Class Year
2014
Document Type
Blog Post
Publication Date
2-5-2014
Department 1
Civil War Institute
Abstract
Lastly, we come upon perhaps the best known actor of the Civil War era, John Wilkes Booth. Of course, the reason memory allows us to recall the name is not because of the merits achieved through his profession, but rather because he murdered the elected executive official – United States President Abraham Lincoln. Booth, a product of a theater family, was a dramatic, eccentric, and impatient being. He wanted the leading roles, did not want to prepare the role, but to simply play the role. His brother, Edwin Booth, a talented poetical performer, one might deduce, did prepare for his roles, as he performed the role of Hamlet for one-hundred shows straight in New York City during his career. [excerpt]
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Merlina, Valerie N., "Theater of War: Booth and Beyond" (2014). The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History. 27.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/compiler/27
Comments
This blog post originally appeared in The Gettysburg Compiler and was created by students at Gettysburg College.