Part 24 (1/2)

Many adaptations of Shakespeare's plays were contrived to meet current sentiment of a less admirable type But they failed efficiently to supersede the originals Dryden and D'Avenant converted 'The Tele-handed adapted 'The Two noble Kinsmen' (1668) and 'Macbeth' (1674) Dryden dealt similarly with 'Troilus' (1679); Thomas Duffett with 'The Tempest' (1675); Shadith 'Timon' (1678); Nahum Tate with 'Richard II' (1681), 'Lear' (1681), and 'Coriolanus' (1682); John Croith 'Henry VI' (1681); D'Urfey with 'Cymbeline' (1682); Ravenscroft with 'titus Andronicus' (1687); Otith 'Roha the same period the chief actor of the day, Thomas Betterton, won his spurs as the interpreter of Shakespeare's leading parts, often in unrevised versions Hamlet was accounted that actor's edy for several years,' wrote Downes, the proot more reputation or money to the company than this'

From 1702 onwards

From the accession of Queen Anne to the present day the tide of Shakespeare's reputation, both on the stage and a critics, has flowed onward almost uninterruptedly The censorious critic, John Dennis, in his 'Letters' on Shakespeare's 'genius,' gave his work in 1711 whole-hearted cohteenth century, Pope and Johnson, although they did not withhold all censure, paid hi his editor

The school of textual criticism which Theobald and Capell founded in the middle years of the century has never ceased its activity since their day {332b} Edhteenth century to the biography of the poet and the contee, secured for him a vast band of disciples, of whom Joseph Hunter and John Payne Collier well deserve mention But of all Malone's successors, James Orchard Halliwell, afterwards Halliwell-Phillipps (1820-1889), has e of Shakespeare's biography

Meanwhile, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, there arose a third school to expound exclusively the aesthetic excellence of the plays In its inception the aesthetic school owedcritics of Shakespeare in Gere in his 'Notes and Lectures' {333} and Hazlitt in his 'Characters of Shakespeare's Plays' (1817) are the best representatives of the aesthetic school in this or any other country Although Professor Dowden, in his 'Shakespeare, his Mind and Art' (1874), and Mr Swinburne in his 'Study of Shakespeare' (1880), are worthy followers, Coleridge and Hazlitt remain as aesthetic critics unsurpassed In the effort to supply a fuller interpretation of Shakespeare's works textual, historical, and aesthetic--two publishi+ng societies have done much valuable work 'The Shakespeare Society' was founded in 1841 by Collier, Halliwell, and their friends, and published soht volumes before its dissolution in 1853 The New Shakspere Society, which was founded by Dr Furnivall in 1874, issued during the ensuing twenty years twenty-seven publications, illustrative mainly of the text and of contemporary life and literature

Stratford festivals

In 1769 Shakespeare's 'jubilee' was celebrated for three days (September 6-8) at Stratford, under the direction of Garrick, Dr Arne, and Boswell

The festivities were repeated on a small scale in April 1827 and April 1830 'The Shakespeare tercentenary festival,' which was held at Stratford from April 23 to May 4, 1864, clailish stage The first appearance of actresses in Shakespearean parts David Garrick, 1717-1779

On the English stage the nareat actor of the period of the Restoration, has been identified with Shakespearean parts Steele, writing in the 'Tatler' (No 167) in reference to Betterton's funeral in the cloisters of West of Othello as proof of an unsurpassable talent in realising Shakespeare's subtlest conceptions on the stage One great and welco is closely associated with Betterton's first naurated by Killigrew, of women for boys in female parts The first role that was professionally rendered by a woman in a public theatre was that of Desdemona in 'Othello,' apparently on December 8, 1660 {335} The actress on that occasion is said to have been Mrs Margaret Hughes, Prince Rupert's mistress; but Betterton's wife, as at first known on the stage as Mrs Saunderson, was the first actress to present a series of Shakespeare's great feave her husband powerful support, from 1663 onwards, in such roles as Ophelia, Juliet, Queen Catherine, and Lady Macbeth Betterton formed a school of actors who carried on his traditions for many years after his death Robert Wilks (1670-1732) as Hamlet, and Barton Booth (1681-1733) as Henry VIII and Hotspur, were popularly accounted no unworthy successors Colley Cibber (1671-1757) as actor, theatrical er, and dramatic critic, was both a loyal disciple of Betterton and a lover of Shakespeare, though his vanity and his faith in the ideals of the Restoration incited hies on Shakespeare's text when preparing it for theatrical representation

