Conclusion.

The plan laid down for this work has now been followed to its completion. The object I have had in view throughout has been the recognition of inductive treatment in literary study. For this purpose it was first necessary to distinguish the inductive method from other modes of treatment founded on arbitrary canons of taste and comparisons of merit, so natural in view of the popularity of the subject-matter, and to which the history of Literary Criticism has given an unfortunate impetus. This having been done in the Introduction, the body of the work has been occupied in applying the inductive treatment to some of the masterpieces of Shakespeare. The practical effect of such exposition has been, it may be hoped, to intensify the reader's appreciation of the poet, and also to suggest that the detailed and methodical analysis which in literary study is usually reserved for points of language is no less applicable to a writer's subject-matter and art. But to entitle Dramatic Criticism to a place in the circle of the inductive sciences it has further appeared necessary to lay down a scheme for the study as a whole, that should be scientific both in the relation of its parts to one another, and in the attainment of a completeness proportioned to the area to which the enquiry was limited and the degree of development to which literary method has at present attained. The proper method for the nascent science was fixed as the enumeration and arrangement of topics; and by analogy with the other arts a simple scheme for Dramatic Criticism was found, in which all the results of the analysis performed in the first part of the book could be readily distributed under one or other of the main topics—Character, Passion, and Plot. Incidentally the discussion of Shakespeare has again and again reminded us of just that greatness in the modern Drama which judicial criticism with its inflexibility of standard so persistently missed. Everywhere early criticism recognised our poet's grasp of human nature, yet its almost universal verdict of him was that he was both irregular in his art as a whole, and in particular careless in the construction of his plots. We have seen, on the contrary, that Shakespeare has elevated the whole conception of Plot, from that of a mere unity of action obtained by reduction of the amount of matter presented, to that of a harmony of design binding together concurrent actions from which no degree of complexity was excluded. And, finally, instead of his being a despiser of law, we have had suggested to us how Shakespeare and his brother artists of the Renaissance form a point of departure in legitimate Drama, so important as amply to justify the instinct of history which named that age the Second Birth of literature.

FOOTNOTES:

[5] See note on page 74.

[6] See note on page 74.

TABULAR DIGEST OF THE PRINCIPAL TOPICS IN DRAMATIC SCIENCE.

tabular digest of the principal topics in dramatic science
Dramatic Criticism   Character   Single Character-Interest or Character-Interpretation { Interpretation as an hypothesis
Canons of Interpretation
Complex Character-Interest { Character-Contrast and Duplication
Character-Grouping
Character-Colouring
Character-Development
 
Passion   Single Passion-Interest   Incident and Situation
Effect { Irony
Nemesis
Dramatic Foreshadowing
Complex Passion-Interest or Passion-Tone   Scale of Passion-Tones
Mixture of Tones
Tone-Play and Tone-Relief
Tone-Clash and Tone-Storm
Movement [Motive Force]   Poetic Justice: or Retribution as a form of Art-beauty
Pathos: or [unretributive] Fate as a form of Art-beauty
The Supernatural { Destiny rationalised { Objectively in Irony
Subjectively in Infatuation
Supernatural Agency { Intensifying human action
Illuminating human action { The Oracular
  Supernatural Background
 
Plot   Single Action   General conception of Single Actions
Forms of Dramatic Action
Complex Action   General conception of Complex Action
Analysis of Complex Action into Single Actions, with Canons of Analysis
Economy { Connection { Contact and Linking
Interweaving
Envelopment
Dependence
Symmetry { Balance
Parallelism and Contrast
Movement [Motive Form]   Simple Movement: the Line of Motion a straight line
    Action-Movement or Complication and Resolution: the Line of Motion a curve
    Passion-Movement or Strain and Reaction: the Line of Passion a { Regular Arch
    Inclined Plane
   Wave Line
    Compound (or Relative Movement) { Similar Motion
    Contrary Motion
   Convergent Motion
    Turning-points { Catastrophe: or Focus of Movement
   Centre of Plot
To which may be added { Mechanical Construction [belonging to Art in general]
Story as Raw Material [belonging to Literary History]

APPENDIX TO CHAPTER XIV.

