Chapter IX: Act III: , Scene 2, brings us to the last stage of the casket complication, (4)

The movement began so far back as the year 1900. It was then proposed by myself to present to the London County Council a petition for the grant of a site for the erection of a memorial in the form of the old Globe Playhouse, so as to perpetuate for the benefit of posterity the kind of stage with which Shakespeare was so long and intimately associated. The outcome of this proposal, which remained in abeyance during the anxious period of the war, was a meeting organized by T. Fairman Ordish, F.S.A., and held in the hall of Clifford's Inn on "Shakespeare Day," 1902. The chair was taken by Mr. Frederic Harrison, and two resolutions were passed by the meeting, one establishing the London Shakespeare Commemoration League, the other recommending that the proposed memorial of the model Globe Playhouse should be considered by the committee of the League. It was ultimately found, however, that a structure of the kind could not be erected in a central position in London owing to the County Council's building restrictions. In the following year an interesting development arose in connection with the League in the formation of a provisional committee for a London Shakespeare Memorial. The movement was made possible by the generous gift of Mr. Richard Badger to the London County Council of the sum of L2,500 to form the nucleus of a fund for the erection of a statue, and the Council offered a site, if sufficient funds could be collected to insure a worthy memorial. The League then formed a provisional committee composed of a number of influential people, among whom were eight members of their own council, including the President, the late Dr. Furnivall. But the idea of a statue was not the only scheme offered for the provisional committee's deliberations. Some were in favour of a "Shakespeare Temple" to "serve the purposes of humane learning, much in the same way as Burlington House has served those of natural science." This suggestion, however, called forth a protest, and on February 27, 1905, a letter appeared in the _Times_ in which it was stated that "any museum which could be formed in London would be a rubbish heap of trivialities." The letter was signed by J. M. Barrie, Professor A. C. Bradley, Lord Carlisle, Sir W. S. Gilbert, Mr. Edmund Gosse, Mr. Maurice Hewlett, the Earl of Lytton, Dr. Gilbert Murray, Lord Onslow, Sir A. W. Pinero, Sir Frederick Pollock, Mr. A. B. Walkley, and Professor W. Aldis Wright. On the next day was held a public meeting at the Mansion House, with the Lord Mayor presiding. No special mention of a statue was made, nor of a "Shakespeare Temple," while Mr. Bram Stoker pointed out the difficulties and expense of a National Theatre. On the proposition of Dr. Furnivall, seconded by Sir H. Beerbohm Tree, the following resolution was passed:

"That the meeting approves of the proposal for a Shakespeare Memorial
in London, and appoints a general committee, to be further added to,
for the purpose of organizing the movement and determining the form
of a memorial."

On this general committee I was asked to serve and was duly elected.

On Thursday, July 6, 1905, the general committee was summoned to the Mansion House to receive the report of the special committee appointed to consider the various proposals. This committee, which was elected by the general committee, was as follows: Lord Alverstone, Lord Avebury, Lord Reay, Sir Henry Irving, Sir R. C. Jebb, Sir E. Maunde Thompson, Mr. F. R. Benson, Mr. S. H. Butcher, Mr. W. L. Courtney, Mr. Walter Crane, Dr. F. J. Furnivall, Sir G. L. Gomme, Mr. Anthony Hope Hawkins, Mr. Bram Stoker, Dr. A. W. Ward.

The recommendation made by this committee, which was unanimously adopted, was that "the form of the memorial be that of an architectural monument including a statue." But it was also recommended, if funds permitted, as a possible subsidiary project, "the erection of a building in which Shakespeare's plays could be acted without scenery." This part of the scheme met with strong opposition from some members of the general committee, and Sir Herbert Tree, as representing the dramatic profession, declared that he could not, and would not, countenance it.

Finally, by the narrow majority of one vote (that of the chairman, Lord Reay) it was decided that this part of the report should be dropped, as well as the proposal to use, as a site, a space near the new London County Hall, recommended for its proximity to the locality of the old Globe playhouse.

