Literature Favourite Shakespeare

I agree. Shakespeare was a magician of the English language. He wove spells that will continue to enchant "as long as men can breathe or eyes can see".

Historical accuracy, plotting, originality, plausibility, morality, psychology, politics, even character development are all less important than the sheer poetic magic of the language. He was a unique literary genius who cannot be over-praised.
 
I agree. Shakespeare was a magician of the English language. He wove spells that will continue to enchant "as long as men can breathe or eyes can see".

Historical accuracy, plotting, originality, plausibility, morality, psychology, politics, even character development are all less important than the sheer poetic magic of the language. He was a unique literary genius who cannot be over-praised.

Completely agree about his genius with language and that he's not the writer to go to for historical accuracy or abstract philosophical ideas. If you want to know the human heart, however, he's the one. I do disagree about his tragedies. The older I get, the more they speak to me, especially Lear, but also Macbeth as a reflection of politics and power.
 
I do disagree about his tragedies. The older I get, the more they speak to me, especially Lear, but also Macbeth as a reflection of politics and power.

I was being mischievous when I posted "Shakespeare's genius lay for comedy and humour. In tragedy he appears quite out of his element" without attribution in the About Shakespeare thread. It's a quote from critic Thomas Rymer (1643-1713) and I wanted to see if anyone would recognize it.

It illustrates how views of Shakespeare have changed over time. To some in the 17th century Shakespeare's tragedies were unsatisfactory because his heroes were not heroic enough. Instead they were complex and flawed. Hamlet, for example, was moody and self-doubting.

To quote another past literary critic, William Hazlitt (1778-1830): "If we wish to know the force of human genius we should read Shakespeare. If we wish to see the insignificance of human learning we may study his commentators."
 

This thread has been viewed 40264 times.

Back
Top