The list of contemporary literary scholars that I have found worth reading is depressingly short. But Gideon Rappaport has made that list a little longer with the release of his book “Appreciating Shakespeare,” a work that is clearly the fruit of a lifetime of study and a profound love of Shakespeare and his art.
Mr. Rappaport, who has written freelance articles for The Epoch Times, graduated from Cowell College, University of California-Santa Cruz and received his doctorate in English and American Literature from Brandeis University. Currently, he is a dramaturge who has consulted on numerous professional productions of Shakespeare’s plays and on the web series “Complete Works.” He also taught Shakespeare for 45 years to students from high school to graduate school.
A Refreshing Departure
In the last century, the world of literature scholarship has suffered a lamentable decline in which critics have often forced their own politically- and ideologically-motivated interpretations onto great works of art. Scholars have increasingly approached the classics not with an openness to the wisdom and beauty to be found therein, but rather with an attitude of suspicion, censure, and, above all, armed with various modern lenses of interpretation that are foreign to the minds and purposes of the authors themselves.Mr. Rappaport, on the other hand, begins with a simple and common-sense principle: In order to properly appreciate Shakespeare, we should try to understand Shakespeare’s point of view, not impose our own, and through Shakespeare’s vision, we can learn much about reality.
Mr. Rappaport cautions us against “assuming … post-Shakespearean premises in trying to understand reality as Shakespeare saw it.” He sets us on the right track by explaining that “Shakespeare throughout his career dramatized the perennial authenticity of the older integrated picture of the world” that he had inherited from Greek philosophy, medieval culture, and the Christian religion.
A Two-Part Endeavor
Divided into two parts, the first section offers background information on Shakespeare that sheds light on his oeuvre. These include material on the distinctive components of Shakespeare’s genius, Shakespeare’s life and education, the Elizabethan theater, Shakespeare’s language (and how to understand it), Shakespeare’s methods of characterization, principles for proper interpretation, the medieval and Renaissance philosophical worldview that Shakespeare inherited and used, and even a general section on the nature and purpose of art.
I was impressed by the level of detail contained in these chapters, in which Mr. Rappaport explains concepts with a flowing and friendly ease. Though there were small points I’d quibble with, Mr. Rappaport’s sections on the philosophy of art had many excellent insights into the power and purpose of art and its ability to communicate universal truths through concrete situations.
The second part of the book provides essays on 22 of the plays, followed by some notes on individual poems. Within these essays, Rappaport dispels many a modern myth, bringing the focus back to what the play is really about. No, “The Tempest” is not about colonialism but rather forgiveness, fallen human nature, redemption, providence, and Shakespeare’s own farewell to the stage.
No, Shakespeare didn’t write “Othello” because he was a racist, but rather because he was interested in the “psychomachia,” which means “soul battle,” a story “in which representations of human virtues battle representations of human vices.”
A Great Guide
The book will appeal to a general readership—anyone who wants to enter more deeply into the richness of Shakespeare’s works—though it will also offer valuable material for scholars. It’s penned in a very readable style, and Mr. Rappaport’s veteran teacher powers come to his aid as he describes some complicated concepts with clarity.The book reads like a friend introducing you to a new world and pointing you in the right direction—without trying to steal the spotlight himself. As Mr. Rappaport writes, “Talking about a work of art can help you to appreciate that work, but there is absolutely no substitute for experiencing the work of art itself.”
Like all great teachers, Mr. Rappaport knows that his most important job is to open a door to something beautiful and powerful, clearing the way for the light to come flowing into our minds and hearts.
Mr. Rappaport’s answer to the question, “What’s so great about Shakespeare?” is among the best I’ve ever seen, and sums up the spirit and focus of this book, a book that rises high above the petty politicizing into which so much literary criticism has fallen:
