“We can say of ShakeÂspeare,” wrote T.S. Eliot—in what may sound like the most backÂhandÂed of comÂpliÂments from one writer to another—“that nevÂer has a man turned so litÂtle knowlÂedge to such great account.” Eliot, it’s true, was not overÂawed by the ShakeÂspeareÂan canon; he proÂnounced HamÂlet “most cerÂtainÂly an artisÂtic failÂure,” though he did love CoriÂolanus. WhatÂevÂer we make of his ambivaÂlent, conÂtrarÂiÂan opinÂions of the most famous author in the EngÂlish lanÂguage, we can credÂit Eliot for keen obserÂvaÂtion: Shakespeare’s uniÂverse, which can seem so sprawlÂingÂly vast, is actuÂalÂly surÂprisÂingÂly spare givÂen the kinds of things it mostÂly conÂtains.
This is due in large part to the visuÂal limÂiÂtaÂtions of the stage, but perÂhaps it also points toward an author who made great works of art from humÂble mateÂriÂals. Look, for examÂple, at a search cloud of the Bard’s plays.
You’ll find one the front page of the VicÂtoÂriÂan IllusÂtratÂed ShakeÂspeare Archive, creÂatÂed by Michael John GoodÂman, an indeÂpenÂdent researcher, writer, eduÂcaÂtor, curaÂtor and image-makÂer. The cloud on the left feaÂtures a galaxy comÂposed mainÂly of eleÂmenÂtal and archeÂtypÂal beings: “AniÂmals,” “CasÂtles and Palaces,” “Crowns,” “FloÂra and FauÂna,” “Swords,” “Spears,” “Trees,” “Water,” “Woods,” “Death.” One thinks of the ZodiÂac or Tarot.
This parÂticÂuÂlar search cloud, howÂevÂer, does not repÂreÂsent the most promiÂnent terms in the text, but rather the most promiÂnent images in four colÂlecÂtions of illusÂtratÂed ShakeÂspeare plays from the VicÂtoÂriÂan periÂod. Goodman’s site hosts over 3000 of these illusÂtraÂtions, takÂen from four major UK ediÂtions of ShakeÂspeare’s ComÂplete Works pubÂlished in the mid-19th cenÂtuÂry. The first, pubÂlished by ediÂtor Charles Knight, appeared in sevÂerÂal volÂumes between 1838 and 1841, illusÂtratÂed with conÂserÂvÂaÂtive engravÂings by varÂiÂous artists. Knight’s ediÂtion introÂduced the trend of spelling Shakespeare’s name as “Shakspere,” as you can see in the title page to the “ComeÂdies, VolÂume I,” at the top of the post. FurÂther down, see two repÂreÂsenÂtaÂtive illusÂtraÂtions from the plays, the first of HamÂlet’s OpheÂlia and secÂond CoriÂolanus’ Roman Forum, above.
Part of a wave of “earÂly VicÂtoÂriÂan popÂulism” in ShakeÂspeare pubÂlishÂing, Knight’s ediÂtion is joined by one from KenÂny MeadÂows, who conÂtributed some very difÂferÂent illusÂtraÂtions to an 1854 ediÂtion. Just above, see a Goya-like illusÂtraÂtion from The TemÂpest. LatÂer came an ediÂtion illusÂtratÂed by H.C. Selous in 1864, which returned to the forÂmal, faithÂful realÂism of the Knight ediÂtion (see a renÂderÂing of HenÂry V, below), and includes phoÂtograuÂvure plates of famed actors of the time in cosÂtume and an appenÂdix of “SpeÂcial Wood Engraved IllusÂtraÂtions by VarÂiÂous Artists.”
The final ediÂtion whose illusÂtraÂtions GoodÂman has digÂiÂtized and catÂaÂlogued on his site feaÂtures engravÂings by artist John Gilbert. Also pubÂlished in 1864, the Gilbert may be the most expresÂsive of the four, retainÂing realÂist proÂporÂtions and mise-en-scène, yet also renÂderÂing the charÂacÂters with a psyÂchoÂlogÂiÂcal realÂism that is at times unsettling—as in his fierce porÂtrait of Lear, below. Gilbert’s illusÂtraÂtion of The TamÂing of the Shrew’s KatheÂriÂna and PetruÂchio, furÂther down, shows his skill for creÂatÂing believÂable indiÂvidÂuÂals, rather than broad archeÂtypes. The same skill for which the playÂwright has so often been givÂen credÂit.
But ShakeÂspeare worked both with rich, indiÂvidÂual charÂacÂter studÂies and broadÂer, archeÂtypÂal, mateÂrÂiÂal: psyÂchoÂlogÂiÂcal realÂism and mythoÂlogÂiÂcal clasÂsiÂcism. What I think these illusÂtratÂed ediÂtions show us is that ShakeÂspeare, whoÂevÂer he (or she) may have been, did indeed have a keen sense of what Eliot called the “objecÂtive corÂrelÂaÂtive,” able to comÂmuÂniÂcate comÂplex emoÂtions through “a skillÂful accuÂmuÂlaÂtion of imagÂined senÂsoÂry impresÂsions” that have impressed us as much on the canÂvas, stage, and screen as they do on the page. The emoÂtionÂal expresÂsiveÂness of Shakespeare’s plays comes to us not only through eloÂquent verse speechÂes, but through images of both the starkÂly eleÂmenÂtal and the uniqueÂly perÂsonÂal.
Spend some time with the illusÂtratÂed ediÂtions on Goodman’s site, and you will develÂop an appreÂciÂaÂtion for how the plays comÂmuÂniÂcate difÂferÂentÂly to the difÂferÂent artists. In addiÂtion to the search clouds, the site has a headÂer at the top for each of the four ediÂtions. Click on the name and you will see front and back matÂter and title pages. In the pull-down menus, you can access each indiÂvidÂual play’s digÂiÂtized illusÂtraÂtions by type—“Histories,” “ComeÂdies,” and “Tragedies.” All of the conÂtent on the site, GoodÂman writes, “is free through a CC license: users can share on social media, remix, research, creÂate and just do whatÂevÂer they want realÂly!”
Update: This post origÂiÂnalÂly appeared on our site in 2016. Since then, GoodÂman has been regÂuÂlarÂly updatÂing the VicÂtoÂriÂan IllusÂtratÂed ShakeÂspeare Archive with more ediÂtions, givÂing it more richÂness and depth. These ediÂtions include “one pubÂlished by John Tallis, which feaÂtures famous actors of the time in charÂacÂter.” This also includes “the first ever comÂpreÂhenÂsive full-colour treatÂment of Shakespeare’s plays with the John MurÂdoch ediÂtion.” The archive, GoodÂman tells us, “now conÂtains ten ediÂtions of Shakespeare’s plays and is fairÂly comÂpreÂhenÂsive in how peoÂple were expeÂriÂencÂing ShakeÂspeare, visuÂalÂly, in book form in the 19th CenÂtuÂry.”
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
Take a VirÂtuÂal Tour of Shakespeare’s Globe TheÂatre in LonÂdon
Read All of Shakespeare’s Plays Free Online, CourÂtesy of the FolÂger ShakeÂspeare Library
Josh Jones is a writer and musiÂcian based in Durham, NC. FolÂlow him at @jdmagness