On March 5, 1908, the general committee were again summoned to the Mansion House to receive the further recommendations of the executive committee after their consultation with an advisory committee consisting of seven persons, five of whom were members of the Royal Academy. The meeting confirmed the recommendation that a statue be erected in Park Crescent, Portland Place, at a cost of not less than L100,000, and an additional L100,000, if collected, "to be administered by an international committee for the furtherance of Shakespearian aims." What was remarkable to me about this meeting was the small attendance. There could not have been more than two dozen persons present. I believe I was the only one there to raise a debate on the report, and, my objections being ignored, letters from me appeared the next day in the _Times_ and the _Daily News_ attacking the constitution of the committee selected to approve of the design. Among those chosen there was not one Shakespearian scholar, no poet, and no dramatist. What, then, would be the effect upon the designers of having to submit their models to a committee of this kind? Instead of the artists giving their faculties full play to produce some original and great piece of sculpture worthy of Shakespeare's genius, they would be striving to design something specially suited to meet the limited and, perhaps, prejudiced ideas of their judges (the professional experts), while the general committee, responsible to the public for the National Memorial, would be handing over its duties to an academy which had never shown any special appreciation of the poet and his plays; for, so far as my experience goes, there never has been a Shakespearian picture exhibited on the walls of the Royal Academy which was not, as to costume and in idea, a burlesque of the dramatist's intentions, always excepting those painted by Seymour Lucas, R.A., who, strange to say, was not one of the judges selected.

But it soon became evident from correspondence in the newspapers that the project of a statue in Portland Place did not satisfy the wishes of a very large number of influential men, and of a very important section of the public. Accordingly, a public meeting took place at the Lyceum Theatre, under the presidency of Lord Lytton, on Tuesday May 19, 1908, when a resolution was carried in favour of a National Theatre as a memorial to Shakespeare. Steps were then taken to amalgamate the existing Shakespeare Memorial Committee with the National Theatre Committee. A new executive was nominated, and again, for the third time, the general committee was summoned on March 23, 1909, to receive and sanction the report, which recommended the raising by subscription of L500,000 to build and endow a theatre in which Shakespeare's plays should be acted for at least one day in each week.

This, then, is the history of the movement, we may almost call it of the conflict, which for seven years centred round the great event that is to happen in 1916. And, alas! this scheme, like all the others, is now found to be impracticable, because the amount of money asked for is far more than the country is able to give. The executive did not grasp the fact that there is so large a demand made upon the public's purse to fight political battles and to fill the Government treasury, that half a million of money cannot now be raised both to build and endow a theatre. The executive is obsessed with the notion that you cannot have a National Theatre without building a new theatre, while as a fact you cannot have it without an endowment. It is by protecting the art of the actor, so that the poet's words and characters may be finely interpreted, that the memory of Shakespeare can be best honoured.

THE EXECUTIVE'S REPORT.

We now have to consider what seems to me to be the chief flaw in the National Theatre scheme as it is at present initiated, and that is the report which was brought before the general committee on March 23, 1909, and which was accepted by them, but not without protest--at least, from myself. The Lord Mayor's "parlour" was crowded with at least a hundred men and women, consisting of the general and provisional committees of the two rival schemes, now amalgamated, all of whom were meeting together for the first time; and it was evident to me that with the exception of the executive, those present had little idea of what they were called upon to do, or were aware that they were conferring powers upon the executive as to the management of our National Theatre which, when once granted, made it impossible for the general committee to reopen any point, to revise their decisions, or to alter them. It is true that the executive stated in their report "that the time had not arrived for framing statutes in a form which could be considered final," but so far as the general committee was concerned what they once sanctioned they could not withdraw. On the other hand, what modifications or additions the executive afterwards made in the report should naturally have come again before the general committee for its approval, a point overlooked or ignored by the executive, as will appear later on. But the fact is that the report is a mistake, and should never have been passed by the general committee, for it either states too much or too little, and can please nobody. Since the executive had decided that they must purchase a site and build a new theatre (an altogether unnecessary proceeding, in my opinion), it would have been better to report on this part of the scheme first, and to leave the question of management for future discussion; for the financial question alone might well have received more careful consideration. As the report now stands, subscribers are not protected in any way. The executive may begin building whenever they choose, and incur debts, and mortgage both land and building as soon as they possess either. They can spend on bricks and mortar all the money they receive to the extent of L250,000, without putting by a penny towards the endowment fund. In fact, no precautions have been taken to avoid a repetition of the disaster that befell the building of the English Opera House, which soon afterwards became the Palace Music-Hall.

