Pictorial Shakespeare, 1880-1890 - eTheses Repository - University ...

signals to each, other surropticiouLly at "Nay then, I have on
eye of you" (^9). The Stage found Rosencrantz "too villainous
in appearance" and hio fellow "too cleric;*! in manner". The
Athenaeum noted tli-t Hamlet's detection of the frr.'.ud rcnovod
doubt from his nine1 it too early a ?tage in th^ scone, and
felt this to bo yet anothar manifestation of an interpretation
, iiich rejected the "reflective Inmlet" for "a Hamlet v.'ho is
a man of action", This it could not readily accept (25 October).
At Guidenst era's c"ii.,ij,;io:i, "i'.ly lord, v/o were sent for" the
prompt-copy no^es "Express by gesture",'! know as inucL.'".
Af t r another "hysterical" confrontation between Polonius and
and Hamlet, tiio Pl.iyora arrived,
i'iio PHuyor Queen, Miss Dickens, v/;:>,s on iior firct ;::p:;o' r-
ance dressed os a boy (cm innovation welcomed by i':io horning
Post ) , and Speakman's performance as Pirat Player elicited
son praise - his elocution and acting v/oro, to the nincl of
The Stage's critic, "perfect", ^cott considerec1 his pi: ying
next in distinction to th: t of Barrett, '.villnrd and George
Barrstt, who played First Grovedigger. Wedmore, in !7ho Acr'(io^y,
thought his best ofl'ect vvaa nchiovecl in the docript-ion of the
hush before the c-tam:
A silence in the hsavons, the rr-ck sto.nd still,
The bold wind a specchlecc, and the orb below
As h'ash as oeatu... (477-430)
iHvciity-four linos v;oi-c cut from the First ^-".TOI-'G rjp^e
Irving !io.d cut twenty-eight in airj prompt book. Ac tho First
Player ivas about to leave tho ctr,GG, .Icinilct made "a secret
sign to deb in liin" p.j.id t ! rov; the curtains hr.,-j./--in i'- betv;cen the
pillars of the r.rciicc. Before his soliloquy, at "'.iow I am alone",
he cloLou. all the curt '".ins, and looked .-rranc! with uoao relief
(prompt-co v,0. 'xlie cpcccli ao^ed from cmrcr (fo^tio, l.io marl-.in^s
in the prompt-copy at "Am I a cov;,?rcl? w and "kindle -s vill; in")
to exli,:ustion ("Fie upon'tj fo-ii"). The prompt-copy ,.u;;:;cstG
a distinct natur p licm in Brrrctt's demeanour: "I'll hrvo these
^l"yers/Plry aonetliin^ li':o tlio nurd or of .iy iv.tlicr/.'Oofore
.iino uncl " v; 'O iol:cn, ac a "sudd on thou ; lit strikes liira 15^
c n--c! r-.aCc a ;.;ti'ontj curtain of this speech, rishiiir-- to