7 - A Lasting Work

Summary

Davenant's 1674 version of Macbeth presented the work as a consistent narrative where characters, who spoke literal and grammatical sense, articulated their motives for action in terms of clear ethical oppositions. Although Davenant's version of the work is no longer admired, it laid down the deep structure for understanding the play as working through abstractions such as ‘ambition’ or ‘evil', the commonplaces of nineteenth and twentieth century literary criticism. By bringing Shakespeare's play up to date, Davenant also widened the gap between the work, that remained fixed in the 1623 Folio text, and the play, that could respond to the changing technologies of theatre and the changing expectations of its audiences.

The 1674 text of Davenant's version describes the presentation of the play with ‘all the Alterations, Amendments, Additions and New Songs: As it is now Acted at the Duke's Theatre'. It prints the full texts of the songs given as first lines in the Folio text and adds songs and dances. This version of the play dominated the stage for half a century and met the desire for a theatre that provided spectacle and variety as well as clearly defined moral sentiments. Samuel Pepys saw it three times. In December 1666 he admired it as ‘a most excellent play for variety'; in January 1667 he found it ‘a most excellent play in all respects, but especially in divertissement, though it be a deep tragedy’ and on the 19 April he commented on the ‘variety of dancing and music'. For Restoration audiences there was no contradiction between theatricality and serious art and in the new century John Downes reported in his Roscius Anglicanus that

The Tragedy of Macbeth, alter'd by Sir William D'Avenant; beingdrest in all its Finery, as new Cloath's, new Scenes, Machines (as flyings for the Witches), with all the Singing and Dancing in it, the first Compos'd by Mr. Locke, the other by Mr. Channell and Mr. Joseph Priest. It being all Excellently perform'd, being in the nature of an Opera, it Recompenc'd double the Expence; it proves still a lasting Play.