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PLOT OF THE FIVE PLAYS.

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE.

An Action-Drama.

Scheme of Actions.

Main Plot.  
First Main Cross Nemesis Action: Story of the Jew: complicated and resolved.
{ Sub-Action to First Main, also Link Action: Jessica and Lorenzo: simple movement. } Underplot.
Comic Relief Action: Launcelot; stationary[7].
Sub-Action to Second Main: Episode of the Rings: complicated and resolved.
Second Main Problem Action: Caskets Story: simple movement.

External Circumstance[8]: The (rumoured) Shipwrecks.

Economy.

Two Main Actions connected by Common Personage [Bassanio] and by Link Action [Jessica].

General Interweaving.

Balance. The First Main Action, which is complicated, balances the Second, which is simple, by the additions to the latter of the Jessica interest transferred to it, and the Episode of the Rings generated out of it. [Pages 82, 88.]

Movement.

Action-Movement: with Contrary Motion between the two Main Actions. The First Main complicated and resolved by the Second Main [hero of Second, Bassanio, is Complicating Force; heroine of Second, Portia, is Resolving Force], the Complication assisted by the External Circumstance of the Shipwrecks—in process of resolving the First generates a Complication to the Second in the form of the Episode of the Rings, which is self-resolved. [Pages 66, 282.]

Passion-Movement in the background: Wave-Line of Strain and Relief by alternation of the two main Stories; the Episode of the Rings is Final Relief to the Final Strain of the Trial.

Turning-points.

Centre of Plot: Scene of Bassanio's Choice (iii. ii.) in which the Complicating and Resolving Forces are united and all the Four Actions meet. [Pages 67-8.]

Catastrophe: Portia's Judgment in the Trial (iv. i, from 299).

FOOTNOTES:

[7] Stationary, as having no place in the movement of the plot: its separateness from the rest of the Jessica Action only for purposes of Tone-effect, as Comic Relief.

[8] 'External' as not included in any Action, 'Circumstance' because it presents itself as a single detail instead of the series of details necessary to make up an Action. An External Circumstance is analogous to an Enveloping Action: outside the other Actions, yet in contact with them at certain points.

RICHARD THE THIRD.

A Passion-Drama.

Scheme of Actions.

Main Nemesis Action: Life and Death of Richard.

Underplot: System of Cross Nemesis Actions connecting Main with York side of Enveloping Action. Clarence has betrayed the Lancastrians for the sake of the House of York:
  He falls by a treacherous death from the King of the House of York.—To this the Queen and her kindred have been assenting parties [ii. ii. 62-5]:
The shock of Clarence's death as announced by Gloster kills the King (ii. i. 131), leaving the Queen and her kindred at the mercy of their enemies.—Unseemly Exultation of their great enemy Hastings:
  The same treachery step by step overtakes Hastings in his Exultation [iii. iv. 15-95].—In this treacherous casting off of Hastings when he will no longer support them Buckingham has been a prime agent [iii. i, from 157, iii. ii. 114]:
By precisely similar treachery Buckingham himself is cast off when he hesitates to go further with Richard [iv. ii. and v. i.]

Link Nemesis Action connecting Main with Lancaster side of Enveloping Action: Marriage of Richard and Anne (p. 113).

Enveloping Nemesis Action: The War of the Roses [the Duchess of York introduced to mark the York side, Queen Margaret to mark the Lancastrian side].

Economy.

All the Actions bound together by the Enveloping Action of which they make up a phase.

Parallelism: the common form of Nemesis.

Central Personage: Richard.

Movement.

Passion-Movement, with Similar Motion [form Nemesis repeated throughout (page 282)].

Turning-points.

Centre of Plot: Realisation of Margaret's Curses [turn of Enveloping Action] in iii. iii. 15.

Catastrophe: Realisation of Nemesis in the Main Action: iv. ii, from 45.

MACBETH.

A Passion-Drama.

Scheme of Actions.

{ Main Character Action: Rise and Fall of Macbeth.
Character Counter-Action: Lady Macbeth.
  { Character Sub-Action: covering and involved in the Rise: Banquo.
  Character Sub-Action: covering and involving the Fall: Macduff. [Pages 129, 142.]

