A Shakespearean Tribute to Ben Jonson in Garrick’s Operatic Version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream

A Shakespearean Tribute to Ben Jonson in Garrick’s Operatic Version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream John P. Cutts Among the songs chosen by the composer of THE / FAIR­ IES. / AN / OPERA. / TAKEN FROM / A Midsummer Night’s Dream, / Written by SHAKESPEAR. / As it is Per­ form’d at the / Theatre-Royal in Drury Lane. [Altered by David Garrick Esqr.] The SONGS from SHAKESPEAR, MILTON, WALLER, DRYDEN, LANSDOWN, HAMMOND, &c. / The MUSIC composed by Mr. SMITH / / LONDON; / Printed for J. and R. TONSON and S. DRAPER / in the Strand. MDCCLV1 is one that obviously escapes title-page authorship recognition and yet is far more important than most of those already allowed for on the title-page except Shakespeare’s and Milton’s The AIR “But you must not long delay” (Sig. B8) AIR. But you must not long delay. Nor be weary yet, There’s no time to cast away, Or for Fairies to forget The virtue of their feet: Knotty legs and plants of clay. Seek for eare, and love delay; But with you it still should fare, As with the air, of which you are. is an adaptation of the first song following the dance of Oberon and his knights in Jonson’s Masque Oberon, The Faery Prince. There OBERON, and the knights dance out the first masque-dance: which was follow’d with this song. 233 234 Comparative Drama SONG. N ay, nay. You must not stay, Nor be weary, yet; This’s no time to cast away; Or, for Faies so to forget The vertue of their feet. Knottie legs, and plants of clay Seeke for ease, or loue delay. But with you it still should fare As, with the ayre of which you are.2 Jonson’s song has been transferred with very few alterations, and some of those conspicuously in the first line (which may have delayed identification of the song so long). The Advertisement to the reader stated: MANY Passages of the first Merit, and some whole Scenes in the Midsummer Night’s Dream, are necessarily omitted in this Opera, to reduce the Performance to a proper length; it was feared that even the best Poetry would appear tedious when only supported by Recitative. Where Shakespear has not supplied the Composer with Songs, he has taken them from Milton, Waller, Dryden, Lansdov /n, Hammond, &c. and it is hoped they will not seem to be unnaturally introduced. (Sig. A3v) Garrick obviously went to some trouble to accommodate the Jonson lyric in his adaptation of the main plot only in his operatic version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The tribute to Jonson conforms with eighteenth-century taste and its affini­ ties with Jonsonian style and sensibility. The lyric occurs in the first major break with the systematic rendition of Shakespeare’s development of the play. Up to the point of its insertion the main plot has been allowed to develop as Shakespeare presented it with a wide variety of songs, as the following commentary will indicate, interspersed. The Jonson lyric is immediately fol­ lowed by a variation of Oberon’s words transposed to this mid­ point from the very end of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, from Theseus’house to the woodland sphere of operation, viz: The Fairies (Il.vii) By the Stars glimmering light, Aided by the glow-worm’s fire, Every elf and fairy spright. Hop as light as bird from briar. John P. Cutís 235 Now, now, begin to set Your spirits in an active heat; Instruct your nimble feet, The velvet ground to beat: To-morrow be it seen Where we to-night have been. Sing and dance around this place, Hand in hand, with fairy grace. [Dance. AIR. Now until the break of day. Through this wood each Fairy stray, And your night-sports celebrate: Every Fairy take his gait, Trip away, make no stay Meet me all by break of day. [Exeunt. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (V.v) OB. Through the house give glimmering light, By the dead and drowsy fire; Every elf and fairy sprite Hop as light as bird from brier; And this ditty, after me, Sing and dance it trippingly. TITA. First rehearse your...