But in "Macbeth" the scene must be well lighted, for the nobles, courtiers, and guests are at high banquet; and the ghost must appear towards the front of the stage, otherwise Macbeth will be compelled to turn his back upon the public, and his simulated horror will be absolutely thrown away; if the actor's face cannot be seen, his acting, of necessity, goes for little or nothing.

Even in our own days of triumphant stage illusion, it must be owned that the presentment of Banquo's ghost still remains incomplete and unsatisfactory; but where such adroit managers as Mr.Macready, Mr.
Charles Kean, and Mr.Phelps (to name no more) have failed, it seems vain to hope for success.

Pictorially, Banquo's ghost has fared better, as all who are acquainted with Mr.Maclise's "Macbeth" will readily acknowledge.
A curious fact in connection with the Banquo of Betterton's time may here be noted.

Banquo was represented by an actor named Smith; the ghost, however, was personated by another actor--Sandford.

Why this division of the part between two performers?
Smith was possessed of a handsome face and form, whereas Sandford was of "a low and crooked figure." He was the stage villain of his time, and was famed for his uncomely and malignant aspect; "the Spagnolet of the stage," Cibber calls him; but it is certainly strange that he should therefore have enjoyed a prescriptive right to impersonate ghosts.
The attempted omission of Banquo's ghost, however, made it clear that the old substantial shade emerging from a trap-door in the stage had ceased to satisfy the town.