But more inexplicable still are the clauses referring to the management of the theatre, to which, unfortunately, the general committee have pledged themselves. We have decided that "the supreme controlling authority of the theatre" shall be a body of governors who will number about forty, but apparently their "supreme control" is limited to nominating seven of their number as a standing committee, some of whom, and under certain eventualities all of whom, may be elected for life. This standing committee, however, is to hand over all that is vital in the management of a theatre to a director over whom it has no control beyond either confirming all he does or dismissing him, so that the National Theatre in reality becomes a one-man's hobby. So long as the director is clever enough to humour four out of the seven members of the standing committee, he can run the theatre for the amusement of himself and his friends. He may choose the plays, arrange the programmes, engage and dismiss the artistes, and can even produce all the plays himself; the only thing he cannot do is to act in them; and yet so little have the framers of the report grasped the realities of the situation that, in their other clauses, they refer to the governors dispensing pensions and honorary distinctions on the actors, forgetting that the unfortunate players are the servants of their servant the director, who can dismiss them three days before the honours and pensions become due, so that even in dispensing favours the voice of the director is supreme. As the report stands at present confirmed there is no elasticity allowed to the standing committee to give permanency to those parts of the director's management which are evidently successful and efficient, and to restrict and finally abolish what is unsatisfactory. There is no choice between dismissing the director, or tolerating his defects for the sake of what he does well. But the director should be the chairman of the standing committee; he should have power to engage the producers of the plays, because more than one is wanted; and each producer should be given sole control over the cast and the staging of the play for which he is specially engaged. Then in the case of failure there would be always a remedy. Producers, authors, and actors who showed that they were unskilful in the work they were called upon to do would not be again invited to help in the performances of the National Theatre; but in regard to those who had shown exceptional talent, steps would be taken to gradually add them to the permanent staff, while the fact that the director was chairman of the standing committee would add to the dignity and importance of the artistes' engagements, and would insure respect and fair treatment for their labours. As the position is now, no talent can come into the theatre except at the will of one person, who would occupy no higher post there than that of a salaried official. This means that outside talent, however admirable of its kind, would never be seen in our National Theatre if it is not to the liking of the director; and it may be taken for granted, as the clause now stands, that no artist would accept dismissal from the director without appealing to the standing committee, hoping to prejudice the director in its eyes, and thus to create friction between the standing committee and its director.

Now, in regard to the choice of new plays. Here the standing committee apparently has the final word, which, as a fact, has no real value attached to it, because all new plays have first to be reported upon (that is, recommended) by the director and the literary manager, and if a new play is chosen against the wishes of the director, its fate is none the less sealed, since he has sole control over the casting of the play and its production. But before a new play can be produced at the National Theatre it ought to be submitted to the opinion of the three parties interested in its production. Experts know that a dramatic success depends upon (1) the quality of the play, (2) the ability of the actors who interpret the play, (3) the intelligence or taste of the audience; therefore the play, to be fairly judged, should be read before a tribunal consisting of the director, two dramatists (who have contributed plays to the repertory), two of the theatre's leading actors, and two members of the standing committee. Authors would then know that their work would be judged by experts representing every department of the theatre.

Then there is the question of what plays, other than new ones, should be included in the repertory. Here, again, the choice rests with the director, and if his taste is not catholic, what confusion he will make of it! For instance, are such plays classical as "Still Waters Run Deep," "The Road to Ruin," and "Black-Eyed Susan"? In one sense I think they are, because they represent the best examples of types of English plays at a certain period. But some men might not think so. It is too large a question for one man to handle.

The fault, then, of the constitution of the National Theatre, as it is at present framed, is that all the direction of what is vital to the dignity and permanency of the institution is put under the control of one man, when no single person can possibly have the knowledge and experience to cover so large a variety of work. Discrimination has not been shown between what is required of a Repertory Theatre and a National Theatre. The former is purely an experimental theatre, where courage and freedom is an advantage in a director. We look upon him as the pioneer to revolutionize existing conventions which have had their day and lost their use. He is an innovator, and we forgive his failures for the sake of his successes. Far different is the position of the National Theatre. Its mission is not to make experiments, but to assimilate the talent which has already been tried and found deserving, and to rescue from oblivion good plays for the permanent use of the community. Besides, its proceedings must be carried on with decorum. It has State functions and duties to consider; it has all shades of political and religious differences to take into consideration. One mistake might alienate the support of Royalty or of the Government; of Parliament, of the Clergy, or of the Democracy. Surely the direction of such an institution can be more efficiently carried on by a committee than by an individual!

