Interpretations of Shakespeare’s plays are polarized along two approaches. At one end of the spectrum are intensely cerebral theorizing academics (e.g., Jonathan Bate, James Shapiro, Stephen Greenblatt). The other end is occupied by the proponents of religious-mystical-cultish views (e.g., Piero Boitani, Beryl Pogson, Martin Lings). Harold Bloom does not belong to either of these two groups; he is somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. In his book “Hamlet: Poem Unlimited,” he makes frequent references to various scriptures and other mystical sources. His understanding of Shakespeare, however, cannot be confined to any known mystical or religious system. Therefore, he is often accused by reviewers of some sort of secular agnosticism.
Yet, Bloom’s perceptivity has allowed him to arrive at an understanding of Shakespeare that is much more valuable than other scholars’ intellectual gymnastics. The main theme of Bloom’s analysis is human consciousness. He recognizes that there are several levels of heightened states of consciousness, to which he refers as “new men.” These various levels, or dimensions, were developed gradually in the past and could be traced to the various historical periods (“In the Hebrew Bible, David is a new kind of man, as is his descendant, Jesus, in the Greek New Testament. Hamlet marks a third newness, secularized.”) Consequently, he implies that Shakespeare’s writings are equivalent to “the invention of the human.”
Bloom observes that the multidimensionality of “Hamlet” remains hidden from other scholars and troubles “even the most rigorous and subtle minds, like Hume’s and Wittgenstein’s.” It is through this multidimensionality that the audience watching “Hamlet” experiences several levels of the play at the same time. In other words, the audience is exposed to several views simultaneously, particular (sequential) and panoramic (holistic). The panoramic view includes not only the five acts of “Hamlet;” it encompasses all Shakespeare’s plays. Such an exposure stimulates the brain to operate simultaneously in both, the sequential and the holistic modes. The net effect of such an experience is the awakening of innate capacities of the human mind. When the innate capacities are activated, the conventional notion of time and locality breaks down. It is then that seemingly odd and improbable events, which are separated by large distances and taking place at different times, start to form a single and coherent narrative. (This is the reason that in Shakespeare’s plays are plenty of anachronisms and seemingly improbable events.) In this way, the plays prepare the human mind for an encounter with higher states of consciousness. (Just like science fiction has prepared the human mind for an encounter with astrophysics and modern cosmology.) One, however, has to be familiar with the science of heightened states of consciousness to fully comprehend Shakespeare’s symbolic presentation. Nowadays, this science is being referred to as quantum consciousness.
Bloom, however, is lacking technical knowledge and proper terminology to describe correctly his intuitive understanding of the play. This is why he is at pain trying to express precisely and coherently his experiences with Shakespeare. His vocabulary, just like the terminology of most Shakespearean scholars, is limited to the archaic terms of the classics, medieval mysticism and religiosity. This sort of terminology is not sufficient to describe precisely enough the symbolism of the process that is illustrated in Shakespeare’s plays. (Shakespeare makes plenty of references to the classics and the scriptures; however, he uses these references to underline their flaws and limitations and to point out their inadequacy to the process which he is describing.)
Despite being unfamiliar with that specific science, Bloom has been able to identify quite a few important features of the play’s multidimensionality. He is correct when he observes that “but more than any other writer, he (Shakespeare) sets in motion energies that in themselves give the impression of being transcendental.” He is also on point when he writes that “We need the shipman’s card, on which all thirty-two compass points clearly are marked.” At the same time, he is wrong when concluding this statement with “but no such chart is available to us.” Such a chart is laid out within the plays. But the key to it cannot be found in the Greek and Latin classics, or in religions, or in Wilde, Chekhov, Joyce, Dostoyevsky, Ibsen, Proust, Pirandello, Nietzsche, Beckett, or other commentators of Shakespeare. And that is the challenge for all Shakespearean scholars. As long as their erudite minds are walled up by fragmented concepts of the past, they have no chance to get in touch with the true value of Shakespeare’s writings.
The value of Shakespeare’s writings is not so much related to “the invention of the human.” When approached correctly, Shakespeare’s plays constitute a recipe for “the restoration of the human.” This recipe is like a hidden deposit of knowledge which is our only true terrestrial heritage and endowment. At this very moment in our history, it becomes more and more obvious that the absence of real humanity in our everyday life is the main cause of our past and current problems.
So far, Bloom is the only one among Shakespearean scholars who has sensed the presence of that hidden deposit in the Bard’s plays.
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