Punch: Punch (96.1889)

72

A HOLIDAY REMINISCENCE.

GIVING THEM THEIR CHARACTERS.

The quite novel light shed recently at the Lyceum on the charac-
ters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth respectively, to say nothing of
Mrs. Langtry's New York revival, and the hundred-and-one on dits
in relation to Mr. Mansfield’s forthcoming much-talked-of produc-
tion at the Globe, have all helped to stir the “New Reading” dis-
coverers into a state of unwonted activity. Subjoined are a few of
their latest suggestions :—

2 propos of Macbeth, “ A Sixty Years Student ” writes :—“ By
all means let Macbeth turn out to be a rather jovial, nice-minded,
pleasant-spoken sort of fellow, and his wife a good-natured and
affectionate creature, with an eye to business, and never so wide
awake as when in the Sleep-walking Scene, but this doesn’t half do
away with the Tragedy. Duncan should be the real ruffian, on
which the whole of the ghastly business turns, arriving at the castle
in an advanced stage of delirium tremens, in a fit of which it is
evident that, at a later hour, he commits suicide. That he is hope-
lessly drunk on his arrival, is clearly indicated in the text, for he
addresses Lady Macbeth with the line—

“ ‘ Give me your hand : conduct me to mine host.’

“ Then, stumbling up against her with the words :—

“ ‘ By your leave, hostess ! ’

reels up the steps into the Castle. I take it this gives us all we want
to clear the characters of our hero and heroine. As for Banquo's
appearance, mind you, after supper, that can obviously be set down
to an acute form of indigestion.”

Dealing with Hamlet, in a similarly critical spirit, “ A Reasoning
Roscius” remarks:—“As to the Dane being off his head, this is
simply absurd. His game is evidently Spiritualism. He ought to
go through the usual hanky-panky, table-turning with Horatio,
Marcellus, and Bernardo, and then, after eliciting a succession of
raps, dismiss them, and fetching out the regular Dark Seance
Cabinet, finishup with the usual illuminated banjo business, during
which he carries on his conversation with the Ghost, whose head
appears at a hole in the cabinet-door covered with phosphorus,
according to the. accepted text, modified here and there, of course,
to suit the varying situations. I must add, that Hamlet must, by
no means, be made up ‘ young.’ The Queen refers to him near the
end of the play as being ‘ fat, and scant of breath,’ thereby clearly
indicating that to represent him even as a heavy, obese, middle-
aged, overgrown sort of Sir John Falstaep would be only to err in
the right direction. He should be a coarse ponderous hulking
fellow of about five and fifty. This would help to carry off his
philosophy, and, in some measure, explain his peculiar conduct to
Ophelia.”

With regard to Othello, “A Genuine Lover op Humorous
Comedy” writes :—“I cannot conceive a more wanton distortion of
the merry Moor’s obvious characteristics than the usually accepted
view of him which stamps him as ‘jealous.’ Why ? The charge is

[February 9, 1889.

monstrous ! The key to his character is simply his keen relish of a
thoroughly good practical joke. His accidental smothering of
Desdemona is evidently one of these. He ought to come on in all
the earlier scenes with a banjo, to carry out the idea of his being not
the Moor, but the Moore and Burgess corner-man of Venice. I am
not sure that I wouldn’t dress him in red-and-white-striped trousers,
a long blue-tailed coat, a shirt-frill and a large white tie. But this
is a detail. ”

“Richardson Redivivds” after insisting that King Lear is
the most “mirth - provoking character” Shakspeare ever
drew, and that all his scenes with his daughters, if rightly un-
derstood, should be hailed by any intelligent audience as regular
“side-splitters,” passes onto the consideration of Paul Pry, who,
he says, after a good deal of mature scholarly reflection, he has
discovered to be not a comic character at all, but a melo-
dramatic villain of the deepest dye. He argues against his carrying
an umbrella, insisting that he should be provided instead with a long
Spanish stiletto, and an ample and mysterious cloak. He further
lays great stress on the fact, that whenever he enters with his catch
phrase of “ I hope I don’t intrude,” he ought to appear with blue
fire, either through a vampire-trap or secret panel, and not quit the
stage before he has stabbed somebody. He adds, in conclusion, that
he has forwarded all his notes on the subject to Mr. J. L. Toole, in
the hope that the popular Comedian will see his way to their adoption
on the next occasion of his reviving the well-known piece.

LINES SUGGESTED BY AN ELECTOR.
How happy is the Party penman’s lot,'

Whether he wins or loses all is well.'

What though the counted votes against him tot ?

Success in failure his keen scent can smell.
Loudly he crows when he the leek has eaten,
And ne’er is so triumphant as when beaten.

Equal to either fortune ? Better far,

He snatches happy omens from defeat;
Winning, he loudly thanks his lucky star,
Losing, he finds in loss a savour sweet,

Like one who with two-headed coin doth toss,
Loss is hut gain, but gain is never loss!

THE (NEARLY) PERFECT ENGLISHMAN.

(Translated from the French Press.)

Oh, yes, the brave General is an Englishman. His mother—ah,
his dear, dear mother!—before she married his father, was an
English “Mees.” She was a perfect specimen! Tall, long, fair
hair ; beautiful and much-exposed front teeth! Thus, he is right—
the brave General to be proud of his English blood! For he has
many of the characteristics of the native of Albion—not perfide, but
White-cliffed Albion. He eats rosbif and drinks portare-biere for
breakfast; and when he is greatly moved, he cries with tears in his
voice, “ Oh, Shocking /” Then, who has not seen him with his
boule-dogue with its blue ribbon collar and silver bell ? This
boule-dogue was born in the most fashionable part of London—Vaux-
hall Bridge Road—and is called ‘ ‘ Auguste.” Both the brave General
and the boule-dogue are English to the backbone. The boule-dogue
is fond of sport—he is pleased to jump through a hoop, and can
dance the polka on his hind-legs. It is only natural that he should
fear rats. But the mice ! Ah ! he can hunt the mice !

The brave General is an expert at all English sports ! Ah ! how
he plays the cricket! It is wonderful to see him in his flannel shirt
(worn over a well-starched linen one), walking at every “over”
from one set of the stumps to the other set of the stumps! As a
General, of course, the Eleoted of the Seine wears spurs at all times.
At the cricket his spurs assist him in catching the ball.

Then at the lawn-tennis ! Oh, the brave General knows well how
to play ! Often he touches the ball with his bat, although he can
miss it. Ah, yes ! how well, with what grace, he can miss it! And
when he does touch the ball with his bat, with what terrible force
does he drive it against the net!

But, before all and above all, he is a sportsman! Of course'he
wears his uniform, but that does not prevent him from putting a long
hunting-horn round his body, nor carrying a game-bag attached to
a thin silken cord hanging by his side. And his patent leather
shooting shoes! And his white kid gloves !. Ah, he is charming!
And it is then that Auguste distinguishes himself ! The brave dog
and the brave General hunt together. They thoroughly understand
each other. Auguste examines the bushes, the ditches, the shop-
windows ! At length the fox is found, and then the brave General,
drawing his sword, gives Reynard his coup de grace ! Ah, indeed,
Boulanger is a perfect Englishman-jockey, gentleman-rider! I who
write this wish him every success. (Signed) Henri Pump,

Of the Anglo-French Press.

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

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