The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 21.0263  Tuesday, 6 July 2010

From:         Felix de Villiers <
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Date:         June 28, 2010 3:46:52 AM EDT
Subject: 21.0255  Middleton and Macbeth
Comment:      Re: SHK 21.0255  Middleton and Macbeth

Marina Tarlinskaya quoted these words:

Professor Gasparov once said, "Intuition needs to be earned."

I couldn't agree more. I have a pretty good intuitive ear in music. People 
put me to the test in all kinds of ways. They will put on a piece; I'll say 
I don't know it at all, but it could be early Wagner. It is, and I didn't 
know early Wagner I can turn on the radio and hear a hitherto unknown work 
and know that it is by Clara Schumann, because I know her musical language. 
I know that a Cello Concerto that passes under the name of Haydn is not by 
him. I don't have to do any special studies or tests, I simply know his 
idiosyncrasies. This knowledge comes more from love of music than from 
analysis, though I do this as well, but never coldly. When you are 'in 
love', you look at every detail. I can't pretend to have as sensitive an ear 
for poetry. I'm still working on Titus. I'd be fascinated if Marina could 
point out changes, lapses of style or quality in the play. But maybe not on 
this thread. When I went back to reading Shakespeare a few years ago, I 
found that I was carried as by one lyrical current from beginning to end of 
certain plays, mostly earlier plays, Richard II or Titus. I'm not going to 
waste two seconds of my time worrying about who else might have contributed 
to Macbeth, partly because I got sick of the obsessive to and fro-ing 
arguments, in which people are more interested in 'proving' and rebutting, 
and lose sight altogether of the plays themselves. One man only is 
responsible for the greatness of Macbeth.

Enjoy the plays,
Felix


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