Sic Semper Tyrannis - Revenge for the South

[JMadonna]

(11-19-2012 09:47 PM)J. Beckert Wrote:  You make me scratch my head a lot, Jerry! You don't think like the other kids here, do you? Very good point and one I've never thought of. I'm not sure I buy it, but it is an interesting alternative.

Well if Booth was following the original kidnapping plot - one important aspect of it was to have someone backstage kill the lights to cover the escape. If he was expecting Spangler to perform the deed it would have caught him by surprise to find himself lit up on stage. Therefore, it's logical (to me) that he did what any actor would do when a screw-up occurs - he ad-libbed.

The line he used seemed appropriate to him for the situation but I don't think he planned for it to be debated over its deeper meaning. It was meant to freeze the audience that the play was still going on.