III].1
______
Shakspeare's historical plays
are particularly valuable, wherein faithful history is combined with transcendant
poetry.
The present play comprises every incident of note in the life and death of King Richard the Third, and
contains a period of fourteen years.
Mr. Malone says of this
drama—"From the many allusions to it in books of that age, when it was
first acted, and the number of editions it passed through, I suspect it was more
often represented, and more admired, than any of our author's
tragedies."2
Queen Elizabeth, who seems
to have been a judge of theatrical, as well as political, measures highly admired
the
tragedy of Richard III. And
it was played frequently by her royal command.
Her majesty was ever most gracious to the author and all his productions; but it is
by some critics imagined that her partiality to this drama, arose from the particular
gratification, of beholding her grandfather, Richmond,3 placed in the most exalted and amiable
situation, in which Henry the
Seventh could ever be shown.
In the reign of William and
Mary, the whole first
b 2[Page 4]act of this play was omitted in representation, by order of the licenser;
who assigned as his reason—that the distress of Henry the Sixth, who is killed in
the first act, by Richard,
would put weak people too much in mind of King James the Second, who was
then living an exile in France.
Of this play, in representation, some peculiar circumstances may be observed. An
audience, who, it is generally known, hate, even in the person of his representative,
the villain of the drama, still hold in their greatest favour, the actor who performs
Richard the Third.
Garrick, Henderson, Kemble, and Cooke, have all in their turn, been
favoured with the love, as well as the admiration, of the town, for acting Richard.
Walpole's "Historic
Doubts"4 out of the question, Garrick appears to have been the actor, of
all others, best suited for this character.—His diminutive figure gave the best
personal likeness of the crooked-back king. He had, besides, if tradition may be
relied on, the first abilities as a mimic; and Richard himself, was a mass of
mimicry, except in his ambition, and his cruelty.
Henderson was received with welcome in
the character, when Garrick was no more;
and Kemble, and Cooke have been followed on the same
grounds.
Cooke holds, at present, the possession
of the part, and has popular favour in it, to the highest degree. That he is a very
fine actor, all, who see him, acknowledge; but, of his performance of Richard the Third,[Page 5]
it may exactly be said, what Dr.
Johnson has said of the play of Richard the Third viz: This is one of
the most celebrated of our author's performances; yet, I know not, whether it
has not happened to him, as to others, to be praised most, when praise is not most
deserved.5
b
3