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

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Godwin's ttamlot. which showed that a "correct" and scenically
sumptuous presentation of the tragedy could be accorrm,nied by
a more scrupulous regard for the dramatist's intentions than
Irving or his predecessors had : hown. It is also reasonable
to interoixt the ccenic predilections of the age as a renewal
of faith in the possibility of presenting ohaJccspeare o.. the
ot..£o» Haslitt'o dictum that "j oetry and the it; ce co not
a&ree well together", had long overshadowed the production
of the plays. The new movement was more confic cut than the
preceding decades in its ability to van the cn->rovr,l of the
le; mod and artistically sensitive. An intelligent playgoer
could no?; attend a performance without too /rreat a feeling
of guilt «vt his n rticirrtion in the utter dececr tion of
a text, ihe change rru y have been one of attitude, rather
than r .ctice, but it was no less ;A- mficont for tart. The
attempts to write literr.ry < r':m, which have been discussed
in Part One» Chapter '.^.iroe, ra. y be interpreted in the same
way: the work done nay Ir ve been in itself uninteresting by
conoerison v;itn Ibsen or .jtriudber", but its intention \v^c
of vital in -art; .nee to the coning dr:;, tic ir.over ent. Ideas
were be ;r:i:min,c to be reconciled with the theatre.
The Shakespc; ,rer.n criticism of l;j.yc; \ it:i ,'iiich he (Jealt, and his e: .-ay on the History Plays
tijs been recognised as a . ±^n of the Levolution in interpretation
of uicii? rd 11/*. Wiice*s contribution to the body of
criticism is leas easily accepted ac v la-ble in itc. ov.n
ri Jit, By his insistence t^"i;;t ohakespep.re v/; ;.s c, the. tre poetalbeit
his o;.-n cort of then ore noet - v.ilde diO perform a
useful function in the revival of informed interect in the
cnune, cui-; "by ais practice as a reviewer ho yc.ve the v^ci^ht
of his r'ooal -,ri:'in t; lent :o the icleno he hid b.orboc ::ror,
(Jociv/in cui^ oth-'-r:.. rfhe -,.-ori:G of jvdnbume c.r.d ;lelen P^ucit
are of aore c oubtful i;. tport;.aiCG, tlie one bein, ^ :;;olc.nciiolic
flicker of tlae old fl: me, the other a document of tie attitudes
and tera'pcrtitie^t of a succc. tuul actress, r.ot. .in^ ;oro uced it)
iiUii.laiic (airing the f;ec;;de carried the intellectual v/ci;-jit or
er.ul ted t'ic t:ioroa.