Enveloping Supernatural Action: The Witches.

Economy.

Parallelism: Triple form of Nemesis, Irony and Oracular Action extending to the Main Action, to its parts the Rise and Fall separately, and through to the Enveloping Action.

Contrast as a bond between the Main and Counter-Action.

Balance: the Rise by the Fall, the Sub-Action to the Rise by the Sub-Action to the Fall. [Page 276.]

Movement.

Passion Movement, with Similar Motion between all.

Turning-points.

Centre of Plot: Change from unbroken success to unbroken failure: iii. iii. 18. [Page 127.]

Catastrophe: Divided:

First Shock of Nemesis; Appearance of Banquo's Ghost: iii. iv.

Final Accumulation of Nemesis: Revelation of Macduff's birth: v. viii. 12.

JULIUS CÆSAR.

A Passion-Drama.

Scheme of Actions.

Main Nemesis Action: Rise and Fall of the Republican Conspirators.

{ Sub-Action to the Rise [Character-decline]: The Victim Cæsar.
Sub-Action to the Fall [Character-rise]: The Avenger Antony.

Enveloping Action: the Roman Mob.

Economy.

Balance about the Centre: the Rise by the Fall, the Sub-Action to the Rise by the Sub-Action to the Fall.

Movement.

Passion-Movement, with Similar Motion between the Main and Sub-Actions. [The form of the Main is distributed between the two Sub-Actions: compare page 282.]

Turning-points.

The Centre of Plot and Catastrophe coincide: iii. i. between 121 and 122.

KING LEAR.

A Passion-Drama.

Scheme of Actions.

Main Plot: a Problem Action: Family of Lear: falling into

Generating Action: [the Problem]. Lear's unstable settlement of the kingdom, power transferred from the good to the bad.

System of Tragedies [the Solution].   Double Nemesis Action: Lear receiving good from the injured and evil from the favoured children.
Tragic Action: Cordelia: Suffering of the innocent.
Tragic Action: Goneril and Regan: Evil passions endowed with power using it to work their own destruction.

Underplot: an Intrigue Action: Family of Gloucester: falling into

Generating Action: [the Intrigue]. Gloucester deceived into reversing the positions of Edgar and Edmund.

System of Tragedies [its Nemesis].   Double Nemesis Action: Gloucester receiving good from the injured and evil from the favoured child.
Tragic Action: Edgar: Suffering of the innocent.
Tragic Action: Edmund: Power gained by intrigue used for the destruction of the intriguer.

Central Link Personage between Main Plot and Underplot: Gloucester (page 283).

Sub-Actions, linking Main and Underplot, or different elements of the Main together.   First Pair: { From the good side of the Main: Kent. } Crossing & complicating one another.
From the evil side of the Main: Oswald.
Second Pair: { From the good side of the Main assisting Nemesis on Evil Agent of the Underplot: Albany.
From the evil side of the Main assisting Nemesis on Good Victim of the Underplot: Cornwall.
Third Pair: Cross Intrigues between the Evil sides of Main and Underplot { Goneril and Edmund Regan and Edmund } culminating in destruction of all three (v. iii. 96, 221-7, and compare 82 with 160).

Farcical Relief Action: The Fool: Stationary.

Enveloping Action: The French War: originating ultimately in the Initial Action and becoming the Objective of the Dénouement. [Page 273.]

Economy.

The Underplot dependent to the Main (page 276).

Especially: Parallelism and Contrast (page 277).

Central Linking by Gloucester.

Interweaving: Linking by Sub-Actions, &c., and movement to a common Objective.

Envelopment in Common Enveloping Action.

Movement.

Passion-Movement, with Convergent Motion between the Main and Underplot, and their parts: the Lear and Gloucester systems by the visit to Gloucester's Castle drawn to a Central Focus and then moving towards a common Objective in the Enveloping Action. [Page 282.]

Turning-points.

Catastrophe: at the end of the Initial Action, the Problem being set up in practical action. [Page 205.]

Centre of Plot: the summit of emotional agitation when three madnesses are brought into contact (page 223).

INDEXES.

GENERAL INDEX.

***For particular Characters or Scenes see under their respective plays.