THE THEATRE.
"THE DUCHESS OF MALFI " AT CAMBRIDGE.
The Duchess of Malfi is a play that abounds in difficulties, Mr. Archer is not alone in finding insufficient the motives of the Arragonian Brethren for forbidding the Duchess's second marriage and compassing her death ; and it does great credit to the Cambridge University Marlowe Society that, though they could not conceal this discrepancy, they handsomely glossed it over. It can be partially explained by Ferdinand's insanity, and one of the chief successes of the production was the rendering of Ferdinand. Not only did he look the part, but he made it coherent and convincing, even when he raved most and flung himself upon his shadow. Another triumph was the character of Antonio. Try as one will, reading the play, to find a satisfactory conception of him, one is conscious of disappointment. This Antonio had great vitality and a disarming air of being ready for, but unequal to, his fate. He looked a gentleman always, not merely at audit-time, to quote Ferdinand's tasteless gibe. The Duchess herself was excellent. She suffered nobly, and her voice lent itself readily to the dia- lect of despair. Perhaps she was a little too indifferent to Bosola's indecorous affrightments. We are sorry to have to criticize Bosola, on whom, in the matter of-interpretation, falls the heaviest-burden of the play. He acted extremely well, but he was content not to dominate the play as he might have done.. The malcontent and moralist in him were admirably brought out, but he was too fretful, not deadly and purposeful enough. The scene in which he brings the Duchess "by degrees to mortification" was taken too quickly ; it escaped being ludicrous at the cost of some impressiveness. All the minor characters, especially Cariola and the Old Lady (who looked strangely young) were well done, and the music and costumes were not the least delightful part of a very satisfying
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