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A Restoration Version of Act III of Macbeth One of the most interesting illustrations of the plot excel- lence of Macbeth is the way the plot is followed in the Res- toration Drama. When we consider how radically the plots were changed in Richard the Third and Antony and Cleo- patra so as to make them fit the ideals of the stage managers only fifty years after the Folio was published, we can see clearly that no reverence for the authority of Shakespeare was permitted to interfere in any way with the version they presented to their audiences. In fact, in the Restoration ver- sion of Macbeth no mention is made of Shakespeare as the original author, as the accompanying photographic repro- duction will show. If, then, in spite of this total disregard for the original form of the play, the Restoration version follows the original plot with unusual fidelity, it is an inter- esting commentary on the dramatic sequence of the original. There are, it is true, certain changes in minor sequence, but the most striking changes are to be found in the phraseology and verse structure. The most striking changes in the play are in Act III, which is here reprinted for purposes of com- parison. It is hoped that this reproduction of the Restora- tion version will not be merely a matter for curiosity as to spelling, but may stimulate a more careful study of plot and dramatic effect by the members of the class as a whole. In studying this Restoration Version, keep in mind the following questions : 1. How does this version create tragic guilt in Macduff? 2. Should Macduff have this tragic guilt fastened upon him? 3. What is the proportion of rhymed lines in the two versions? 4. What parts are omitted in the following version? 5. The songs at the end of the act are from Middleton's Witch. Do they make a more effective ending than that of the original?