E X T E N S I O N MACBETH ON STAGE There are no performances known with certainty in Shakespeare s era. Only one document witnesses1 a first representation of the tragedy in April 1611, at the Globe Theatre. The play s brevity and certain aspects of its staging2, such as nighttime scenes and unusual sounds behind the scenes, may suggest that the text was modified for production in closed theaters, perhaps at the Blackfriars Theatre, acquired by the company of the King s Men in 1608. In the Restoration3 period, Sir William Davenant produced a spectacular adaptation of Macbeth, with songs and dances and special effects like flying witches. This version was performed until the middle of the eighteenth century and inspired many other directors afterwards. David Garrick returned to Shakespeare s original in a 1744 production. He restored4 much of Shakespeare s language, and most of the characters to their original roles. After Garrick, the most celebrated Macbeth of the eighteenth century was John Philip Kemble who performed the role of protagonist with his sister, Sarah Siddons, a very successful Lady Macbeth. Kemble continued the tendency to perform the tragedy with realistic costumes and the original language. His successor was Edmund Kean, criticized for his emotional excess. He represented Macbeth as a noble politician, not as a cruel one who falls under the weight5 of guilt and fear. W. Davenant D. Garrick William Charles Macready debuted in the role in 1820 at Covent Garden. He read the role of Macbeth in a purely psychological way making Macbeth s downfall6 the consequence of the conflicts in his personality; in this way the witches J. P. Kemble 1. witnesses: confirms. 2. staging: performance. 3. Restoration: period between 1660 and 1707. 4. restored: used again. 5. weight: oppression. 6. downfall: ruin. 31