KING JOHN
THEATRE. SCENES. ACTS.
As in a theatre, when they gape and point
At your industrious scenes and acts of death.
It will be generally observed that when Shakespeare introduced a simile drawn from theatrical art, other similes of a like nature regularly follow, and are accounted for by the law of association of ideas. An interesting study could be made of enquiry whether this rule applies to other dramatists of the period. Perhaps some patient and industrious student will collect all the passages bearing on this subject and publish the fruit of his labour. A study of the early stage is of so fascinating a pursuit and of so engrossing a nature that such a work ought easily to find a chronicler, not forgetting the fact that the results would be so welcome and interesting to other students. The worker in such a field of enquiry will not find that his time has been spent in vain, especially as no such collection is to be found amongst the multitudinous books written about the drama.
MASQUE. REVEL.
This harness’d masque and unadvised revel.
V, 2, 132.
JULIUS CÆSAR
CLAP. HISS. PLAYERS. THEATRE.