is troubled
with no thought except to have her
husband crowned king. Her towering
ambition dwarfs into insignificance
thoughts of the deed and its conse.
quences."
DR. Gray then added that If we can
consider the tragedy in this way the
reading OF it is more agreeable.
The speaker then went over scene
after scene, finally focusing the At