There is great irony in Hamlet’s reaction to the actor’s emotional rendition of the Trojan war speech. Let us examine why. The Trojan war speech is Shakespeare’s commentary on the horror of revenge. The last part of the player’s speech focuses on the terrible toll vengeance exacts on the innocent. 1st Player. But who—ah, woe!—had seen…
Shakespeare conveys the central meaning of his plays through the three techniques of cohesive unity (of the entire play), thematic resonance, and focused allegorical scenes. Cohesive unity refers to the fact that every part of the play (with no exception whatsoever) contributes to its central meaning. This includes all the scenes that do not move…
The Meaning of Twelfth Night & Macbeth Shakespeare’s plays are poetical masterpieces that not only mesmerize us with their lyrical beauty but also convey sage messages critically important to humanity. This means that Shakespeare is a greater literary genius than previously thought, and his plays more profound than previously imagined. The Mystical Art of Shakespeare…
The entire final scene from Act I of Romeo & Juliet plays out like a carefully crafted dramatic symphony, its deep meaning heavily imbued with passion. This is true mystical theatre, fulfilling the ultimate purpose behind the esoteric art of the mystery play—a play enacted as a form of initiation, where the spiritual message is transmitted to…
Shakespeare begins Romeo and Juliet with a Prologue summarizing the entire play: Chorus. Two households both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene From ancient grudge, break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;…
The reason for the long swearing ritual in Hamlet, occurring after the ghost had already given an adequate account of his murder, has previously puzzled critics. It is certainly not needed to move forward the play’s action. However, if we understand the effect of the ghost’s injunction on Hamlet, the reason for this scene is…
The reason for Hamlet’s delay in his revenge has haunted critics for four centuries. Different authors have presented differing reasons for the delay, which, in itself, raises another question concerning this puzzling aspect of the play: Why does Shakespeare give so much prominence to the delay without clearly presenting the reason for it? The answer…
Important evidence that Shakespeare does intend to convey sage messages in his plays can be found in Act I Scene 2 of Much Ado About Nothing. This short scene focuses on an error by Antonio’s man overhearing the conversation between the Prince and Claudio—he mistakenly concludes that the Prince himself seeks the hand of Hero. This…
All of Shakespeare’s plays have cohesive unity. What this means is that every part of every scene in a Shakespearean play contributes to its central meaning. There are no extraneous scenes. All the scenes either present the main action, or are part of the thematic resonance on the main theme, or are focused allegorical scenes…
Discussions on the mystical art of Shakespeare, and how he uses the three techniques of cohesive unity, thematic resonance and focused allegorical scenes to convey his meaning, can be found at this Facebook site: The Mystical Art of Shakespeare.