free himself from the old heathen view, and hia magic sisters are far more strikingly grand and respectable than those of Middleton, who show far more a meanly malicious, beggarly nature, who practise smaller and more spiteful tricks, who vex the body but have far less power over the soul, and at their utmost can only crust our hearts over with envy, spite, lust, or wantonness, or similar skin eruptions on the heart.
The notoriety of Lady Macbeth, who for two centuries passed for a very bad character, about twelve years ago in Germany took a turn in her favour. The pious Franz Horn—videlicet—made the remark in the "Conversations-Lexicon of Brockhaus" that the poor lady had been quite misunderstood, that she was devotedly attached to her husband, and, above all, was really a remarkably amiable person. Herr Ludwig Tieck soon after supported this view with all his science, erudition, and philosophical depth, so that it was not long before we saw Madame Stich on the royal court stage, cooing and turtle-doveing so feelingly, that every heart in Berlin was touched by such tones of tenderness, and many a lovely eye was moved to tears at the sight of that dear sweet Macbeth.[1] This happened, as I said, twelve years ago, in the soft times of the Restoration when we all had so much love in our hearts.
- ↑ Beim Anblick der juten Macbeth. Berlin provincialism.—Translator.