His notorious adaptation of 'Richard III,' which was first produced in 1700, long held the stage to the exclusion of the original version But towards the hteenth century all earlier efforts to interpret Shakespeare in the playhouse were eclipsed in public esteeence of David Garrick Garrick's enthusiasenius riveted Shakespeare's hold on public taste His claie the text of Shakespeare--purified of Restoration defilements--cannot be alloithout serious qualifications Garrick had no scruple in presenting plays of Shakespeare in versions that he or his friends had recklessly garbled He supplied 'Ro of the Shrew' into the farce of 'Katherine and Petruchio,' 1754; he introduced radical changes in 'Antony and Cleopatra,' 'Two Gentleht's Dream' Nevertheless, no actor has won an equally exalted reputation in so vast and varied a repertory of Shakespearean roles His triumphant debut as Richard III in 1741 was followed by equally successful perfor John, Roo, Leontes, Benedick, and Antony in 'Antony and Cleopatra'

Garrick was not quite undeservedly buried in Westminster Abbey on February 1, 1779, at the foot of Shakespeare's statue

Garrick was ably seconded by Mrs Clive (1711-1785), Mrs Cibber (1714-1766), and Mrs Pritchard (1711-1768) Mrs Cibber as Constance in 'King John,' and Mrs Pritchard in Lady Macbeth, excited so of the same enthusiasm as Garrick in Richard III and Lear There were, too, conteed rival actors to show in certain parts powers equal, if not superior, to those of Garrick Charles Macklin (1697?-1797) for nearly half a century, froaveof Shylock The character had, for many years previous to Macklin's assumption of it, been allotted to coy on the tragic significance of the part with an effect that Garrick could not surpass Macklin was also reckoned successful in Polonius and Iago

John Henderson, the Bath Roscius (1747-1785), who, like Garrick, was buried in Westminster Abbey, derived immense popularity from his representation of Falstaff; while in subordinate characters like Mercutio, Slender, Jaques, Touchstone, and Sir Toby Belch, John Palmer (1742?-1798) was held to approach perfection But Garrick was the accredited chief of the theatrical profession until his death He was then succeeded in his place of predominance by John Philip Kemble, who derived invaluable support from his association with one abler than himself, his sister, Mrs Siddons

John Philip Kemble, 1757-1823 Mrs Sarah Siddons, 1755-1831

Somewhat stilted and declae of characters of Shakespearean tragedy with a dignity that won the adh Hunt

Coriolanus was regarded as hisJohn, Wolsey, the Duke in 'Measure for Measure,' Leontes, and Brutus satisfied thecanons of contemporary theatrical criticisreatest actress that Shakespeare's country presentation of Lady Macbeth, her Constance, her Queen Katherine, have, according to the best testimony, not been equalled even by the achievements of the eminent actresses of France

Ed the present century the most conspicuous histrionic successes in Shakespearean dra of Shylock on his first appearance at Drury Lane Theatre on January 26, 1814, is one of the e Kean defied the rigid convention of the 'Keave free rein to his impetuous passions Besides Shylock, he excelled in Richard III, Othello, Hae declared that to see hi' Ah place was allotted by public esteee Frederick Cooke (1756-1811), whose Richard III, first given in London at Covent Garden Theatre, October 31, 1801, was accounted hisin 1822, declared that of all the actors who flourished in his tiave with a fine enthusiasm in his 'Essays of Elia' an analysis (which has become classical) of Bensley's performance of Malvolio But Bensley's poere rated oers {338} Lamb's praises of Mrs Jordan (1762-1816) in Ophelia, Helena, and Viola in 'Twelfth Night,' are corroborated by the eulogies of Hazlitt and Leigh Hunt In the part of Rosalind Mrs Jordan is reported on all sides to have beaten Mrs Siddons out of the field

William Charles Macready, 1793-1873

The torch thus lit by Garrick, by the Kembles, by Kean and his contemporaries orthily kept alive by William Charles Macready, a cultivated and conscientious actor, who, during a professional career of reat part in Shakespearean tragedy Although Macready lacked the classical bearing of Kemble or the intense passion of Kean, he won as the interpreter of Shakespeare the whole-hearted suffrages of the educated public