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Show Shakespeare the Stage Manager By BEV. O. F. AKED, LL. D. Mr. Man toll's "Macbeth" and "Ham-let" "Ham-let" served to remind us that while Shakcspearo is the supreme, consul mate poet of our race, he was, incidentally, inci-dentally, a London theater managor who made a fortune. In tho year that "Macbeth" v;as produced London was full of Scotchmen Scotch-men attracted by tho accaasion of Jamos VI, King of Scotland, to the English throne. He raijrned as Jamos I of Englnud, Ho was. the' son of Mary, Queen of Scots, but he boasted littlo of his mother's ill-fated beauty. John Richard Green, the historian cf the English, people, seems to delight in a description of tho ropulsive appearance appear-ance presented by this king with his "big head, gogglo oyea, rickoty logs and slobbering tongue." Tho historian goes on to add dotaila about his vulgar buffoonery, his coarBC-noss, coarBC-noss, hi3 coutcmptiblo cowardice. He was a drunkard and a sot. He was suspectod of vices compared with which drunkeuncss is a moro summer idyll. In the very year in which James bo- camo king of England Shakespeare wrolo in "Hamlot," "There's ouch divinity doth hodge a king." But Scotchmen flocked to London. Tho Scotch burr was heard on a thousand tongues; Scotch dishes, Scotch dress, Scotch drinks bocamo popular. Scotch fnshions were in tho air. Shakespeare was incapablo of Inventing In-venting a plot. He looked about him for good material for his plays, and thon mado tho best of it. He found matter that he thought would work out woll in a couple of volumes published nearly thirty years boforo Holinshod'a "Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland." It occurred to him that a Scotch play would stand a good chance of immodiato success. Ho found tho story of Macbeth. Flattery of tho goggle-eyed person upon tho throne know no measure, bound or limit. Tho translators of the Biblo dedicated their work to James and hailod his nppoaranco as that of "the sun in his strength." When ho spoke at tho Hampton Court Conference of Divines, Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury, doclared that ho had spoken by tho special inspiration of God's spirit. Bancroft, who was Boon to bo archbishop, fell on his knoos and cried out that thero had been no such king since Christ's iiruc. Tho lawyers wcro not to bo beaten by tho preachers in falsehood and flatter); and so Coko, the attornoy general, ex-tollod ex-tollod James as "divinelv illumined by Almighty God, and liko unto an angol of God." Shakcspcaro must needs join, though moro adroitly, in moro subtle ways, m this homage to tho king. In Holinshod Banquo is an nccomplico with Macbeth Mac-beth in tho murdor of Duncan. But this would 'uover do I Banquo was tho reputed founder of the nouse of Stuart, of which James was tho hoad. James is supposed to bo a lineal descendant of him. And so in Shakespeare, Ban-quo Ban-quo becomos an admirablo person, full of graco and dignity, a victim of Macbeth Mac-beth 'b joalousy and fear. And more, tho union of Scotland with England and Ireland seemed to tho men of that day a vory important matter, as indood it wa9. And a lino omitted by Mr. Mantoll, as having no significance for American thoator-goors, preserves Shakespeare's recognition 01 it along with his compllmont to the king. when Mncbcth sees Banquo 'b descendants, tho line of them ao long thnt ho begins to think it will stretch out to tho crnck of doom, he oxclaims: "And some I soe that twofold two-fold balls and treble scentors carry." Tho two-fold ball refers to tho double coronation of .lames, first at Scono as king of Scotland, second at Westminster West-minster as king' of England. Tho troblo scoptcr is that of England, Scotland and Ireland. |