Tolstoy on Shakespeare: A Critical Essay on Shakespeare

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

27726

Title

Tolstoy on Shakespeare: A Critical Essay on Shakespeare

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Leo Tolstoy challenges the universal adulation of Shakespeare, arguing that his works lack sincerity and promote immoral views. This essay offers a frank critique of the Bard's perceived genius, contrasting established critical praise with Tolstoy's personal experience of repulsion and bewilderment.

Summary up to 500 words

In his critical essay, Leo Tolstoy directly challenges the European consensus that elevates William Shakespeare to the status of a supreme genius. Drawing upon fifty years of personal struggle to reconcile his own feelings of repulsion and tedium with the world's adulation, Tolstoy argues that Shakespeare's fame is not the result of genuine artistic merit but rather an epidemic 'suggestion' akin to religious faith or historical crazes. He contends that Shakespeare fails the three essential criteria of true art: his subject matter is vulgar and despises the working classes; his technical execution lacks naturalness and measure; and, most critically, he lacks sincerity, often playing with words rather than expressing genuine feeling. Tolstoy illustrates these points by analyzing *King Lear*, noting that the dialogue is pompous and characterless, and that the plot relies on unnatural scenes where a king banishes his virtuous daughter while believing vicious lies. Furthermore, Tolstoy asserts that Shakespeare's worldview justifies any means to an end, ignoring moral laws and promoting a philosophy where the end justifies the means. He contrasts this with the works of authors who accept morality and religion without question. Tolstoy concludes that Shakespeare's reputation is a delusion that distorts aesthetic and ethical understanding, urging readers to recognize the work as a great evil rather than a masterpiece. The volume includes appendices featuring Ernest Crosby's analysis of Shakespeare's attitude toward the working classes and a letter from G. Bernard Shaw, who contextualizes Tolstoy's 'heresy' against the backdrop of English literary worship, noting that while Shakespeare's literary power and humor are unquestionable, his moral and intellectual standing is severely flawed.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

Download URL

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27726.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg27726.epub

Download EPUB

Downloaded at

2026-07-06 13:00 UTC

Categories

• Classics
• Politics