Now, I sympathize with a National Theatre as a memorial to Shakespeare, because I think the highest honour that can be rendered to our poet-dramatist is to provide English actors--and Shakespeare was himself an actor--with a permanent home where dramatic art as an art can be recognized and encouraged; and a National Theatre can give dignity to the dramatic profession and inspire emulation among its members by conferring upon them honours and rewards, provided always that the actors are the servants of the institution and not of a salaried official in that institution. Personally, I do not care to see Shakespeare acted in a modern theatre, and I do not think his plays can ever have justice done to them in such a building. But, none the less, I look upon a National Theatre as an imperative need if the drama is to flourish, and I believe, if Shakespeare were living to-day, he would say so too. The executive of the present Memorial, to my mind, made a false start by concentrating public attention on the building as the primary object, instead of on the institution, and then by ignoring the claims of the dramatic profession to recognition. The labour, the anxiety, the expense of providing the public with plays in this country has been hitherto, and is still, borne by our actor-managers. They at present are the people's favourites, and all have individually a large public following. It was but just to these men to ask them to come into the scheme as honorary members of the institution, in the hope that they would associate themselves with those parts and plays of more than ordinary merit which undoubtedly have a claim to be admitted into the repertory of a National Theatre, and with which they individually were specially identified. But while I appreciate the wisdom and justice of inviting those gentlemen who have hitherto borne the burden of theatrical management to contribute the best of their talent to the stage of a National Theatre, I fail to see the advantage of their help on the executive. However eminent as an expert a man may be, his use on the executive entirely depends on the confidence he inspires among his fellow-councillors, and it is only necessary to read the names of those who constitute the executive to realize that there is no possibility of any one personality dominating the council. As a consequence, the committee breaks up into groups whose aims are more political than practical. The second urgent matter for consideration by the executive was the provincial Repertory Theatre. Where is the advantage of a National Theatre in London unless there are existing at least six Repertory Theatres in the provinces which may serve as training grounds for actors and for the experiments of dramatists? Every encouragement, then, should have been given to our leading municipalities to interest themselves in raising money to endow local Repertory Theatres, and the executive of the London Memorial would be doing more good to the cause of drama by spending the interest of its capital in helping these local theatres to come into existence than by wasting their money in the way they are doing at the present time. Indeed, it seems as if the only hope of a National Theatre becoming a reality will consist in the assurance that the capital already raised shall be set apart for the endowment fund, and that only the interest of this capital shall be available for expenditure by the executive committee.

INDEX

Acheson, Mr. Arthur, on "Troilus and Cressida," 100

Act-drop, the, 119

Acting and stage illusion, 7;
rapid delivery, 17;
Heywood on, 19;
as a business, 217;
character acting, 219 _et seq._

Actors: Elizabethan, 8, 9, 20, 21;
prosperity and position of, 22;
apprentices, 24;
qualities of, 24;
in double parts, 25;
relations between authors and, 44;
hired players, 45;
Elizabethan, and the construction of Shakespeare's plays, 51, 53;
elocution of, 56

Actors, English: and English tragedy, 177;
personality of, 219

Agincourt, representation of, 48

"All is True," 87

Alleyne, Edward, 79

Apprentices, actors', 24

Archer, Mr. William, and popular taste in drama, 193 _et seq._

Bacon and the writing of drama, 39

Bacon-Shakespeare controversy, 38

Badger, Mr. Richard, 229

Barker, Mr. Granville, 194, 202

Barrie, Mr. J. M., 195

Bell's edition of Shakespeare, 51, 58

Blackfriars Theatre, 45, 68, 115, 208

Boy actors in women's parts, 9

Boyle, Robert, and "Henry VIII.," 93

Brandram, Samuel, 166

Bronte, Charlotte: and a high forehead, 137;
and English tragedy, 176

Brooke, Arthur, 133, 151

Browning, Robert, on "Henry VIII.," 93

Brydges, Mary, 110

Burbage, Richard, as actor, 20, 86, 166

Busino's visit to the Fortune Playhouse, 13

Capell, Edward, as Shakespeare editor, 37, 44

"Castle Spectre, The," 196

"Cesario," 39

Chapel Royal, children of the, 45

Chapman, George: and "Troilus and Cressida," 100 _et seq._;
opponent of Shakespeare, 102

Character-acting, 219 _et seq._

Chorus, the, 12

Christians, Marlowe's, and Shakespeare's Jew, 69 _et seq._

Claretie, M., 198

Clowns, 21

Coleridge, S. T., on "Henry VIII.," 89

Collier, J. P., on the effect of theatrical absence of scenery on
dramatic poetry, 8

Comedie Francaise, the, visit to London, 198

"Comedy of Errors," 31, 42

Congreve, William, 196

Craig, Mr. Gordon: sketches, 222;
inappropriateness of his scenery for Shakespeare, 222;
comparison with Turner, 223;
criticism of his art, 223;
designs for "Macbeth," 224-227;
his "Acis and Galatea," 224

