What is this quintessence of dust? (2.2)

Events before the start of Hamlet set the stage for tragedy. When the king of Denmark, Prince Hamlet‘s father, suddenly dies, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, marries his uncle Claudius, who becomes the new king.

A spirit who claims to be the ghost of Hamlet’s father describes his murder at the hands of Claudius and demands that Hamlet avenge the killing. When the councilor Polonius learns from his daughter, Ophelia, that Hamlet has visited her in an apparently distracted state, Polonius attributes the prince’s condition to lovesickness, and he sets a trap for Hamlet using Ophelia as bait.

To confirm Claudius’s guilt, Hamlet arranges for a play that mimics the murder; Claudius’s reaction is that of a guilty man.  Hamlet, now free to act, mistakenly kills Polonius, thinking he is Claudius. Claudius sends Hamlet away as part of a nefarious plot.

After Polonius’s death, Ophelia goes mad and later drowns. Hamlet, who has returned safely to confront the king, agrees to a fencing match with Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, who secretly poisons his own rapier. At the match, Claudius prepares poisoned wine for Hamlet, which Gertrude unknowingly drinks; as she dies, she accuses Claudius, whom Hamlet kills.  Then first Laertes and then Hamlet die, both victims of Laertes’s rapier (reproduced with permission from Folger).

Postcards of Hamlet:

Productions of Hamlet:

1890 Frank R. Benson‘s production of Hamlet opened at The Globe Theatre (London) on March 6 and ran until April 18. Benson played Hamlet, and the other principal players were Charles Cartwright as Claudius, George F. Black as Polonius, Herbert Ross as Laertes, Otho Stuart as Horatio, Stephen Phillips as the ghost, Ada Ferrar as Gertrude, and Lady Constance Benson as Ophelia (Wearing, I: 14).

1891 Wilson Barrett’s production of Hamlet with him in the title role ran at the Olympic Theatre (London) for ten performances from April 13 until April 18; the play was revived in May for three performances. The cast included Austin Melford as Claudius, Louise Moodie as Gertrude, Winifred Emery as Ophelia, Stafford Smith as Polonius, H. Cooper Cliffe as Laertes, and S. Miller Kent as Horatio (Wearing, I: 111).

1892 Herbert Beerbohm Tree played Hamlet in his production of the play at the Haymarket Theatre (London) for 116 performances (January 21 until May 28). F. H. Macklin appeared as Claudius, Henry Kemble as Polonius, Arthur Dacre as Horatio, and Fred Terry and Robb Harwood as Laertes. Mrs. H. B. Tree played Ophelia and Rose Leclercq, Gertrude (Wearing, I: 187-8).

1897 Ben Greet directed an independent theatre company’s production of Hamlet at the Olympic Theatre (London); it opened on May 10 and ran for eighteen performances. Hamlet was played by Nutcombe Gould, Ophelia by Lily Hanbury, Claudius by Frank Dyall, Gertrude by Mary Allestree, Ben Greet as Polonius, George R. Foss as Laertes, and Alfred Kendrick as Horatio (Wearing, II: 655).

1897 Herbert Beerbohm Tree played Hamlet in his production of the play at Her Majesty’s Theatre (London) in two performances in August. Mrs. Tree played Ophelia, and the other principle parts were played by S. A. Cookson as Claudius, E. Holman Clark as Polonius, and Frances Ivor as Gertrude (Wearing, II: 684).

1897 Johnston Forbes-Robertson played Hamlet and Mrs. Patrick Campbell played Ophelia in Forbes-Robertson’s production of Hamlet at the Lyceum Theatre (London); the play opened on September 11 and ran for eighty-six performances. Claudius was played by H. Cooper Cliffe, Gertrude by Charlotte Granville, Polonius by J. H. Barnes, Horatio by Harrison Hunter, and Laertes by Bernard Gould (Wearing, II: 687-8).

1898 Johnston Forbes-Robertson revived his production of Hamlet at the Lyceum Theatre (London) on November 7 for fifteen performances. He played Hamlet and Mrs. Patrick Campbell played Ophelia. Others in the cast were Bernard Gould as Claudius, Cecil Cromwell as Gertrude, Robert Taber as Laertes, Berte Thomas as Horatio, and J. H. Barnes as Polonius (Wearing, II: 770).

1899 Sarah Bernhardt performed her celebrated Hamlet at the Adelphi Theatre (London); the play opened on June 12 and Bernhardt gave sixteen performances. The translation and adaptation of Hamlet was by Eugene Morand and Marchel Schwob (Wearing, II: 813-14).

1899 Wilson Barrett played Hamlet at the Lyceum Theatre (London) from December 12 to the 16. Ophelia was played by Maud Jeffries, Claudius by J. Carter Edwards, Gertrude by Alida Cortelyou, Polonius by Horace Hodges, and Horatio by Basil Gill (Wearing, II: 846).

1900 On March 8, Johnston Forbes-Robertson played Hamlet for the first time in New York City at the Knickerbocker Theatre; Gertrude Elliott played Ophelia (Loney, I: 3).

