Shakespeare and the Human Mystery

Book excerpt: This vibrant and moving book investigates the mystery of our human nature, illuminating how Shakespeare's characters may be seen as expressions of what is deepest in us. Philip Newell introduces us to 'archetypes of the soul, ' such as the king and queen (seen for example in King Lear and Lady Macbeth); the lover and the friend (Juliet and Sir John Falstaff); the judge and the warrior (Shylock and King Henry IV); the seer and the mage (Hamlet and Pericles); and the fool and the contemplative (Bottom and King Richard II). The author's hope is that as we glimpse the depths of human nature through Shakespeare's eyes--take part in the journaling exercises included--we will become aware of a healing flow between our unconscious depths and conscious mind, enabling us to reconnect to what is truest in us and in all people. +