"Curtain" in theatres, 120

Curtain Theatre, 7, 111, 115

"Cynthia's Revels," 21

Davenant, Sir William, 144

Dekker, Thomas: as player, 103;
"Gul's Horn-Booke," 208

Diderot's "Pere de Famille," 197

Digges, Leonard, on a Shakespeare performance, 13

Dolby's "British Theatre," 53

Dowden, Edward, 145, 147, 153

Drake, Dr., on "Henry VIII.," 88

Dramatists and the public, 194 _et seq._

Dramatists: the Elizabethan, and the contemporary theatre, 5, 10;
topical plays, 15;
moral aim, 16;
and the printing of plays, 18;
supervision of acting, 25;
Puritans and, 26;
relations between, and actors, 44

Duncan (in "Macbeth"), 62

Earl's Court: Shakespeare at, 208;
staging at, 209;
"The Tricking of Malvolio," 209;
star actor, 209;
"Twelfth Night," 210;
performances misleading, 215;
"Enchantment of Titania," 216;
"The Merchant of Venice," 216;
a travesty of Shakesperian drama, 216

Edwards, Thomas, 91

Elizabeth, Queen, 62, 63;
Lord Essex and, 108-112

Elizabeth's, Queen, Chapel, boys for, 10

Elizabethan Stage Society, the, 203;
its origin, 204;
"Measure for Measure," 205;
"Twelfth Night," 205;
list of plays performed (1893-1913), 206-207

Elocution: of Elizabethan actors, 19, 56;
modern, in Shakespeare acting, 57, 58, 59

Elze, Dr. Karl, on "Henry VIII.," 91

Emerson, R. W. on "Henry VIII.," 91

Emphasis, faulty, in rendering Shakespeare, 59

English Opera House (now Palace Music Hall), 235

Essex, Earl of, 101;
in "Troilus and Cressida," 108-112

Euripides, 195

"Everyman," 206

Falstaff: Sir John Oldcastle as, 112;
effect of character of, on Shakespeare's position, 115

Faustus legend, 68

Field, Nathan, 21;
anecdote of, 23

Filippi's, Miss Rosina, project for a students' theatre, 216

Flecknoe, Richard, on the drama after Shakespeare's death, 16

Fletcher, John, and authorship of "Henry VIII.," 92

Fleury, M., 79

Folk-songs, Elizabethan, 44

Ford, John, 180

Fortune Theatre, 11, 12, 13, 40, 205, 208

Frohman's, Mr., Repertory Theatre, 193, 199

Fry's, Mr. Roger, appreciation of Mr. Gordon Craig, 224

Furnivall, Dr. F. J., 38, 229

Garrick, David: as exponent of Shakespeare, 5;
version of "Romeo and Juliet," 140

"George Barnwell," 196

Gervinus, G. G.: on "Henry VIII.," 90;
on "Troilus and Cressida," 107

Globe players' rights in "Troilus and Cressida," 116

Globe Playhouse, memorial in form of, 228, 231

Globe Theatre, 7, 11, 45, 48, 54, 57, 58, 68, 86, 98, 102, 104, 115,
116, 180

Globe Theatre at Earl's Court, 208

Goethe, 194

Gonzalo dialogue in "The Tempest," 55

"Gorbuduc," 40

Gosson, Stephen, 21

Gray's Inn, 42

Green, J. R., on Queen Elizabeth and Mary Stuart, 63

Greene, Robert, "Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay," 79

Greenwich Palace, 40

Halliwell-Phillipps, J. O., on the Shakespearian theatre, 7, 11

"Hamlet": clown referred to, 22;
early quartos, 31, 47;
breaks in, 42;
stage directions in first quarto, 50, 53, 54;
alterations, 54, 160;
acting edition and Globe edition, 156;
omissions, 156, 157, 161-175;
Fortinbras, 157;
French's acting edition and Globe edition compared, 158 _et seq._;
stage directions, 159;
entrance of Hamlet, 159;
Cumberland's version, 160, 163, 164, 168, 171;
the period of the play, 163;
Oxberry's edition, 164;
the Dumb Show, 166;
the exit of the King, 167;
changes suggested, 170;
Ophelia and flowers, 172;
her burial, 173;
the poison cups, 174;
the conclusion, 175;
suggestions for an authoritative acting version, 175;
performance of first quarto, 204

Hart, H. C., 112

Heine, Heinrich, on Shylock, 69

Heminge and Condell: and the first folio, 32;
and divisions in the plays, 41;
and "Henry VIII.," 87;
and "Troilus and Cressida," 99

"Henry IV.," 115;
epilogue to Part II., 101

"Henry V.": choruses, 7, 40;
the early quarto, 48;
produced, 115

"Henry VIII.": the authorship of, 85 _et seq._;
earliest mention of, 86;
criticisms, 88 _et seq._;
stage directions, 94;
summary of the arguments as to its genuineness, 96

