“The Tradgedie of Makbeth”

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12643, 31 December 1926, Page 12

“The Tradgedie of Makbeth”

Written for the “ N.Z. Times "

A performance of the drama at the Globe Theatre. Being the accounts of a country gentleman, lately come up .to town from Bradford, a distance of some fifty miles, to place his son in the service of the Queen, to , order and - be measured by his tailor, for one best black gown garded with velvet, and a velvet : cap, a new -stripe-coloured' gown' garded with velvet and faced with : coney. Also to-visit his kinsman for 1 the purpose of admiring his “rare and costly Vessels of glass now arrived from Venice.”- : Having beheld my son carry up the first dish at dinner Where the Queeiv 'did call him ‘an extraordinary handsome proper yoinrg fellow, ’ I. betook myself to the housetop my kinsmen, he .having -besought.! Vie to-lodge with him this sennight. : There, having - supped (and the ■number and strangeness of costly dishes‘did make'me marvel much, of mutton and the caper sauce, there being but little) we did ride to.the play-house-to see-a piece' by 'one Will. Shakespeare,. now risen.-, to public fame. “A handsome well-shaped’man, very good compahy and of' a very ready and pleasant, smooth wit,” I am told . The night .being dark, and the King’s highway much littered with loose stones, our horses did stumble three times, whereon our fellow, upon getting down to remove a flint, wo had occasion to observe a company of players, mounted upbn a low' trundling cart. In this fashion they did proceed to the play house enacting short scenes, midst manv shouts and much crying of the rabble. Me-

thought they did look grotesque in the torchlight flares. ■

To the theatre without further mishap. ’Arrived, we did enter the house, a goodly edifice, and such as I have never seen, and of our good fortune did obtain a stool in the “Lord’s Box,” where my kinsmen did meet and make merry with several of his friends. There was -great noise and much shouting and clamouring in the pit, eating of limes. and dossing about of rinds; and methought after our sweet country air—a. most noisome stench. 1 Upon the third round I did compost myself to read tfie “Post” observing the piece to be called “The Tragedy of Macbeth I by Will. Shakespeare.” i The play was of a do from which it is impossible to separate the Scottish. The villain Macbeth did receive much low hissing, of calls of ‘‘Fie” and “Shame” a great: number, ‘ though when he did retire there was much loud hand clapping. My kinsman did tell me that in Venice he had seen females acting; and he was surprised to find they performed it with as “good grade, action arid gesture as any masculine player,” arid ho would as lief have Macbeth’s lady a woman. Of witches „there were three—fearsome hags—of ; thunder’ a goodly “rolling,” Several; times great darkness, at others many glares. Twice did a , ghostly r apparition cross the stage, and shrieks, groans' and much cursing did greet the head of the bloody Macbeth as it was borne aloft on a spear head. A gruesome plot methought, and dne that did sit heavy upon a late supper. SYLVIA THOMSON. Christchurch.