Shakespeare's Work | Shakespeare's Psychology
The central issue in a study of Shakespeare's dramatic characters is the relation between character and the total structure of action, whether that structure is seen as shaped from within, by the character's society, or from without, by the poetic logic of the play. The problem first became clear in the New Critics' attack on character criticism, an attack that defined the terms of the ensuing critical debate and that thus provides a good introduction to the topic. The following sections will examine the New Critics' argument before going on to discuss specific recent interpretations of...
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