Shakspere and Montaigne

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Shakspere And Montaigne, by Jacob
Feis
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Title: Shakspere And Montaigne
Author: Jacob Feis
Release Date: May, 2005 [EBook #8139]
[This file was first posted
on June 18, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
0. START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, SHAKSPERE

AND MONTAIGNE ***
E-text prepared by Bill Boerst, Juliet Sutherland, and Tonya Allen
Editorial note: "Shakspere" is the spelling used by the author and
therefore was not changed
SHAKSPERE AND MONTAIGNE
An Endeavour to Explain the Tendency of 'Hamlet'
from Allusions in
Contemporary Works
BY JACOB FEIS
CONTENTS.
I.
INTRODUCTION
II.
THE BEGINNINGS OF THE ENGLISH DRAMA
THE STAGE A MEDIUM FOR POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS
CONTROVERSIES
SHAKSPERE'S POLITICAL CREED
FLORIO'S TRANSLATION OF MONTAIGNE'S ESSAYS
III.
MONTAIGNE
IV.
HAMLET

V.
THE CONTROVERSY BETWEEN BEN JONSON AND
DEKKER
MENTION OF A DISPUTE BETWEEN BEN JONSON AND
SHAKSPERE
IN 'THE RETURN FROM PARNASSUS'
CHARACTERISTIC OF BEN JONSON
BEN JONSON'S HOSTILE ATTITUDE TOWARDS
SHAKSPERE
DRAMATIC SKIRMISH BETWEEN BEN JONSON AND
SHAKSPERE
BEN JONSON'S 'POETASTER'
DEKKER'S 'SATIROMASTIX'
VI.
'VOLPONE,' BY BEN JONSON
'EASTWARD HOE,' BY CHAPMAN, BEN JONSON, AND
MARSTON
'THE MALCONTENT,' BY JOHN MARSTON
I.
INTRODUCTION.
It has always been a daring venture to attempt finding out Shakspere's
individuality, and the range of his philosophical and political ideas,
from his poetical productions. We come nearest to his feelings in his
'Sonnets;' but only a few heavy sighs, as it were, from a time of
languish in his life can be heard therefrom. All the rest of those lyrical
effusions, in spite of the zealous exertions of commentators full of

delicate sentiment and of deep thought, remain an unsolved secret.
In his historical dramas, a political creed has been pointed out, which,
with some degree of certainty, may be held to have been his. From his
other dramas, the most varied evidence has been drawn. A perfect maze
of contradictions has been read out of them; so much so that, on this
ground, we might almost despair of trustworthy results from further
inquiry.
The wildest and most incongruous theories have been founded upon
'Hamlet' --the drama richest in philosophical contents. Over and over
again men have hoped to be able to ascertain, from this tragedy, the
great master's ideas about religion. It is well-nigh impossible to say
how often such attempts have been made, but the reward of the
exertions has always remained unsatisfactory. On the feelings which
this masterwork of dramatic art still excites to-day--nearly three
hundred years after its conception--thousands have based the most
different conclusions; every one being convinced of the correctness of
his own impressions. There is a special literature, composed of such
rendering of personal impressions which that most enigmatical of all
dramas has made upon men of various disposition. Every hypothesis
finds its adherents among a small group, whilst those who feel
differently smile at the infatuation of their antagonists. Nothing that
could give true and final satisfaction has yet been reached in this
direction.
It is our intention to regard 'Hamlet' from a new point of view, which
seems to promise more success than the critical endeavours hitherto
made. We propose to enter upon a close investigation of a series of
circumstances, events, and personal relations of the poet, as well as of
certain indications contained in other dramatic works--all of the period
in which 'Hamlet' was written and brought into publicity. This valuable
material, properly arranged and put in its true connection, will, we
believe, furnish us with such firm and solid stepping-stones as to allow
us, on a perfectly trustworthy path, to approach the real intentions of
this philosophical tragedy. It has long ago been felt that, in it,
Shakspere has laid down his religious views. By the means alluded to

we will now explain that credo.
We believe we can successfully show that the tendency of 'Hamlet' is of
a controversial nature. In closely examining the innovations by which
the augmented second quarto edition [1](1604) distinguishes itself from
the first