Henslowe's "Diary," 15

Hertzberg, Professor, on "Henry VIII.," 90

Heywood, Thomas: on the English stage, 13;
in defence of acting, 19;
of plays, 27;
reply to the Puritans, 107

Historical dramas disapproved, 45

Homer, Chapman and Shakespeare renderings, 100

Hugo, Victor, on "Henry VIII.," 89

Impersonation in acting, 219

Ireland in Elizabethan drama, 16

Irving, Sir Henry: as Shylock, 71;
on acting, 219

Jew: Shakespeare's, 70;
Christian ideas of, 73.
_See also_ Shylock

"Jew of Malta, The," Marlowe's, 72, 80

"John Bull's Other Island," 200

Johnson, Dr.: on Shakespeare, 36, 38;
and continuous performance, 43;
on "Henry VIII.," 88;
and "She Stoops to Conquer," 197

Jones, Inigo, 18, 96, 141

Jonson, Ben: and double story in plays, 14;
and simplicity of representation, 17;
and a good tragedy, 19;
a "poet with principle," 23;
and Latin comedy, 40;
and "Sejanus," 41, 102;
"Poetaster," allusion to Shakespeare in, 100 _et seq._;
relations with Shakespeare, 102;
"Every Man Out of His Humour," 112;
and Inigo Jones's scenery, 141

"Julius Caesar," 13

Kean, Edmund: delivery of, 58;
and Hamlet, 164

Kemp the clown, 21, 22, 24

"King John," 39

"King Lear": breaks in, 41;
Steevens's comment on dialogue, 56;
Rossi's rendering, 177;
its period, 178;
its modern production, 179;
anachronisms and costumes, 179;
excisions, 181, 184;
Edmund's speech, 181;
the putting out of Gloucester's eyes, 182;
sympathy with poor, 183;
its modern dramatic presentation, 185-189;
misrepresentation of Lear, 186;
and of Edmund, 188

"King's Company, The," 9, 27

Knight, Charles, 94

Lady Macduff, 61

Lamb, Charles, 196

Lee, Sir Sidney, 205

"Leicester's, Lord, Servants," 9

Lessing, G. E., 155, 194

Lewis, L. D., 196

Lillo, George, 196

London Corporation and theatres, 25

London County Council and Shakespeare Memorial, 228, 229

London life in Elizabethan drama, 15

London Shakespeare Commemoration League, 229

London theatres, seventeenth century, 13

Lord Chamberlain's company, 9, 12

Lorkin, Thomas, 86

"Love's Labour's Lost," 42

Lucas, Mr. Seymour, R.A., 232

"Lucrece," 113

Lyceum Theatre, 71

"Macbeth": perfect in design, 13;
breaks in, 41;
Bell's criticism of, 52;
Garrick's version of, 52;
when written, 68;
Mr. Gordon Craig's designs for, 224-227

Macbeth, Lady: the character of, 61 _et seq._;
Mrs. Siddons as, 61;
her femininity, 65;
the character misunderstood, 68;
part overacted, 69

Macready, W. C., and the ladder, 43;
Charlotte Bronte on his acting, 176

"Madras House, The," 201

Maeterlinck, M., 202

Malone, Edmund, as Shakespeare editor, 37

Marlowe, Christopher: "Barabas," 72, 80, 84;
Jews and Christians in "Rich Jew of Malta" and "Merchant of Venice,"
78;
"Faustus," 80;
and Christianity, 79-81

"Marrying of Ann Leete, The," 202

Marston, John, 103

Mary Stuart, 62, 63

Massinger, Philip, 93

Maugham, W. S., 195

"Measure for Measure," revival of, 205

"Merchant of Venice": breaks in, 42, 43;
the early quarto, 47;
story of the play, 123-133;
the Prince of Morocco, 126;
the Prince of Arragon, 128;
the trial scene as now acted, 131.
_See also_ Shylock

