SCHILLER'S TRANSLATION OF MACBETH.
[_]
In Schiller's translation of Macbeth, in the 3rd Scene of the 1st Act,
lines, of which the following are a free version, are substituted for the
original Conference of the Weird Women, previous to the entrance of
Macbeth and Banquo. It was manifestly the purpose of Schiller to discard
the witch element altogether out of his “Weird Sisters,” and to
raise them to a level with the Eumenides and Parcæ. As a modern poet,
writing for time present, and probably for the time to come, he might
be right in omitting the killing swine, the sailor's thumb, the chestnut
munching; but his idea is not in the spirit of ancient or modern
demonology. If Schiller showed a more refined taste, Shakspeare exhibits
a wider knowledge and a deeper philosophy.
