Shakespeare's play of The winter's tale; arranged for representaion at the Princess's theatre

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1856 Excerpt: ...a contrivance, or rooni beneath the Logeum; where bladders full of pebbles were rolled over sheets of copper to produce a noise like the rumbling of thunder. There was a place on the top of the stage buildings, whence the artificial lightning was made to play through clouds, which concealed the operator. When the action was simply on earth, there were certain pieces of frame-work, representing a look-out, a fortress wall, a tower, and a beacon. These were either set up apart from the stationary erections of the proscenium, or connected so as to give them, with the assistance of the canvas scene, the proper aspect. Such were some of the devices for the scenes of heaven and earth; but as the ancient dramatists fetched their personages not unfrequently from Tartarus, other provisions were required for their due appearance. Beneath the lowest range of seats, under the stairs, which led up to them from the orchestra, was fixed a door, which opened into the orchestra from a vault beneath it by a flight of steps. Through this passage entered and disappeared the shades of the departed. Somewhat in front of tins door and steps was another communication by a trap-door with the vault below, by means of which any sudden appearance like that of the furies was effected. In the floor of the Logeum, on the right, or country side, marine or river gods ascended when occasion required. The Greeks in many instances turned the literal reality to account. In the Eumenides, for example, the actual audience is twice addressed under the character of the assembled multitude of the story. So those frequent invocations of heaven were doubtless addressed to the real heaven overhead; and when Electra comes on the stage exclaiming, " O, holy light, and air co-expansive with earth,&q...