"Misalliance," Shaw's, 199

Moneylenders in plays, 75

Mozart, W. A., 194, 200

Munich, Court Theatre, 177

Music in the Elizabethan theatre, 11

Nash, Thomas, "The Isle of Dogs," 112

National theatre, a, 198

New Shakespeare Society, 94

Noblemen and the maintenance of actors, 9

Oldcastle, Sir John, 112

Opinion, change of, effect on plays, 70

Ordish, Mr. T. Fairman, 228

"Othello," 13

Othello, Nathan Field as, 21

Painter, William, 133

Perfall, Baron, 18

"Pericles," 31

Personality in acting, 219

Playgoers, intolerant, 196

Plays, Elizabethan: not divided into acts, 11;
lost, 15

Pollard, Mr. A. W., 98

Pope, Alexander: as Shakespeare editor, 33;
and "The Tempest," 55

Popular taste in drama, 194

Portia, 81

Portland Place for Shakespeare Memorial, 231, 232

"Prattle," 57

Prompters, 24

Puritans, the: and actors, 21;
and theatres, 25

Raleigh, Sir Walter, 112

Reformation, the, 68, 69

Renaissance, the, 69

Repertory theatre, the, 193;
and a national theatre, 198

Restoration, the, drama, 196

"Richard II.," political significance of, 112

Robinson, Dick, 21

Roderick, Richard, on "Henry VIII.," 91

"Romeo and Juliet": second edition of, 31;
breaks in, 41;
early quarto, 47, 49;
Garrick's version, 53;
earliest acting version, 53;
Shakespeare's prologue and change in the motive, 134;
stage representation, 135;
story of the play, 135-155;
hostilities between the two houses, 135, 156;
Rosaline's character, 137;
Irving acting version, 137, 141, 146, 147, 151, 153, 155;
Mercutio, 138;
Capulet's character, 139;
Garrick's version, 140;
"balcony scene," 140;
Shakespeare as Benvolio, 144;
the Friar, 146;
Juliet as wife, 147;
her part overdone on stage, 148;
scenes omitted, 149;
"potion scene," 150;
the catastrophe, 153;
Cumberland version, 155;
mixed nature of the play, 155

Rose Theatre, 40, 112

Rossi, Signor, as King Lear, 177, 187

Rowe's, Nicholas, edition of Shakespeare, 33

Royalty Theatre, Soho, 205

Ruskin, John, on poets and their courage, 5

Salvini as Othello, 127, 185

Sand, George, on popular taste, 194

Scenery: disadvantages of, 7;
Mr. Gordon Craig's designs, 222-227

Schiller, J. C. F. von, 194

Schlegel on "Henry VIII.," 88

"Sejanus," 41, 102

Shakespeare: and contemporary representation, 3;
effect of absence of theatrical scenery, 8;
avoids interruptions in his plays, 12;
and double story in plays, 14;
interludes, 15;
representations of to-day, 18;
and acting, 20;
and extemporization, 22;
opinion of his comedies, 26;
dramas to-day and discrepancies, 31;
mistakes of editors, 31;
plays published in his lifetime, 31;
the early quartos, 31;
the first folio, 32;
divisions in the plays, 32, 41-44;
Rowe's edition, 33;
Pope's edition, 34;
Steevens's edition, 36;
Capell's edition, 37;
Malone's edition, 37;
Shakespeare as dramatic writer, 39;
arrangement of characters, 41;
plays without intervals, 43;
need of re-editing without divisions, 44;
his income, 45, 96;
dramas ahead of his day, 46;
interpretation of his plays, 46;
acting versions (the quartos), 47;
Bell's edition of 1773, 51;
interference with his dramatic intentions, 53;
shortening of plays, 54;
faulty elocution in modern rendering, 57;
causes of present-day want of appreciation, 59;
need to edit the early quartos for acting, 60;
actors interpret to suit change of opinions, 71;
writes of plays and not of masques, 96;
satire, 107;
his affinities as reflected in his plays, 107;
political allusions, 112;
innovations of the stage, 119;
how modern representations are produced, 120;
contrast between Shakespeare and modern drama, 122;
and prologues, 134;
his tact, 145;
the star actor and mutilation of the plays, 154;
acting editions and the author's intentions, 175;
authoritative acting versions suggested, 175;
should be produced as written, 180;
Shakespeare and democracy, 183;
as revised at Earl's Court, 208-216;
as rendered to-day, 214.
_See also under the names of the separate plays_

Shakespeare Memorial Scheme: raising of funds, 227, 228;
history of the movement, 228-233;
the executive's report, 233-240

Shakespeare statue, projected, 231

"Shakespeare Temple," 229

Shaw, Mr. G. Bernard, 194; his "Misalliance," 199;
"John Bull's Other Island," 200

Sheridan's "The Rivals," 197

Shore, Emily, on "Henry VIII.," 89

"Shylock": controversy, 48;
Heine on, 69;
the character of, 70 _et seq._;
as usurer, 72, 75;
paraphrase of the character, 73;
as an old man, 125;
the worsting of, 132

