A TRAGEDY, IN FIVE ACTS; BY WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE. AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRES ROYAL, DRURY LANE AND COVENT GARDEN. PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK. WITH REMARKS BY MRS. INCHBALD. LONDON: FRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN, PATERNOSTER ROW. REMARKS. 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 other of our author's tragedies." Queen Elizabeth, who seems to have been a judge of theatrical, as well as of 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, 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 act of this play was omitted in representation, by order of the licenser; who assigned as his reason— that the distresses 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" 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 crookedback 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, |