1900 Frank Benson’s troupe performed Hamlet 6 times in March at the Lyceum Theatre (London). Benson played Hamlet and his wife Constance Benson played Ophelia. Other regulars in his company were Oscar Asche as Claudius, Ada Ferrar as Gertrude, and Frank Rodney as Laertes. The other plays in that season at the Lyceum were Henry V, Twelfth Night, and Antony and Cleopatra. An interesting note is that a young Isadora Duncan played one of the fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Wearing, I: 12; Loney, I: 3).

1900 E. H. Sothern played Hamlet for the first time in New York City at the Garden Theatre on September 17. Virginia Harned played Ophelia (Loney, I: 4).

1901 Frank Benson’s abridged version of Hamlet played at the Comedy Theatre (London) for ten performances (March 27-April 8). Benson played Hamlet, his wife Constance Benson played Ophelia, Oscar Asche, Claudius. The cast also included Elsie Chester as Gertrude, Alfred Brydone as Polonius, and Frank Rodney as Laertes (Wearing, I: 81).

1902 Johnston Forbes-Robertson played Hamlet in his production of the play in July at the Lyric Theatre in London. Ophelia was played by Gertrude Elliott (Wearing, I: 173).

1905 On April 4 Henry Irving opened in Otho Stuart’s revival of Hamlet at the Adelphi Theatre, London. On July 4, Frank Benson moved into the Adelphi for The Comedy of Errors; Ortho Stuart then returned to the Adelphi with a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Loney, I: 27).

1909 On February 8, H. B. Irving revived Hamlet at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London. His wife Dorothea Baird played Ophelia (Loney, I: 49).

1909 On March 13, Matheson Lang played Hamlet in a revival at the Lyceum Theatre, London (Loney, I: 49).

1909 The London Shakespeare Festival presented by Herbert Beerbohm Tree’s ensemble, began June 21 at His Majesty’s Theatre, London. The festival ran for two weeks with The Merry Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Richard III, The Merchant of Venice, and Macbeth (Loney, I: 50).

1910 Starting on February 7, E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe play for six weeks at the Academy of Music, New York City. Included in the repertory are Hamlet, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, and Twelfth Night (Loney, I: 53).

1910 Beginning on March 28, several companies presented a London Shakespeare Festival at His Majesty’s Theatre. Herbert Beerbohm Tree’s company played The Merry Wives of Windsor, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, and Hamlet. Norman McKinnel presented King Lear and The Merchant of Venice; Arthur Bourchier and his company came next with The Merchant of Venice. H. B. Irving played Hamlet, and Frank Benson’s “Bensonians” followed with the Taming of the Shrew and Coriolanus. Poel’s Elizabethan Stage Society gave a performance—in the “original” sixteenth-century style—of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Lewis Waller revived his Henry V, and Tree returned to close the Festival with The Merchant of Venice and Richard II (Loney, I: 54).

1910 On December 5, E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe opened a season of Shakespearean repertory at the Broadway Theatre, New York City. Among the plays were Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and As You Like It (Loney, I: 54).

1911 E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe opened their season at the Broadway Theatre, New York City. In the repertory were Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew,Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, and Twelfth Night. They returned on November 20 and added As You Like it to the list (Loney, I: 158).

1911 On July 22 Stratford’s second summer season began; this is the year that Baliol Holloway debuted with the Bensonians. The plays performed are A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry V, Richard II, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, and The Tempest (Loney, I: 159).

1912 The annual Stratford-upon-Avon Shakespeare Festival opened this year on April 22 with The Merchant of Venice; Frank Benson’s company also performed Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Coriolanus, The Taming of the Shrew, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, and Richard III (Loney, I: 63).

1913 Frank Benson opened the Stratford-upon-Avon Shakespeare Festival with Richard II; the troupe also performed Henry IV, Part 2, Richard III, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, and Hamlet this season. Added attractions were William Poel’s production of Troilus and Cressida, with Edith Evans and Hermione Gingold, as well as Poel himself as the performers, and a presentation of Henry V by the students of Stratford’s King Edward VI Grammar School (Loney, I: 68).

1913 Frank Benson’s summer season of Shakespeare’s plays opened on August 2 with The Merchant of Venice; other plays performed that season were As You Like It, Hamlet, King John, Richard II, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, and Henry IV, Part 2 (Loney, I: 68).

1914 William Poel revived his production of Hamlet at the Little Theatre in London; Esme Percy played Hamlet (Loney, I: 72).

1914 Another annual Stratford Shakespeare Festival opened with A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Frank Benson’s company was still on tour in the United States, so Patrick Kirwan directed this year’s offerings: Much Ado About Nothing, The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, Hamlet, As You Like It, and The Merchant of Venice (Loney, I: 72).

1914 Frank Benson returned from the United States to direct the Stratford Summer Festival. He opened the four-week festval with Much Ado About Nothing. The company also presented Hamlet, Richard II, Henry IV, Part 2, Henry V, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, and Romeo and Juliet (Loney, I: 73).

