Edwin Booth And Theatre History

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There are many important aspects of theatre history. Important playwrights, actors, theatres, and events that impacted theatre in major ways. In this paper I am going to discuss the life of an important actor who would be better known for his last name and the actions of his brother. By looking into his life I have learned how interesting of an actor he was and what significance he had on theatre history. This actor is Edwin Booth.
Edwin Booth was born on November 13, 1833 in Baltimore, Maryland. His parents were Mary Ann Holmer and Junius Brutus Booth. (Lockridge10) Edwin came from a big family. He was the seventh child of ten children in his family. However, four of his siblings passed away either in infancy or before they became teenagers. The children died from illnesses such as the smallpox’s or the measles. These were common illnesses in the 19th century, especially in children. Edwin Booth had an older brother Junius Jr, and an older sister named Rosalie. In addition, Edwin Booth had a younger sister and two younger brothers. His younger sister was Asia and his two younger brothers were John Wilkes Booth and Joseph (Giblin 1-222). Edwin’s father was a Shakespearean actor, who played the major, sought after roles (Lockridge 39). Growing up Edwin was never encouraged by his parents to become an actor; they felt he would be a good carpenter (Giblin 16). However, Edwin did not follow his parent’s advice. Edwin Booth followed in the footsteps of his father, when it came to picking a career. He had a love for the theatre and the stage. When he became older Edwin Booth married Mary Devlin. (Giblin pg?) She was an actress as well and Booth swore he would never marry an actress. They acted together in Romeo and Ju...

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...d standing ovations. The cheers and applause helped to restore his confidence as an actor and confirmed his decision to return to the stage” (Giblin171). This quote demonstrates how much the people loved to see Edwin Booth onstage. He had a wonderful presence and he brought a lot of joy to people. When the quotes talks about having his confidence restored as an actor it is referring to when Edwin Booth left the theatre for a period of time. Edwin Booth left the stage after the incident with his brother occurred. Edwin did not want the public to take things out on him for what his brother John Wilkes Booth had done. The two things that Edwin Booth is known for is his brother killing the president and his performance in Hamlet. In conclusion, after reading this paper, there should be an understanding of who Edwin Booth was and how he impacted theatre history.

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