We read as far as "Booted the twain and staved." (Penguin 250.16), (Gabler 9.414)
Shakespeare is still very much present on these pages. Stephen comes up with more ideas to cement his theory that the ghost, the father of Hamlet, is really Shakespeare. His argument does not hold water with all those present in the room. By the time we finish reading these pages, we realize that Stephen too - not only Bloom - is an outsider in Dublin's (literary) society.
Mr. Best, the assistant librarian, has just brought Ann Hathaway into the discussion. He says, "... we seem to be forgetting her...". Thus the pages that follow are about forgetting and remembering. (Fritz Senn's words). In talking about her, Stephen quotes from Shakespeare's poem, Venus and Adonis.
Mentioning (and quoting) the plays, Taming of the Shrew, Antony and Cleopatra, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, Macbeth and of course Hamlet, Stephen disputes the statement that Shakespeare chose badly in choosing Ann as his spouse. He further plays on her name, when he says: "He was chosen, it seems to me. If others have their will Ann hath a way." Stephen's serious monologue is lightened by Mr Best when he quotes brightly two lines (Between the acres of the rye...) from As You Like It. These lines trigger (for whatever reason) in Stephen's mind, the story of Paris and Aphrodite. He refers to Paris as the wellpleased pleaser.
As the tall figure of bearded George Russell wearing homespun clothes gets up to leave to go to the office of the weekly newspaper, Irish Homestead, John Eglinton mentions that night's meeting at the Irish novelist, George Moore's place. That would be a meeting of many literary figures of Ireland. John Eglinton, Piper (W. J. Stanton Pyper), Colum (Padraic Colum), Starkey ( J. S. Starkey), Buck Mulligan and even Haines are going to be there. But not Stephen. And perhaps not Russell as he has a meeting at that time. Hearing this, Stephen thinks of Dawson chambers where the meeting is to take place as the Yogibogeybox. (Russell was a member of the theosophical society.) The thoughts of theosophy that then crowd Stephen's mind come across as being a bit of mumbo jumbo with its reference to Madame Blavatsky's work, ISIS Unveiled, to Buddha, to hesouls, shesouls and shoals of souls.
The discussion about Stephen's ideas on Shakespeare continue after Russell leaves. The quaker librarian is nice enough to say that Stephen's views are most illuminating. But Eglinton can not be won over so easily (... if you want to shake my belief that Shakespeare is Hamlet you have a stern task before you). Stephen continues to argue.
These pages with their litany of names of Irish literary figures (not widely known today), comments about Theosophy, Stephen's quoting (without naming the sources) Shakespeare's works and Aristotel's ideas make reading them quite a challenge!
Shakespeare is still very much present on these pages. Stephen comes up with more ideas to cement his theory that the ghost, the father of Hamlet, is really Shakespeare. His argument does not hold water with all those present in the room. By the time we finish reading these pages, we realize that Stephen too - not only Bloom - is an outsider in Dublin's (literary) society.
Mr. Best, the assistant librarian, has just brought Ann Hathaway into the discussion. He says, "... we seem to be forgetting her...". Thus the pages that follow are about forgetting and remembering. (Fritz Senn's words). In talking about her, Stephen quotes from Shakespeare's poem, Venus and Adonis.
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| ("Venus and Adonis quarto" by Richard Field - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Venus_and_Adonis_quarto.jpg.) |
As the tall figure of bearded George Russell wearing homespun clothes gets up to leave to go to the office of the weekly newspaper, Irish Homestead, John Eglinton mentions that night's meeting at the Irish novelist, George Moore's place. That would be a meeting of many literary figures of Ireland. John Eglinton, Piper (W. J. Stanton Pyper), Colum (Padraic Colum), Starkey ( J. S. Starkey), Buck Mulligan and even Haines are going to be there. But not Stephen. And perhaps not Russell as he has a meeting at that time. Hearing this, Stephen thinks of Dawson chambers where the meeting is to take place as the Yogibogeybox. (Russell was a member of the theosophical society.) The thoughts of theosophy that then crowd Stephen's mind come across as being a bit of mumbo jumbo with its reference to Madame Blavatsky's work, ISIS Unveiled, to Buddha, to hesouls, shesouls and shoals of souls.
The discussion about Stephen's ideas on Shakespeare continue after Russell leaves. The quaker librarian is nice enough to say that Stephen's views are most illuminating. But Eglinton can not be won over so easily (... if you want to shake my belief that Shakespeare is Hamlet you have a stern task before you). Stephen continues to argue.
These pages with their litany of names of Irish literary figures (not widely known today), comments about Theosophy, Stephen's quoting (without naming the sources) Shakespeare's works and Aristotel's ideas make reading them quite a challenge!