1914 On October 5, the Old Vic Theatre, London, under the management of Lilian Baylis, mounted a production of The Taming of the Shrew. Additionally, the following plays were performed for the first time in 1914 at the Old Vic: Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Baylis will by 1923 have produced the entire Shakespeare canon of thirty-seven plays (Loney, I: 73).

It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood (3.4).

Macbeth, set primarily in Scotland, mixes witchcraft, prophecy, and murder. Three “Weird Sisters” appear to Macbeth and his comrade Banquo after a battle and prophesy that Macbeth will be king and that the descendants of Banquo will also reign. When Macbeth arrives at his castle, he and Lady Macbeth plot to assassinate King Duncan, soon to be their guest, so that Macbeth can become king.

After Macbeth murders Duncan, the king’s two sons flee, and Macbeth is crowned. Fearing that Banquo’s descendants will, according to the  Weïrd Sisters’ predictions, take over the kingdom, Macbeth has Banquo killed. At a royal banquet that evening, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost appear covered in blood. Macbeth determines to consult the Weird Sisters again. They comfort him with ambiguous promises.

Another nobleman, Macduff, rides to England to join Duncan’s older son, Malcolm. Macbeth has Macduff’s wife and children murdered. Malcolm and Macduff lead an army against Macbeth, as Lady Macbeth goes mad and commits suicide.

Macbeth confronts Malcolm’s army, trusting in the Weird Sisters’ comforting promises. He learns that the promises are tricks, but continues to fight. Macduff kills Macbeth and Malcolm becomes Scotland’s king (reproduced with permission from Folger).

Postcards of Macbeth:

Productions of Macbeth:

1895 Henry Irving‘s Macbeth with Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth and Irving as Macbeth opened at the Lyceum Theatre (London) on July 24 for three performances. Frank Cooper played Macduff and F. H. Macklin, Banquo (Wearing I: 502-3).

1897 Ben Greet managed a production of Macbeth that opened at the Olympic Theatre (London) on May 31 and ran for seven performances. Macbeth was played by Louis Calvert, Lady Macbeth by Laura Johnson, Duncan by W. R. Staveley, and Macduff by Frank Rodney (Wearing, II: 665).

1898 Johnston Forbes-Robertson played Macbeth in his production of the play that opened on September 17 at the Lyceum Theatre (London); Macbeth ran for fifty-eight performances. Lady Macbeth was played by Mrs. Patrick Campbell, Macduff by Robert Taber, Malcom by John Martin Harvey, and Banquo by Bernard Gould (Wearing, II: 762).

1900 On April 23, Frank Benson and his company began the annual Shakespeare Festival at Stratford-upon-Avon. Among the players were Marion Terry as Rosalind in As You Like it and John Coleman as Pericles. The company also performed Othello, Macbeth, and The Merchant of Venice (Loney, I: 3).

1903 Frank Benson opened a two-week Shakespeare Festival season at Stratford-upon-Avon on April 20. Among the plays his troupe presented were Hamlet, The Winter’s Tale, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Loney, I: 16).

1907 On March 4, Ben Greet’s company returned to New York City’s Garden Theatre. The plays in repertory included Macbeth, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Merchant of Venice. Among Greet’s players were Sybil Thorndyke, Julia Perkins, and Sidney Greenstreet (Loney, I: 37).

1909 Arthur Bourchier revived Macbeth at London’s Garrick Theatre on May 7; his wife Violet Vanbrugh played Lady Macbeth (Loney, I: 49).

1909 The London Shakespeare Festival presented by Herbert Beerbohm Tree‘s ensemble, began June 21 at His Majesty’s Theatre, London. The festival ran for two weeks with The Merry Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Richard III, The Merchant of Venice, and Macbeth (Loney, I: 50).

1910 On January 17, Ben Greet’s repertory of plays opened at the Garden Theatre, New York City, with, among other classics, these Shakespeare plays: Macbeth, Julius Caesar, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Merchant of Venice (Loney, I: 53).

1910 At the first Stratford-upon-Avon Summer Shakespeare Festival, Benson presented The Winter’s Tale, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Henry V, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, Richard II, Hamlet, and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Loney, I: 54).

1910 On December 5, E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe opened a season of Shakespearean repertory at the Broadway Theatre, New York City. Among the plays were Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and As You Like It (Loney, I: 54).

1911 On April 17 the annual Stratford Shakespeare Festival opened with The Merry Wives of Windsor. This year Frank Benson also offered The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Richard III (Loney, I: 158).

1911 Herbert Beerbohm Tree has a revival of Macbeth at his Majesty’s Theatre, London, on September 5. Violet Vanbrugh was cast as Lady Macbeth, with Tree as Macbeth (Loney, I: 159).

1911 E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe opened their season at the Broadway Theatre, New York City. In the repertory were Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, and Twelfth Night. They returned on November 20 and added As You Like it to the list (Loney, I: 158).

Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth (1.1).

King Lear dramatizes the story of an aged king of ancient Britain, whose plan to divide his kingdom among his three daughters ends tragically. When he tests each by asking how much she loves him, the older daughters, Goneril and Regan, flatter him. The youngest, Cordelia, does not, and Lear disowns and banishes her. She marries the king of France. Goneril and Regan turn on Lear, leaving him to wander madly in a furious storm.

