The Poetic Beauty of Shakespearean Plays
Abstract
The first emphatic effect of civilization appears in the form of differentiation of the human sensibility - the gradual separation of intellect, emotion and imagination which means a shrinkage of the poetic empire with the rise and growth of prose which becomes the medium for the expression of the critical, scientific and philosophical thoughts and speculations. The history of poetry is a record of its remarkable adaptability to the changing environments and intellectual climate, which has ensured its survival, though it could not prevent the progressive contraction of its area of operation and influence. So long as the culture is predominantly rural, the love of poetry remains more or less genuine.
References
Bradley, A.C. Oxford Lectures on Poetry. Macmillan, London,1909
Bradley, A.C. Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth. Macmillan, London, 1960 (1905)
Knights, L.C. Poetry, politics, and the English tradition, London, Chatto & Windus, 1954
Knights, L.C. Some Shakespearean themes. London, Chatto & Windus 1959
