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A Study of Shakespeare's Roman Plays in the Nineteenth Century English Theatre

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A Study of Shakespeare's Roman Plays in the Nineteenth Century English Theatre Durham E-Theses A study of Shakespeare's Roman plays in the nineteenth century English theatre Rostron, David How to cite: Rostron, David (1970) A study of Shakespeare's Roman plays in the nineteenth century English theatre, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10131/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 A STUDY OP SHAKISPEARE'S ROMAN PLAZS' IN THE NmETEENTH, CENTURY ENGLISH THEATRE BY DAVID ROSTRON, M.A. (Manchester) A thesis presented for the degree of Master of Letters of Durham University February. 1970. ABSTRACT By drawing on prompt copies, newspaper articles, and the memoirs of actors, producers and theatregoers, this study sets out to supply a more detailed stage history of Shakespeare's three Roman plays between 1800 and 19OO than has hitherto been available. The first chapter asserts that there should be a fruitful partnership between the scholar's study and the actor's stage, but demonstrates that this has not always occurred. A sketch is then supplied of the changing conditions of performance in the London theatre of the nineteenth century. The next three dftapters discuss every production of Coriolanus, Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra which took place at London and Stratford during this period. Some attempt is incidentally made to explain the rise and fall in popularity of each of these plays, and the relationship of this to the different styles of acting and production favoured by leading actors and by audiences. Prompt copies and acting versions of the plays are examined in some detail, and the stage life of the plays before 1800 and since I9OO is also briefly outlined. A final chapter draws together the threads, and lists some of thef points \*.ich emerge: among these, are the lack of faith in Shakespeare's skill as a dramatist, the actor-managers' need to show a finanssial profit, the impact on the theatre of prevailing moral climates and political events, the enormous importance of the talents and enthusiasms of leading actors, the influence of the new theatres established after the abolition of the Pa$ent Houses, the increasing importance of dramatic critics, and the metropolitan contempt for Stratford productions. ifhe aim is essentially narrative and descriptivei the study confirms the familiar picture of the nineteenth century stage, but also corrects some errors in, and supplies some oirijissions from, the standard works on the staging of Shakespeare's plays. ACKUPyf LEDGEMENT.a This stuclsr could never henre been composed without the creative criticism and enoouragement of Professor T^S. Dorsch» Professor B«A* Foakes and Mr« Richard Froudfoot^ or without the consistently kind end patient assistance of Librarians at the Universities of Durhamp Menchester end Newcastle upon Tjne, at the Ref eraice Libraries of Bindn^MBs Manchester and Newcastle upon T^e» at the ShakespeaxB Centre in Stratford upon Avon and at the Garrick Club in London. Jfy grateful thanlcB are also owed to mai^ colleagues and students at Northern Counties College of Education^ Newcastle upon Tyne» end especially to Miss Kathleen Barratt, Mr. Allen Crabb, Mr. Deals Dudlegr and Mr. Derek Stubbs. The sjrmpathetic encouragement and interest of HQT late wife was a constant source of strength, during the early de^ of the work. All these.people have saved me from maqr errorsp inaccuracies and infelicities; those which remain are entirely nqr responsibility. D.R. Newcastle upon Tyne^ 6 ON T EN TS PAGE GHAPZEa ONE INXRODUCTION 7 CHAPTER TSVO !Q!E LONDON IHSAiIRE Hf QiE ISOB CENTURY 29 CSiAFT&fi THREE "CORIOLANUS'' 55 GHAFTER FOOR "JULIUS CAESAR" CHAPTER FiDfE "ANTONY AND CLEQPAXRA" cRjasmi SIX CONCLUSION 55^ -0- 5^5 BZBLiGffitARir 551 BetiTeeh pQges i* Drurur Lane Theatre 1796 or 1797> nith CoriolanuB in 21 . 22 ' P9rfojmance " 2m Jamos Quin as CoriolanuSp 17^9 43 • 44 3* ^obn FMUp Kenibla as Coriolanusa 1789-1817 62 «> 63 4* Covenfc Garden PlEQrbill for Eemble^s Corlolaaua. 1806 81 • 82 5» BSmaiSL Keen as Coriolimus, 1820 98 -> 99 6m Macrsady's Covent Garden Corlolanus. I838 (i) Coriolonus e^eris Rone in triunph 113 - 114 (li) Ceriolaxsis is made Consul by the Senate 7 m Samuel Phelps as Coriolanus> 18t|.8-1860 323 - 12!^ 8* Smith as Antoqyp 1773 ead 1780 133 - 1% 9o Bensley as Antaqy* 1765 1^-155 10• Thomas Sheridan as Brutus, 1769 135 - 356 n. Wards as Brutusp 1825 175 - 176 12. Saae-^einingen Company's Julius Caesar. 1881 20l». - 205 13. Bieerbohm Tree *s Production of Julius Caesar. 