Meanwhile, the Earl of Gloucester’s illegitimate son Edmund turns Gloucester against his legitimate son, Edgar. Gloucester, appalled at the daughters’ treatment of Lear, gets news that a French army is coming to help Lear. Edmund betrays Gloucester to Regan and her husband, Cornwall, who puts out Gloucester’s eyes and makes Edmund the Earl of Gloucester.

Cordelia and the French army save Lear, but the army is defeated. Edmund imprisons Cordelia and Lear. Edgar then mortally wounds Edmund in a trial by combat. Dying, Edmund confesses that he has ordered the deaths of Cordelia and Lear. Before they can be rescued, Lear brings in Cordelia’s body and then he himself dies (reproduced with permission from Folger).

Postcards of King Lear:

Productions of King Lear:

1892 When Henry Irving‘s production of King Lear opened with Irving playing Lear and Ellen Terry playing Cordelia, the play ran for seventy-six performances. It opened at the Lyceum Theatre (London) on November 10, 1892, and closed on February 1, 1893, with one additional performance on March 6, 1893. The other actors were Frank Cooper as Edmund, William Terriss as Edgar, Alfred, Bishop of Gloster, W. J. Holloway as Kent, William Haviland as the Fool, Ada Dyas as Goneril and Maud Milton as Regan (Wearing, I: 266-7).

1913 The first season of the Birmingham Repertory Company opened with Barry Jackson’s production of Twelfth Night (Loney, I: 68).

1914 On March 16, at the Hudson Theatre, New York City, Margaret Anglin began a run of Shakespeare plays; she directed and played in As You Like It, Twelfth Night, and The Taming of the Shrew (Loney, I: 72).

You do not meet a man but frowns (1.1).

Cymbeline, which takes places in ancient Britain, is filled with hidden identities, extraordinary schemes, and violent acts. Long ago, the two sons of King Cymbeline were abducted, leaving Cymbeline with a daughter, Imogen. Cymbeline’s stepson, Cloten, is now his heir, and Cymbeline expects Imogen to marry him. She secretly marries Posthumus Leonatus instead.

Banished from court, Posthumus makes a foolish bet on Imogen’s chastity, which leads to false evidence that she has betrayed him. He plots to have her killed, and starts by sending her on a journey. Meanwhile, still angry about Imogen’s marriage, Cloten plans to find and rape her.

Imogen—now disguised as a boy, “Fidele”—unwittingly encounters her brothers, who have grown up in a mountain cave unaware of their princely origins. The brothers kill Cloten, but Imogen, horrified, believes they have slain Posthumus.

Cymbeline, meanwhile, refuses to pay a tribute to the Romans, who invade Britain. After the Romans are repelled in battle, Cymbeline agrees to the tribute, his sons are restored, and Imogen and Posthumus are reconciled (reproduced with permission from Folger).

Postcards of Cymbeline: 

Productions of Cymbeline:

1896 Henry Irving‘s company played eighty-eight performances of Cymbeline at the Lyceum Theatre, London; the play opened on September 22 and closed January 27, 1897. Irving played Iachimo, Ellen Terry, Imogen, F. H. Macklin played Cymbeline, and Norman Forbes played Cloten (Wearing, I: 600-01).

1906 Cymbeline opened on October 22 for a one-month run at New York’s Astor Theatre. Among the cast were Viola Allen, Henry Hadfield, and Alison Skipworth (Loney, I: 33).

1909 On April 19, Frank Benson opened the Stratford-upon-Avon Shakespeare Festival with Julius Caesar. Other plays that season are Cymbeline, as well as thirteen others.

Death, that dark spirit, in ‘s nervy arm doth lie, Which, being advanced, declines, and then men die. (II.i)

As Coriolanus begins, two Roman patricians, Menenius and Martius, calm a revolt by the city’s famished plebians. Martius, who despises the plebians, announces that their petition to be represented by tribunes has been granted. When Volscian invaders attack Roman territories, Martius helps lead the Roman forces, and almost single-handedly conquers the Volscian city of Corioles, winning the name “Coriolanus.” The Volscian leader, Aufidius, swears revenge.

Victorious in battle, Coriolanus expects to be made a consul, but by custom he must ask for votes from the plebians. He does this so contemptuously that he is rejected as a consul. The tribunes later charge Coriolanus with treason and banish him from Rome. He seeks his former enemy, Aufidius.

Coriolanus and Aufidius join forces to conquer Rome. On the brink of success, Coriolanus is persuaded by his mother, Volumnia, to spare the city, though he knows it may cost him his life. Aufidius and his fellow conspirators plot Coriolanus’s death. Coriolanus returns to Corioles, where he is assassinated. Rome honors Volumnia for saving the city (reproduced with permission from Folger).

