TOLSTOY ON SHAKESPEARE

The author reflects on his profound disillusionment with Shakespeare's works, initially expecting aesthetic pleasure but instead experiencing repulsion and tedium. As he revisits the plays at seventy-five, his conviction deepens that the veneration surrounding Shakespeare distorts both aesthetic and ethical understanding. He argues that this misplaced admiration constitutes a significant cultural deception, challenging the notion of Shakespeare's genius and its impact on literary and moral perceptions.