Tolstoy on Shakespeare: A Critical Essay on Shakespeare

The essay offers a sustained, personal repudiation of a canonical dramatist, explaining why widespread admiration did not convince the author. It argues that many plays rely on theatrical devices, inconsistent motivations, and gratuitous declamation that produce confusion and blunt emotional impact. Close readings of several tragedies illustrate recurring tonal shifts, implausible speeches, and moments of artificiality that undermine moral seriousness and psychological fidelity. The critique links aesthetic faults to ethical consequences and urges clearer moral and human truth in art. Two appended pieces—an analysis of the dramatist's relation to the working classes and a letter from a contemporary playwright—supply complementary perspectives.