Postcards of Coriolanus:

Productions of Coriolanus:

1910 Beginning on March 28, several companies presented a London Shakespeare Festival at His Majesty’s Theatre. Herbert Beerbohm Tree‘s company played The Merry Wives of Windsor, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, and Hamlet. Norman Mckinnel presented King Lear and The Merchant of Venice; Arthur Bourchier and his company came next with The Merchant of Venice. H. B. Irving played Hamlet, and Frank Benson‘s “Bensonians” followed with the Taming of the Shrew and Coriolanus. Poel’s Elizabethan Stage Society gave a performance—in the “original” sixteenth-century style—of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Lewis Waller revived his Henry V, and Tree returned to close the Festival with The Merchant of Venice and Richard II (Loney, I: 54).

1912 The annual Stratford-upon-Avon Shakespeare Festival opened this year on April 22 with The Merchant of Venice; Frank Benson’s company also performed Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Coriolanus, The Taming of the Shrew, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, and Richard III (Loney, I: 63).

The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones (3.2).

Caesar’s assassination is just the halfway point of Julius Caesar. The first part of the play leads to his death; the second portrays the consequences. As the action begins, Rome prepares for Caesar‘s triumphal entrance. Brutus, Caesar’s friend and ally, fears that Caesar will become king, destroying the republic. Cassius and others convince Brutus to join a conspiracy to kill Caesar.

On the day of the assassination, Caesar plans to stay home at the urging of his wife, Calphurnia. A conspirator, Decius Brutus, persuades him to go to the Senate with the other conspirators and his friend, Mark Antony. At the Senate, the conspirators stab Caesar to death. Antony uses a funeral oration to turn the citizens of Rome against them. Brutus and Cassius escape as Antony joins forces with Octavius Caesar.

Encamped with their armies, Brutus and Cassius quarrel, then agree to march on Antony and Octavius. In the battle that follows, Cassius, misled by erroneous reports of loss, persuades a slave to kill him; Brutus’s army is defeated. Brutus commits suicide, praised by Antony as “the noblest Roman of them all” (reproduced with permission from Folger).

Postcards of Julius Caesar:

Productions of Julius Caesar:

1892 Edmund Tearle presented Julius Caesar at the Olympic Theatre (London) on April 16; Tearle played Brutus and the play ran for seven performances until April 23. The other players were W. S. Hardy as Marc Antony, A. Gow Bentinck as Julius Caesar, Cyril Grier as Octavius Caesar, and Theresa Osborne as Portia (Wearing, I: 208).

1898 Herbert Beerbohm Tree played Marc Antony in this production of Julius Caesar at Her Majesty’s Theatre (London); the play ran from January 22 until June 18, with a total of 161 peformances. The other players were Charles Fulton as Julius Caesar, Lewis Waller as Brutus, Louis and Alexander Calvert as Casca, and Evelyn Millard as Portia (Wearing, II: 714-15).

1900 Beerbohm Tree’s company gave fift-two performances of Julius Caesar between September 6 and October 27. Tree played Marc Antony, J. C. Murray, Caesar, Lewis Waller, Brutus, and Mrs. Tree, Calpurnia (Wearing, I: 48).

1907 On March 4, Ben Greet’s company returned to New York City’s Garden Theatre. The plays in repertory included Macbeth, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Merchant of Venice. Among Greet’s players were Sybil Thorndyke, Julia Perkins, and Sidney Greenstreet (Loney, I: 37).

1909 On April 19, Frank Benson opened the Stratford-upon-Avon Shakespeare Festival with Julius Caesar. Other plays that season were Cymbeline, as well as thirteen others.

1909 The London Shakespeare Festival presented by Herbert Beerbohm Tree’s ensemble, began June 21 at His Majesty’s Theatre, London. The festival ran for two weeks with The Merry Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Richard III, The Merchant of Venice, and Macbeth (Loney, I: 50).

1910 On January 17, Ben Greet’s repertory of plays opened at the Garden Theatre, New York City, with, among other classics, these Shakespeare plays: Macbeth, Julius Caesar, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Merchant of Venice (Loney, I: 53).

1910 Beginning on March 28, several companies presented a London Shakespeare Festival at His Majesty’s Theatre. Herbert Beerbohm Tree’s company played The Merry Wives of Windsor, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, and Hamlet. Norman Mckinnel presented King Lear and The Merchant of Venice; Arthur Bourchier and his company came next with The Merchant of Venice. H. B. Irving played Hamlet, and Frank Benson’s “Bensonians” followed with the Taming of the Shrew and Coriolanus. Poel’s Elizabethan Stage Society gave a performance—in the “original” sixteenth-century style—of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Lewis Waller revived his Henry V, and Tree returned to close the Festival with The Merchant of Venice and Richard II (Loney, I: 54).

1910 At the first Stratford-upon-Avon Summer Shakespeare Festival, Benson presented The Winter’s Tale, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Henry V, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, Richard II, Hamlet,and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Loney, I: 54).

1911 On April 17, the annual Stratford Shakespeare Festival opened with The Merry Wives of Windsor. This year Frank Benson also offered The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Richard III (Loney, I: 158).

