Conshohocken High School - Echo Yearbook (Conshohocken, PA)

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6 THE BLUE AND STEEL made himself thoroughly acquainted with the superstitions connected with witch- craft, for he has described many of them with great accuracy. Although they were supposed to possess extraordinary powers, nevertheless these were limited. In “Hamlet” we are told that on Christmas night “they have no power to charm.” They were able to assume the form of any animal at will, but the tail was always wanting. One characteristic of a were-wolf, or human being changed into a wolf, was the ab- sence of a tail. In “Macbeth,” the first witch says: “And, like a rat without a tail, I’ll do, I’ll do, and I'll do.” Witches were supposed to have the power of creating storms—thus, in “Macbeth,” the witches elect to meet in thunder, lightning, or rain. Coleridge, speaking of them, observes that “the weird sisters are as true a creation of Shakespeare’s as his Ariel and Caliban— fates, fairies, and materializing witches being the elements. They are wholly different from any representation of witches in the contemporary writers, and yet presented a sufficient external re- semblance to the creatures of vulgar prejudice to act immediately on the audience.” From time immemorial ghosts and the superstitions associated with them have been of wide interest, and have played an important part in folk-lore literature. The ghost in “Hamlet” is of special value because it illustrates many of the old beliefs respecting their history and habits. Ghosts are generally supposed to assume the exact appearance and dress by which they were usually known while living on earth. So Horatio tells Ham- let how, when Marcellus and Bernardo were on their watch. “A figure like your father, Arm’d at point, exactly, cap-a-pe, Appears before them, and with solemn march Goes slow and stately by them.” Spirits were also supposed to maintain silence until questioned by the persons to whom they made their appearance. Thus the ghost of Hamlet’s father made no response to the queries of persons who saw it until Hamlet himself met the apparition in secrecy. Another belief that seems prevalent is the walking of spirits to do penance. The ghost in “Hamlet” says: “I am thy father’s spirit, Doom’d for a certain term to walk the night, And for the day confin’d to fast in fires, Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature Are burnt and purg’d away.” It has always been believed that ghosts cannot bear the light and so must dis- appear at the dawn of day upon the signal of the cock-crow. The ghost of Hamlet’s father says: “But, soft! methinks I scent the morning air; Brief let me be”— and— “Fare thee well at once. The glow-worm shows the matin to be near, And ’gins to pale his uneffectual fire; Adieu, adieu! Hamlet, remember me.” Shakespeare has generally treated the subject of demonology and devil-lore with ridicule proving his unbelief in any such absurd superstitions. According to an old belief, it was supposed that devils could at any time assume whatever form they wished that would be of the greatest advantage for the success of any under- taking they might be about to perform; therefore many innocent and harmless persons in former years had the charge brought against them of being a devil. There appears in the “Merchant of Venice” Salania, on the approach of Shylock, says: “Let me say ‘amen’ be- times, lest the devil cross my prayer, for here he comes in the likeness of a Jew.” There is mention made in Shakespeare not only of bad demons, but of good ones as well. There were spirits of Revenge and spirits which acted as guardian angels. There are many interesting allusions in Shakespeare to Superstitions concern- ing natural phenomena—rainbow, clouds,

