Shakespeare did not invent human or did not know human he is believed to have invented.

By Prof Dr. Sohail Ansari

Conceived and worded by Prof DR Sohail Ansari (originality of concepts and originality of words).

He believes that there can never be a zero scope for improvement and appreciates criticism if it is not for the sake of criticism.

{More than one hundred and fifty years before Harold Bloom declared that Shakespeare invented the human. This Shakespeare fundamentalism or bardolatry is castigated by critics such as Maurice Charney and Graham Holderness. Writings of four of Shakespeare’s most noted opponents: Leo Tolstoy, Voltaire, George Bernard Shaw, and Ludwig Wittgenstein contributed significantly against canonization of Shakespeare and to questioning hegemonic position through invoking alternative perspectives. Critiques of these critics (worked and lived at different times over the course of two hundred years) shed light on questions relating to aesthetic taste, literary merit and the process of cultural survival. These questions were not raised or even not thought because Shakespeare was not understood as working dramatist and poet but as The Bard, before whom everyone else is chaff. No writing or book I encountered that had considered the central elements of these critiques simultaneously in search of unifying characteristics until I read a wonderful piece of writing by Erin Sullivan that really helped to contextualize historically continuing debates about Shakespeare’s value today.

For examining the anti-Shakespeare tracts together in order to understand the facets of Shakespeare’s play and legacy that pose particular problems for some of his readers and, in this case, some of his most illustrious ones; one must read ‘Anti-Bardolatory through the ages by Erin Sullivan.}

(Above excerpt is adapted from Anti-Bardolatory)

Shakespeare did not invent human

As a media scholar I analyze the claim of inventing human in my own way. 

There can be two possible interpretations. Harold Bloom most likely means that poetry of Shakespeare had transformative influence on humans.

Influence of Shakespeare’s poetry may be confused with other influences. Influence of Shakespeare’s poetry must be isolated from other cultural and social influences of the age of Shakespeare to judge its breadth and depth to be called transformative influence.  Shakespeare might not have invented human; human was invented in the age Shakespeare lived and wrote things. (Humans were shaped, largely, because of the influences other than that of Shakespeare’s poetry).

 Shakespeare did not know human he is believed to have invented.

Statement of Bloom can as well be taken to mean that Shakespeare discerned those inherent qualities those were hitherto unknown or unrecognized. Thus Shakespeare introduced new human to human beings.

Poetry of Shakespeare may not have that diversity of viewing (exploring unexplored aspects of character) this is all seeing more into it.

Adoring critics or readers sees more into verses or couplets. Verses are interpreted in more ways than creator intended.  Language that is alive (constantly progressing), not only new words (coinages) are being added in its repertoire but also the potential meanings of words develop with the passage of time or new meanings are added to old words. One may interpret verse/couplet with meanings those were non-existent at the time verse was created; thus deepening the meaning of poetry.

Adoring critics or readers see different dimensions of reality (different from the one poet approaches it) and interpret verses accordingly, thus broadening the breadth of poet’s vision. Critics derive those many different meanings and angles from poetry those were not assumed by creator and assume their intended influence on individuals. Shakespeare may not recognize individual claimed to be molded by his poetry as he never thought to have his poetry those meanings and angles as driven by critics. 

Adoring critics or readers can see verses or couplets differently. Poet may not mean but reader takes the sublime meaning of a word that is of course ones of possible meaning; thus poetry seems sublime and people safely assume that it must have had refining influence on transforming individuals.