1911 The London Shakespeare Festival opened on May 22 at His Majesty’s Theatre with Herbert Beerbohm Tree’s Julius Caesar, followed by Oscar Asche and Lily Brayton’s As You Like It. Next came The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night. Frank Benson presented The Taming of the Shrew, Tree revived his Henry VIII, and the Festival closed with Benson’s Richard III and on July 3, the final night, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Loney, I: 158).

1912 The annual Stratford-upon-Avon Shakespeare Festival opened this year on April 22 with The Merchant of Venice; Frank Benson’s company also performed Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Coriolanus, The Taming of the Shrew, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, and Richard III (Loney, I: 63).

1913 On October 13, the repertory company of Manchester’s Gaiety Theatre produced Julius Caesar (Loney, I: 69).

1913 In the month of June Herbert Beerbohm Tree staged a revival of The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, and Romeo and Juliet; Tree played Shylock, Malvolio, Marc Antony, and Mercutio (Loney, I: 68).

1914 Frank Benson returned from the United States to direct the Stratford Summer Festival. He opened the four-week festval with Much Ado About Nothing. The company also presented Hamlet, Richard II, Henry IV, Part 2, Henry V, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, and Romeo and Juliet (Loney, I: 73).

For never was a story of more woe Than this of Juliet and her Romeo (5.3).

The oft-quoted prologue of Romeo & Juliet calls the title characters “star-crossed lovers”—and the stars do seem to conspire against these young lovers.

Romeo is a Montague, and Juliet a Capulet. Their families are enmeshed in a feud, but the moment they meet—when Romeo and his friends attend a party at Juliet’s house in disguise—the two fall in love and quickly decide that they want to be married.

A friar secretly marries them, hoping to end the feud. Romeo and his companions almost immediately encounter Juliet’s cousin Tybalt, who challenges Romeo. When Romeo refuses to fight, Romeo’s friend Mercutio accepts the challenge and is killed. Romeo then kills Tybalt and is banished. He spends that night with Juliet and then leaves for Mantua.

Juliet’s father forces her into a marriage with Count Paris. To avoid this marriage, Juliet takes a potion, given her by the friar, which makes her appear dead. The friar will send Romeo word to be at her family tomb when she awakes. The plan goes awry, and Romeo learns instead that she is dead. In the tomb, Romeo kills himself. Juliet wakes, sees his body, and commits suicide. Their deaths appear finally to end the feud (reproduced with permission from Folger).

Postcards of Romeo & Juliet:

Productions of Romeo & Juliet:

1890 A production of Romeo and Juliet by Hugh Moss opened at the Globe Theatre (London) on June 6 and ran until August 8. The players were Otis Skinner as Romeo, Adelaide Moore as Juliet, John Nesbitt as Friar Laurence, George F. Black as Capulet, Edwin Wilde as Tybalt, Mark Quinton as Mercutio, May Prothero as Lady Capulet, and Mrs. Charles Calvert as the Nurse (Wearing, I: 46).

1895 Johnston Forbes-Robertson played Romeo and Mrs. Patrick Campbell, Juliet in Forbes-Robertson’s production of the play; Romeo and Juliet opened at the Lyceum Theatre (London) on September 21 and ran until December 21 for seventy-nine performances. Others in the cast were Arthur Grenville as Paris, George Warde as Capulet, Dolores Drummond as the Nurse, Charles F. Coghlan as Mercutio, Will Dennis as Tybalt, and Nutcombe Gould as Friar Laurence (Wearing, I: 509-10).

1896 In Romeo and Juliet Esme Beringer played Romeo at the Prince of Wales’s Theatre at a matinee performance on May 15. The other principle parts were played by Vera Beringer as Juliet, Mrs. E. H. Brooke as the Nurse, W. H. Vernon as Mercutio, Arthur Stirling as Friar Laurence, and Frederick Volpe as Tybalt (Wearing, I: 565-66).

1899 Maude Adams and William Faversham played the leads in Charles Frohman’s production on May 8 at the Empire Theatre.

1904 On February 17, with Charles Lander as Romeo and Therza Norman as Juliet, J. H. Leigh began a Shakespeare revival at the Royal Theatre, London (Loney, I: 22).

On October 17, the New York City producer Charles Frohman presented E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe playing for the first time together in a Shakespeare play. The performances included Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Much Ado About Nothing (Loney, I: 23).

1908 Matheson Lang‘s production of Romeo and Juliet opened at the Lyceum Theatre, London, on March 3 and ran through May 30, with eighty-eight performances. The principal players were Matheson Lang as Romeo, Nora Kerin as Juliet, Eric Mayne and Gordon Bailey as Mercutio, Halliwell Hobbes as Tybalt, Herbert Grimwood as Capulet, Frederick Ross as Friar Laurence, Mary Allestree as Lady Capulet, and Blanche Stanley as the Nurse. The managing director was Henry R. Smith and the producer was Ernest Carpenter (Wearing, London Stage; Loney, I: 44 ).

1909 Gerald Lawrence and Fay Davis open their Shakespeare season on April 12 at the Royal Court Theatre, London. The plays included As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, andTwelfth Night (Loney, I: 49).

1910 Starting on February 7, E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe play for six weeks at the Academy of Music, New York City. Included in the repertory are Hamlet, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, and Twelfth Night (Loney, I: 53).

