Memoirs of the Life of Charles Macklin, Esq.: Volume 1
Principally Compiled from his Own Papers and Memorandums

A 1799 two-volume account of the long life of Charles Macklin (c.1699–1797), a colourful yet controversial actor and playwright.

James Thomas Kirkman (Author)

9781108064668, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 19 September 2013

500 pages, 1 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 2.8 cm, 0.63 kg

Drawing on his own papers and first published in 1799, this two-volume account traces the colourful life of the actor and playwright Charles Macklin (c.1699–1797). His long career serves as the focal point in a history of the eighteenth-century theatre and its most celebrated performers. Hailed for his enduring interpretation of Shakespeare's Shylock, a role he played for some fifty years, Macklin has been credited with the theatre's move towards realism. His life was just as dramatic offstage, marked as it was by a series of controversies and fierce rivalries. In 1735 he was convicted of the manslaughter of a fellow actor in a quarrel over a wig, and in 1775 he successfully pressed charges of conspiracy against theatregoers who had rioted during his performances. Volume 1 covers Macklin's childhood and early career, including his trial for the killing of Thomas Hallam.

Dedication
1. Mr Macklin's family
2. Education
3. The stage
4. The Borough
5. Mr Macklin's mother
6. Macklin in London
7. The theatre at Bristol
8. Applies himself to study
9. History of the theatres continued
10. History of the theatres continued
11. History of the theatres continued
12. The Provok'd Wife
13. Macklin's real age
14. A stroller
15. His first appearance
16. The Miser
17. The Haymarket theatre
18. Quin mortified
19. Macklin engages in a new plan
20. Othello at Covent Garden
21. Thinks about leaving the stage
22. How he employs his time
23. Mrs Macklin dies
24. The Married Libertine
25. Back to Ireland
26. Miss Catley becomes a pupil.

Subject Areas: Theatre studies [AN]