An English Country Performance of Macbeth
Not on view
Shakespeare's wide popularity around 1790 is demonstrated by this satire. A provincial audience crowds a barn-like theater to attend a performance of Macbeth. We view the scene from backstage as the three witches emerge from a trap door. At left, unseen by the audience, a prompter sits on a barrel as players mend a costume, smoke, and having their hair dressed. At right, peeking around a flat, a booted and cloaked figure who may be Macbeth, waits to come on.
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