1898 (1) Tte murder of Caesar (ii) AhtojQr^s lamentation ovar 22b. - 22B ths corpse rf Caesar ~ ^ (Hi) Antony's nation 34* Costumes in the 1833 Antoqy and Cleopatra 268 • 269 15. IKunriet Fauolt a^leopatra at Covent Garden p 1813-34 269 - 270 16. Isabella G3yn as Cleopatra at Sadler's Wells, 1849 282 - 283 17. Anderson and Miss Wallis in Antony and Cleopatra at Dnuy Lane 1873 ^ " BEPaKEMCES The following abbreviations will be used: ANDERSON: J.R. Anderson: An Actor's Life (1902) BUNNi Aw Bunn: The Stage (5'V5LS, 18W)) (1859) COLES J.W, Cole: The Life & Theatrical Times af Charles Keen DAVIBS: T. Davies: Dramatio MiaceUanies (3 volB. 1784) GSiNESTS J* (renest: Some Hecount of the English Stage (10 vol8,1832. HALL: B.T, Hall: Shakreere«8 Plavs (1880) HAZLIXT: W« Bazlitt: V^orka (Ed Howeo 21 vols 1930) HOGAN: C«B« Hogon: Shakespeare in the Theatre 1701-1800 (2 vols, 1952 fiind 1957) HUNT: _Leig _^h Hunt: Dramatie Griticisin (Ed,Houtchens91950} INCHBALD: Mrsolnchbald (Ed): The British Theatre (25 vdLa, 1808) JOHNSOIT: S. Johnsoafi; Works (12 volSo 1816) JOSEEH: B. Joseph: The Tragic Actor (1959) K&MBLE: J» Boaden: Manoira of the Life of John PhiUo Kemble (2 vols, 1825) ^MARSTON: W. Marston: Our. Recgit Actors (2 volSp 1888) ODELL: G.C»I>« Odell: Shakespeare frcm Betterton to Irving (2 vols, •1921) POLLOCK: W«CoMacrea£(y: Raniniseencea (£d.PoUock, 2 vols, 1879) RICE: C. Rices T^e Lendcai Theatre in the iB^Qis (£d Sprague and Shuttle(7orth, 1$0) ROBISBQN: H. Crebb Robinson: The London Theatre 1811^1866 (Ed Bfocn)1966) SJDiDONS: j. Boaden: Memoirs of Ites, Siddona (2y61s. 1827) SfSAGUES A«G« SpragaeS Shakespeare aaid the Actors (19IK5) TOYNEEE: (?.C. Macreadb^ The Diaries of W,C. Macreadv 18^^1851 (Ed To^ee, 2 vols, 1912) References to periodicals vdU be abbreviated as follows: AXHEN: The At henaeum I.L.N. Thft TitiiRtrated London News Q.R. The Quartern ReviOT SAT.R. The Saturday Review SPEC. The Spectator References to the teacts of Shakespeare's plays are to the Net? Cembridge Shakespeare (Ed. 3^ Dover Wilson) in the 19^8 paperback editions. A AJII bibliogre^t^ will be found at the end of the study; CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCT ION ^ -8- CBAPTER OWE , INTRODUOTION The twentieth centuxy has seen a growing realisation that the world of literary criticism cannot be healthily divorced from that of the stage., Theatre audiences in. the 1960's are not suxprised to findp for exeaopiep, that the programme for the NationaL Theatre's controversied Edl«male production, of As You Like It in 1967 should contain quotations frm more than, a doeen. works of literatvire and literaiQr eritieiamp. ranging in. period from Thomas Nashe to Jan Kett,. or that the Royal Shakespeare Company's programme for the I969 Pericl^ at Stratford should include references to no fever that nineteen acadenic works together with a large series of extracts from them. It is now axiomatio that plays of any artistic calibre make their greatest iinpaet in pesf omance rather than when read. Stage directors are expected to be familiar with the views of leading literazy critics, and no scholar of dramatic literature can be taken entir^ seriously unless he bes es his literary ;)udgenents upon a knowledge of the pleys in pexfoxmance as as upon a detailed dissection of the text in his stucjy. So maiqr of the subtler effects of groupingp movement, mlmop gesturop facial eaqpresslon, "business", setting, costume and pageantry enhance the sensitive playeoar* 8 understanding of the complexities and overtones of the plegr that it would be a foolish critic indeed who locked himself in the library and ignored the stage. -9- Of no plegnisri^t is this more true than of Shakespeare, for only in the theatre is it possible to respond in full to his skill in juxtaposition of scenes, his tautening and relaxation of tensionp his adept transitions of mood and atmospherop his almost s^bolic use of changes of costume (as when Lear moves from the full panoply of kingphip to nakedness oh the heath and thence to the fresh clothes which Cordelia places on him in his recovered sanity) p and the opportunities he so regularly provides for an enrichnent of the plcQr* s significances by spectaolep colourp music and other visual and aural effects. All producers of Shakespeare at the National Theatrop the Royal Shakespeare Theatre or Chichester (for example) seek to eacpress a thoughtful and intelligent interpretation of each pley they directp and often turn for some guidance to the literary critiosp as did Sir Laurence Olivier when he based his unforgettable I964 Othello on the Leavisite conception that the protagonist, far from being "the noble Moor" extolled by Bradley, is in fact fatally dominated by self-pity and by ''a habit of self-eq?proving self-dramatization".
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