Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 66, No 409, November 1849

TALBOYS.

O that Christopher North!

NORTH.

Speak so, friends – 'tis absurd, but I like it.

TALBOYS.

It is sincere.

NORTH.

At last they call him "black Macbeth," and "this dead Butcher." And with good reason. They also call her "his fiend-like Queen," which last expression I regard as highly offensive.

BULLER.

And they call her so not without strong reason.

NORTH.

A bold, bad woman – not a Fiend. I ask – Did she, or did she not, "with violent hand foredo her life?" They mention it as a rumour. The Doctor desires that all means of self-harm may be kept out of her way. Yet the impression on us, as the thing proceeds, is, that she dies of pure remorse – which I believe. She is visibly dying. The cry of women, announcing her death, is rather as of those who stood around the bed watching, and when the heart at the touch of the invisible finger stops, shriek – than of one after the other coming in and finding the self-slain – a confused, informal, perplexing, and perplexed proceeding – but the Cry of Women is formal, regular for the stated occasion. You may say, indeed, that she poisoned herself – and so died in bed – watched. Under the precautions, that is unlikely – too refined. The manner of Seyton, "The Queen, my Lord, is dead," shows to me that it was hourly expected. How these few words would seek into you, did you first read the Play in mature age! She died a natural death – of remorse. Take my word for it – the rumour to the contrary was natural to the lip and ear of Hate.

TALBOYS.

A question of primary import is – What is the relation of feeling between him and her? The natural impression, I think, is, that the confiding affection – the intimate confidence – is "there" – of a husband and wife who love one another – to whom all interests are in common, and are consulted in common. Without this belief, the Magic of the Tragedy perishes – vanishes to me. "My dearest love, Duncan comes here to-night." "Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest Chuck" – a marvellous phrase for Melpomene. It is the full union – for ill purposes – that we know habitually for good purposes – that to me tempers the Murder Tragedy.

NORTH.

Yet believe me, my dear Talboys – that of all the murders Macbeth may have committed, she knew beforehand but of ONE – Duncan's. The haunted somnambulist speaks the truth – the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

TALBOYS.

"The Thane of Fife had a Wife." Does not that imply that she was privy to that Murder?

NORTH.

No. Except that she takes upon herself all the murders that are the offspring, legitimate or illegitimate, of that First Murder. But we know that Macbeth, in a sudden fit of fury, ordered the Macduffs to be massacred when on leaving the Cave Lenox told him of the Thane's flight.

TALBOYS.

That is decisive.

NORTH.

A woman, she feels for a murdered woman. That is all – a touch of nature – from Shakspeare's profound and pitiful heart.

TALBOYS.

"The Queen, my lord, is dead." "She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word" – Often have I meditated on the meaning of these words – yet even now I do not fully feel or understand them.

NORTH.

Nor I. This seems to look from them – "so pressed by outward besiegings, I have not capacity to entertain the blow as it requires to be entertained. With a free soul I could have measured it. Now I cannot."

TALBOYS.

Give us, sir, a commentary on the Revelations of the Sleeping Spectre.

NORTH.

I dare not. Let's be cheerful. I ask this – when you see and hear Kemble-Macbeth – and Siddons-Macbeth – whom do you believe that you see and hear? I affirm that you at one and the same instant – (or at the most in two immediately successive instants – yet I believe in one and the same instant) —know that you see and hear Kemble – or if that accomplished gentleman and admirable actor – Macready be performing the part – then Macready; – and yet believe that you see and hear Lord Macbeth. I aver that you entertain a mixt – confused – self-contradictory state of mind – that two elements of thought which cannot co-subsist do co-subsist.

TALBOYS.

De jure they cannot – DE FACTO they do.

NORTH.

Just so.

TALBOYS.

They co-subsist fighting, and yet harmonising – there is half-belief – semi-illusion.

NORTH.

I claim the acknowledgment of such a state – which any one who chooses may better describe, but which shall come to that effect – for the lowest substratum of all science and criticism concerning Poesy. Will anybody grant me this, then I will reason with him about Poesy, for we begin with something in common. Will anybody deny me this, then I will not argue with him about Poesy, for we set out with nothing in common.

BULLER.

We grant you all you ask – we are all agreed – "our unanimity is wonderful."

NORTH.

Leave out the great Brother and Sister, and take the Personated alone. I know that Othello and Desdemona never existed – that an Italian Novelist began, and an English Dramatist ended them – and there they are. But do I not believe in their existence, "their loves and woes?" Yes I do believe in their existence, in their loves and woes – and I hate Iago accordingly with a vicious, unchristian, personal, active, malignant hatred.

TALBOYS.

Dr Johnson's celebrated expression, "all the belief that Poetry claims" —

BULLER.

Celebrated! Where is it?

TALBOYS.

Preface to Shakspeare – is idle, and frivolous, and false?