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5 THE BLUE AND STEEL Shakespearean Folk-Lore THE plays of Shakespeare are of great value to the literary world. They are known and read by all the world because of their great wealth of knowledge and the masterful way in which their subject matter is treated. They are of inestimable value in their connection with the social life of the Elizabethan age. Shakespeare had a wide knowledge of many technical subjects; an admirable appreciation of nature; and a wonderful understanding of human nature which gave itself expression in two ways: in the great characters he has created which will always be studied and loved, and in the keen, philosophical pas- sages through which he makes his char- acters express great universal truths that remain unchanged from generation to generation and that have made his name immortal the world over. But Shake- speare’s knowledge and understanding seems to go beyond the affairs of humans, for he shows in all his works an intimate acquaintance with the folk-lqre of bygone days. Fairies, witches, ghosts, devil-lore birds, animals, plants, superstition—all come creeping into his lines to add charm and uniqueness to their beauty and worth. The supernatural element, in many varied forms, plays a great part in his masterpieces. If his works had little other value, I think they would retain their popularity simply because of their wealth of imagination and folk-lore. “A Midsummer-Night’s Dream” con- tains the finest artistic realization of the fairy kingdom. Mr. Dowden, in his ‘‘Shakespeare Primer,” remarks: “As the two extremes of exquisite delicacy, of dainty elegance, and, on the other hand, of th ck-witted grossness and clumsiness, stand the fairy tribe and the group of Athenian handicraftsmen. The world of the poet’s dream includes the two—a 1 itania, and a Bottom the weaver—and can bring them into grotesque conjunc- tion. No such poetry existed anywhere in English literature before Shakespeare.” His fairies form a community, ruled over by the princely Oberon and the fair 7 itania. There is a court and chivalry much like the royal court life of Shake- speare’s age. Oberon, king of fairyland, and Titania, his queen, are represented as keeping rival courts because of a quar- rel. Oberon, like all earthly monarchs, has his court jester, the merry Puck, a mischief-loving sprite whose characteris- tics are roguery and sportiveness. In the description of Puck, a fairy says: “Either I mistake your shape and mak- ing quite, Or else you are that shrewd and knav- ish sprite, Call’d Robin Goodfellow: are you not he That frightens the maidens of the vil- lagery; Skim milk; and sometimes labour in the quern, And bootless make the breathless house- wife churn; And sometime make the drink to bear no barm; Mislead night-wanderers, laughing at their harm? Those that Hobgoblin call you, and sweet Puck, You do their work, and they shall have good luck: Are not you he?” Fairies were all amazingly swift in their journeys. As Oberon is about to send Puck on a secret expedition, he an- swers : “I’ll put a girdle about the earth In forty minutes.” During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries popular belief in witchcraft prevailed. So it is not surprising that Shakespeare should introduce into his writings a wierd atmosphere by the use of witches and spirits. He must have

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THE BLUE AND STEEL 7 moon, planets, meteors, stars, comets, and thunder. Frequently Shakespeare’s char- acters swear by the moon. People were often spoken of as being born under a lucky star or an unlucky star. How- ever, in “Julius Caesar,’’ Cassius says: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are under- lings.” Shakespeare was well acquainted with natural history: in his writings we find many characteristics and habits of birds of all kinds referred to. The power of the cock-crow to dispel evil is well- known. The crow has always been reckoned as a bird of bad omen. We often hear folks say they “have a crow to pick with someone.” This occurs in “Comedy of Errors”: “Well pluck a crow together.” The dove is a symbol of peace. Shakespeare often uses the word gull as synonymous with fool. The lark was used as the subject of many of his most beautiful descriptions; its sweet song was always its mark of distinction. An idea brought out in “Merchant of Venice” is that the nightingale never sings by dav, in which Portia says: “I think, The nightingale, if she should sing by day, When every goose is cackling, would be thought No better a musician than the wren.” Many people still believe that the hooting of an owl is portentous of death. Its weird shriek reaches the ear of Lady Macbeth while the murder is being committed: “Hark—Peace! It was the owl that shriek’d, the fatal bellman, Which gives the stern’st good night.” And in “A Midsummer-Night’s Dream” we read how “The screech-owl, screeching loud, Puts the wretch that lies in woe In remembrance of a shroud.” The raven with its hoarse croak is regarded as a harbinger of evil. The proverbial constancy of the pigeon is alluded to in “As You Like It” (1113). Besides the birds that I have mentioned there are many others which frequently occur in Shakespeare’s verses. From even a slight perusal of his plays, it is easy to see how well ac- quainted Shakespeare was with the char- acteristics and habits of plants and animals, much of which knowledge he must have acquired by observation. Like- wise he was familiar with insects and reptiles. Shakespeare had not only a good knowledge of technical medicine of his day, but also knew many interesting par- ticulars about the folk-medicine in by- gone times. A common remedy to stop bleeding was the one alluded to in “King Lear” where one of the servants says: “I’ll fetch some Hax, and whites of eggs, To apply to his bleeding face.” Folk often jokingly attributed ulcers in the mouth to the telling of lies. In “Winter’s Tale,” Pauline says: “If I prove honey-mouth’d, let my tongue blister, And never to my red-look’d anger be The trumpet any more.” In Shakespeare’s day vinegar seems to have been termed “eisel”; was supposed to have been highly effective in prevent- ing the communication of contagious dis- eases. Thus it has been used by Shakes- peare in Sonnet CXI: . “Like a willing patient, I will drink Portions of eisel, ’gainst my strong in- fection.” In the olden days anniversaries and customs connected with the calender were celebrated with a great deal of merry-making. Most of these festivals, however, have been out of use so long that many of them would probably not be remembered were it not for Shake- speare. The title of “Twelfth Night” originated in the festivities associated with the festival of Twelfth Day, which was a season of merriment. Midsummer Eve was a time when the imagination was unlimited; it was thought to be a season productive of madness. Hence, “A Midsummer-Night’s Dream” is an appropriate title for the imaginative