On December 5, E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe opened a season of Shakespearean repertory at the Broadway Theatre, New York City. Among the plays were Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and As You Like It (Loney, I: 54).

1911 On April 17 the annual Stratford Shakespeare Festival opened with The Merry Wives of Windsor.This year Frank Benson also offered The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, andRichard III (Loney, I: 158).

E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe opened their season at the Broadway Theatre, New York City. In the repertory were Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew,Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet,and Twelfth Night. They returned on November 20 and added As You Like it to the list (Loney, I: 158).

On July 22, Stratford’s second summer season began; this is the year that Baliol Holloway debuted with the Bensonians. The plays performed are A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry V, Richard II, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, and the Tempest (Loney, I: 159).

Fred Terry‘s production of Romeo and Juliet opened at the New Theatre, London, on September 2 and ran through November 22. The principal players were Vernon Steel as Romeo, Phyllis Neilson-Terry as Juliet, Henry C. Hewitt as Paris, Alfred Brydone as Capulet, Louis Calvert as Mercutio, James Berry as Tybalt, J. Fisher White as Friar Laurence, Rosina Filippi as the Nurse, and Lena Halliday as Lady Capulet (Wearing, London Stage).

Fred Terry produced a version of Romeo and Juliet—he called in a “new arrangement”—at the New Theatre, London, on September 2. The principals were Vernon Steel and Phyllis Neilson-Terry (Loney, I: 159).

1912 The annual Stratford-upon-Avon Shakespeare Festival opened this year on April 22 with The Merchant of Venice; Frank Benson’s company also performed Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Coriolanus, The Taming of the Shrew, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, and Richard III (Loney, I: 63).

1913 On March 22 E. Harcourt Williams and Lillian Hallows opened at London’s Prince’s Theatre as Romeo and Juliet (Loney, I: 68).

In the month of June Herbert Beerbohm Tree staged a revival of The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, and Romeo and Juliet; Tree played Shylock, Malvolio, Marc Antony, and Mercutio (Loney, I: 68).

Frank Benson’s summer season of Shakespeare’s plays opened on August 2 with The Merchant of Venice; other plays performed that season were As You Like It, Hamlet, King John, Richard II, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, and Henry IV, Part 2 (Loney, I: 68).

1914 Frank Benson returned from the United States to direct the Stratford Summer Festival. He opened the four-week festval with Much Ado About Nothing. The company also presented Hamlet, Richard II, Henry IV, Part 2, Henry V, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, and Romeo and Juliet (Loney, I: 73).

Iago is most honest (2.3).

In Venice, at the start of Othello, the soldier Iago announces his hatred for his commander, Othello, a Moor. Othello has promoted Cassio, not Iago, to be his lieutenant.

Iago crudely informs Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, that Othello and Desdemona have eloped. Before the Venetian Senate, Brabantio accuses Othello of bewitching Desdemona. The Senators wish to send Othello to Cyprus, which is under threat from Turkey. They bring Desdemona before them. She tells of her love for Othello, and the marriage stands. The Senate agrees to let her join Othello in Cyprus.

In Cyprus, Iago continues to plot against Othello and Cassio. He lures Cassio into a drunken fight, for which Cassio loses his new rank; Cassio, at Iago’s urging, then begs Desdemona to intervene. Iago uses this and other ploys—misinterpreted conversations, insinuations, and a lost handkerchief—to convince Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are lovers. Othello goes mad with jealousy and later smothers Desdemona on their marriage bed, only to learn of Iago’s treachery. He then kills himself (reproduced with permission from Folger).

Postcards of Othello:

Productions of Othello:

1890 On April 24 and 25, Frank Benson‘s company gave two performances of Othello at the Globe Theatre (London); Benson played Othello. The other principal players were Alfred Brydone as Brabantio, Herbert Ross as Cassio, Charles Cartwright as Iago, Arthur Grenville as Roderigo, Constance Benson as Desdemona, and Rose Mellor as Emilia (Wearing, I: 27).

1891 Leonard Outram as director presented one performance of Othello at the Avenue Theatre (London) on August 25. Lion Margrave played Othello, Iago was played by George Hughes, Desdemona by Frances Ivor, and Emilia by Alice Yorke (Wearing, I: 150).

1896 Edward Hastings directed one performance of Othello at Covent Garden Theatre (London) on July 30. The cast included Charles Pond as Othello, Ettie Williams as Desdemona, and Hermann Vezin as Iago (Wearing, I: 591).

1897 Charles Whitley played Othello in a matinee performance at the Avenue Theatre (London) on February 16. Iago was played by John H. Manley, Desdemona by Mrs. Loftis, and Emilia by Anne Beaufort (Wearing, II: 35).

1897 Wilson Barrett played Othello in his production of the play at the Lyric Theatre (London); Othello opened on May 22 for a seven-performance run. Iago was played by Franklin McLeay, Desdemona by Maud Jeffries, and Emilia by Frances Ivor (Wearing, II: 662).