Siddons, Mrs.: and Lady Macbeth, 46, 61;
and rendering of Shakespeare, 58

Sidney, Sir Philip, and scenery of plays, 6

"Silas Marner," George Eliot's, 125

Simpson, Richard, 108, 114

Spedding, James, on "Henry VIII.," 92

Stage: the Elizabethan, and its contemporary dramatists, 3;
ignorance concerning the relations between the theatre and the
dramatists, 14;
quality of the performances, 5;
colour, 6;
scenes, 6;
disadvantages of scenery, 7;
construction of theatres, 10;
quality of the plays, 13;
performance continuous, 14, 43;
Flecknoe on changes after Shakespeare, 16;
length of performance, 17;
opposition, 25;
educational value, 27;
"business" on, 50;
movement on, 95.
_See also_ Theatre

Stage: the modern, and Shakespeare, 119;
how plays are now produced, 120

"Stage Player's Complaint," 57

Stationers' Register, the, 15, 98

Steevens, George: as Shakespeare editor, 36;
comment on "King Lear," 56

Stevenson, Robert Louis, 18

"Stranger, The," 196

Students' theatre, a, 216

Swinburne, A. C., on "Henry VIII.," 93

Symonds, J. A., on the Elizabethan theatre, 7, 9

"Tempest, The," 41;
the Gonzalo dialogue, 55

Tennyson, Lord, on the authorship of "Henry VIII.," 92

Theatre, National: as Shakespeare Memorial, 230, 232-240;
its proposed management, 235-240

Theatre, the repertory, 193;
and a national theatre, 198;
a students' theatre, 216

Theatres: Elizabethan, construction and small size of, 10;
musical interludes, 11, 40;
length of performance, 17;
the City Corporation and, 25;
the Puritans and, 25.
_See also_ Stage

Theatres, English and Continental, 217

Tragedy, English, and the English stage, 176, 177

Tree Sir Herbert, 214, 231

"Troilus and Cressida": early quarto, 47;
the mystery of, 98, 115, 116;
in the first folio, 99;
Jonson and, 100 _et seq._;
Chapman and, 100 _et seq._;
dislike of the play, 106;
its satire, 107;
and the Earl of Essex, 108-112;
when written, 113, 114;
Troy story in, 113;
the word used in, 114;
Globe players' rights in, 115

Troy story in "Troilus and Cressida," and in "Lucrece," 113

"Twelfth Night": constructive art in, 39;
revival of, 205;
mistakes in, at Earl's Court, 210-213;
traditional errors, 214

"Two Gentlemen of Verona," 40

Ulrici on "Henry VIII.," 90

Valentine, 39

Venetian theatre in 1605, 12

Viola, 39

"Voysey Inheritance, The," 201

Ward, Dr. A. W., 73, 106

Webster, John, 11

Women players, effect of their introduction, 61

Women's parts, boy actors for, 9

Wotton, Sir Henry, 86

Wycherley, William, 196

THE END

BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD

Footnotes:

[1] Part of a paper read before the Elizabethan Literary Society, November 1, 1893.

[2] _The National Review_, August, 1890.

[3] See "The Topical Side of the Elizabethan Drama" in the Transactions of the New Shakspere Society, 1887.

[4] The first three articles of this chapter appeared in _The Nation_, March, 1912.

[5] Sir Sidney Lee, "Dictionary of National Biography."

[6] See quotation on p. 21.

[7] _The Westminster Review_, January, 1909.

[8] _The New Age_, September 15, 1910.

[9] _The New Age_, November 28, 1912.

[10] Part of a paper read before the _New Shakspere Society_ in June, 1887.

[11] Read at the meeting of the _New Shakspere Society_, Friday, April 12, 1889.

[12] Read before the _New Shakspere Society_, June 10, 1881; published in the _Era_, July 2, 1881.

[13] _The New Age_, September, 1909.

[14] _The New Age_, November, 1910.

[15] _Fortnightly Review_, October, 1910, "The Theatrical Situation," by William Archer.

[16] "The Paradox of Acting," translated by Walter Herries Pollock.

[17] _The New Age_, August 22, 1912.

[18] _The Nation_, August, 1912.

[19] _The New Age_, June, 1911.

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Transcriber's Notes:

Passages in italics are indicated by _italics_.

Punctuation has been corrected without note.

The following misprints have been corrected:
"reponsibilities" corrected to "responsibilities" (Page 26)
"Shakespeares's" corrected to "Shakespeare's" (page 152)
"Shakepeare" corrected to "Shakespeare" (Index)

Other than the corrections listed above, inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation have been retained from the original.

End of Project Gutenberg's Shakespeare in the Theatre, by William Poel

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