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

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abetlun idiom. St. ndin^ had some experience in Shakes >vi re,
having appeared as Hal to Mark Linon's Falst ff, but his best
work had been don.; in modern comedy - notably, in 1177, Albery's
Pink Dominoes. The Stage found his Mercutio "c bluff, goodnetured,
easy-going, rubicund gentlemen", and Lytton thought
him based, perhaps, upon "sons prosperous proprietor of a
society Journal", v.-ho was "the heavy wag of a not very refined
coterie". The London Figaro felt that something voa to be
said for the reading, but that it had "too much S'-.o^, er about
it" and wvs too reminiscent of Criterion comedy. The Morning
post returned to tie pore.Jii; 1 lament that few actors knew
ho.v to handle the language of Shakespeare, and observed that
Standing was "by no means the only actor in the troupe who
v;ould do v.ell to remember that tie language of Shakes »eire
cannot fitly be spoken like the dialogue of every day modem
life" (3 November).
The K84 version cut some thirty-seven lines from the
scene: Irving, in,,his pre ar-tion copy arid in his printed
actinc edition, made a different selection ai::o .nt:ln tj to
thirty-si; deleted lines, both theatrical texts rejected
the coa;iccture by .vlrich lines 67-9 of the .ueen I-lab speech
verc tr usposcd from their original position to follow line
i>t> (in order that the mention of the "chariot" mi^ht precede
-' 2
the itemisin^ of its components)^ . Mary Ariciorson retri.iod
line 6y {"That plaits tr.e manes of horses in the night"; . no
"this is she", where I'.ercutio sterns cib ;ut to conti^L.o, but,
like Irvin-,, she omitted liuos v--^f, . uici. include i-iob f u tror.tnent
oi rieid^. w on ti.cy lie on their backs.
The fourth scea^ OC L a v.ltii li.i; 1-, ol i.>, t,he serv. ata'
dialogue beia^ omitted. It v/i s set in a "noble he.ll" i.ith
moonlit ^.i-dcris visible t. rou^.-j lrrici.ly scul..'t«..rvci crches
and Ooi-iiiti-i: a columns" ('iho i^-ily ^Q>JJ.» 3 w ^rer^.^r). The
arrangement m: y hr ve o :eci soi oliiiiiv, to Irvin, 's cot, -..•!.ich
stretched "beck..- rds into the open garden" (The ;.th.-ifc eu- .
11 frc.rch 1662). An illustre tion in tho Pi: 11 Mall Gazette
(j November) sho^-s the "Corinthian columns" as ti/o sets of ; t
le• st ei Llht pillars ^cc supportin,,., log,,,ias (or ;os iuly
simole ent: blotur^o; «• t either sice of the stc,-_,-.,, joi.ii.., ;.t