1899 For two performances (December 2 and 14) Wilson Barrett played Othello at the Lyceum Theatre (London). J. Carter Edwards played Iago, Maud Jeffries, Desdemona, and Alida Cortelyou, Emilia (Wearing, II: 845).

1900 On April 23, Frank Benson and his company began the annual Shakespeare Festival at Stratford-upon-Avon. Among the players were Marion Terry as Rosalind in As You Like it and John Coleman as Pericles. The company also performed Othello, Macbeth, and The Merchant of Venice (Loney, I: 3).

1902 Johnston Forbes-Robertson played Othello at the Lyric Theatre, London, in forty-six performances of the play from December, 1902, through February, 1903. Herbert Waring played Iago, Lena Ashwell, Emilia, and Gertrude Elliott, Desdemona (Wearing, I: 197).

1904 On December 5, at the Princess Theatre, New York City, Robert B. Mantell opened a two-week run of plays in repertory. He played Othello and Richard III. Marie Booth Russell performed with him (Loney, I: 24).

1910 On March 11, The Sicilian Players offered a novel Sicilian version of Otello at the Lyric Theatre, London (Loney, I: 53).

1912 On April 9, Herbert Beerbohm Tree opened his season of Shakespeare at His Majesty’s Theatre, London, with Othello; his company also performed The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, and Henry VIII (Loney, I: 63).

1912 The third annual summer season of Shakespeare began on August 7 at Stratford. The Shakespeare plays performed by Frank Benson’s troupe included Othello, Henry V, Antony and Cleopatra, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Loney, I: 64).

1914 William Faversham produced Othello at New York’s Lyric Theatre on February 9; he played Iago and R. D. MacLean took the part of Othello (Loney, I: 72).

Give my my robe. Put on my crown. I have Immortal longings in me (5.2).

Antony and Cleopatra tells the story of a romance between two powerful lovers: Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, and Mark Antony, who rules the Roman Empire with Octavius Caesar and Lepidus.

Although he is needed in Rome, Antony lingers in Egypt with Cleopatra. He finally returns to Rome when Pompey, another military leader, tries to gain control of the empire. Once in Rome, Antony marries Caesar’s sister Octavia.

After Pompey is defeated, Caesar imprisons Lepidus and turns on Antony. Octavia attempts to reconcile them, but fails.  Antony returns to Cleopatra. He challenges Caesar at sea, adding Cleopatra’s ships to his own. When she and her navy flee in mid-battle, Antony follows, abandoning his men.

Antony fails in a second battle at sea. At first, he blames Cleopatra and plans to kill her. He responds to false news of her death, however, by attempting suicide; fatally wounded, he reunites with her as he dies. Faced with Caesar’s plans to humiliate her in Rome, Cleopatra kills herself with poisonous snakes (reproduced with permission from Folger).

Postcards of Antony & Cleopatra:

Productions of Antony and Cleopatra:

1890 Lily Langtry’s production of Antony and Cleopatra ran at the Princess’s Theatre (London) from November 18, 1890, until February 21, 1891. In the 96 performances Langtry played Cleopatra and Charles F. Coghlan played Antony. Others in the cast were Frank Kemble Cooper as Octavius Caesar, Arthur Stirling as Enobarbus, Charles Burleigh as Eros, and Amy McNeill as Charmian.

1893 An Italian translation of Antony and Cleopatra had three performances at the Lyric Theatre (London) in June. The interest no doubt arose from Eleonora Duse, the famous Italian actress, who played Cleopatra. Flavio Ando played opposite her as Antony (Wearing, I: 326).

1897 Ben Greet managed a production of Antony and Cleopatra that opened at the Olympic Theatre (London) on May 24 and ran for eleven performances. Marc Antony was played by Louis Calvert, and Leonard Calvert played Lepidus; both were members of the distinguished Calvert family of actors who performed in Manchester. Others in the cast were Janet Achurch as Cleopatra, Alfred Kendrick as Octavius Caesar, J. Carter Edwards as Enobarbus, and Michael Dure as Eros (Wearing, II: 663).

1900 Frank Benson‘s troupe performed Antony and Cleopatra six times (March 29-April 4) at the Lyceum Theatre (London). Benson played Marc Antony and Constance Benson played Cleopatra. Lily Brayton played Iras and E. Lyall Swete, Enobarbus. The company also performed Henry V, Hamlet, and Twelfth Night. An interesting note is that a young Isadora Duncan played one of the fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Wearing, I: 17; Loney, I: 3).

1906 On December 27, Herbert Beerbohm Tree staged a revival of Antony and Cleopatra at His Majesty’s Theatre. Tree played Marc Antony with Constance Collier as Cleopatra. Basil Gill also appeared (Loney, I: 33).

1909 On November 6, Winthrop Ames opened his New Theatre in New York City with Antony and Cleopatra; among the distinguished cast were E. H. Sothern, Julia Marlowe, Louis Calvert, Matheson Lang, and Annie Russell.

1912 The third annual summer season of Shakespeare began on August 7 at Stratford. The Shakespeare plays performed by Frank Benson’s troupe included Othello, Henry V, Antony and Cleopatra, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Loney, I: 64).