Chapter 11 Summary and Analysis

"Bewitching the King" This chapter begins with a brief continuation of the author's analysis of Hamlet, in which the author suggests that Shakespeare's most significant innovation with this play was not the soliloquy, but the removal of motivation - the explanation of why characters do what they do. By removing motivation in Hamlet, and later in King Lear and Othello, Shakespeare took plays out of the realm of staged storytelling and further into the realm of psychological and spiritual study. The author further suggests that Shakespeare thereby created characters that were, in fact, more accurate representations of the individual psyche.

At this point the author recounts how, as the result of Hamlet, Shakespeare's position as the pre-eminent playwright of his day was assured. His plays were constantly produced and he was making enough money to buy a large, well furnished home...