Page 85 - Hamlet: The Cambridge Dover Wilson Shakespeare

Ixxviii H A M L E T

impressed by Garrick's acting in 177 5, from some papers
signed 'Hie et Ubique' in the Si James's Chronicle in
February and March, 1772, from Fielding's Tom Jones
and from other sources it is possible to put together some
notion of Garrick's production and acting oi Hamlet. He
did away with the full-bottomed wigs and the plumes of
tragedy. He himself wore black (the only character in
the play seen in mourning) with a cloak and hat, knee
breeches, and shoes which increased his height. The
Ghost wore armour with steel-blue satin underneath it,
and showed nothing of his face except the nose and a
little of the cheek on either side of it. Horatio and
Marcellus wore some sort of military dress. Ophelia had
long, fair hair, and in her mad scene carried a neatly
arranged handful of straw. In the version which he
presented during most of his career Garrick kept the
'
advice to the players, spoke more of the soliloquy, O,
what a rogue and peasant slave am I!' than others had,
and cut out the soliloquy during the King's prayer,
either altogether or at least from 'Up, sword' to the last
line and a half. It appears also that he took from the
Ghost and gave to Hamlet the line 'O, horrible! O,
horrible! most horrible!' and this soon established itself
as a 'stage tradition.' The impression conveyed by Field-
ing that the Closet-scene came before the Play-scene must
be due to inadvertence; but it may be accepted that the
Ghost appeared in that scene in a flash of fire and dis-
appeared down a trap. It was in that scene also that
Garrick used a trick chair which would fall over (as
tradition demanded) very easily when Hamlet sprang up
on seeing the Ghost. When he spoke the lines,' For some
must watch,' he invariably walked about, vehemently
twirling a white handkerchief. Macready borrowed this
action from him, and it was that which Edwin Forrest
hissed at the Theatre Royal, Edinburgh, in 1846, thus
preparing the way for the fatal riot in New York in
1849.