Shakspeare's Mental Photographs

In Short

Published in 1866, this volume presents an interactive parlor game designed around the dramatic works of William Shakespeare. One participant acts as the game’s keeper, posing ten sequential questions regarding character, desires, romance, and destiny to fellow players. Participants select a number from one to twenty, revealing a curated poetic passage that answers their query. By repurposing dramatic speeches as personal horoscopes, the book offers a lighthearted social entertainment. It has endured as an inventive, historical curiosity that bridges classical theater, Victorian party culture, and the timeless human urge to read one's fate in art.

The Story

The book is structured not as a continuous narrative, but as an interactive textual game designed to be played across a series of structured steps. It opens with explicit rules for execution: one person holds the volume and acts as the leader, guiding the group through a sequence of ten numbered questions. The remaining players, without knowing which specific quote corresponds to which number, select a numeral between one and twenty. As each choice is declared, the leader reads aloud the corresponding passage from Shakespeare, using classical verse to reveal a "mental photograph" of the player's personality, secret desires, and eventual destiny.

The thematic progression begins by establishing personal identity. Question I asks "What are you?", prompting answers that range from grand declarations of authority to self-deprecating admissions of folly or helplessness. Question II moves outward to social dynamics, asking what qualities the player observes or tolerates in others. The inquiry then turns to daily life and personal taste, asking players to name their favorite occupation or pursuit in Question III, followed immediately by their pet aversion in Question IV.

As the game continues into its middle phase, the focus shifts squarely toward romance and aesthetic preference. Question V asks what style of beauty the participant admires, yielding descriptions of physical features, coloring, and demeanor. Question VI expands this into the realm of character, prompting players to describe their ultimate ideal partner or personal hero.

The final movement of the game constructs a complete narrative arc for the player's personal relationships and future. Question VII asks where the player's first meeting occurred or will take place, establishing a setting that ranges from distant mountains to local orchards. Question VIII dictates the nature of their first greeting, offering lines of passionate affection, cold rejection, or witty banter. Question IX asks what the player most wishes for in life, uncovering desires for wealth, quiet contentment, or tragic romance. Finally, Question X delivers the culmination of the game by revealing the player's ultimate future, bringing the interactive experience to a close with predictions of glory, solitude, heartbreak, or peace.

How It Unfolds

Setting the rules The leader takes custody of the text and explains the mechanics of the game to the gathered company. Players are instructed to choose numbers blindly from one to twenty in response to a sequence of ten fixed questions.

Defining the self The game opens by asking players to declare who and what they are through the words of Shakespearean characters. The resulting readings establish an initial portrait ranging from noble gentlemen to self-proclaimed fools.

Cataloging virtues and vices Participants navigate queries about the habits, pursuits, and pet peeves that define their daily lives. The answers contrast quiet, humble labor against grand ambitions, trickery, and personal dislikes.

Envisioning love and beauty The inquiries shift toward romantic ideals, prompting players to select numbers that dictate their preferred aesthetic and moral traits in a partner. The selections yield vivid descriptions of physical appearance and temperament.

Mapping out the future The final questions trace the trajectory of the player's romantic meetings, initial greetings, deepest personal wishes, and ultimate destiny. The game concludes as the final prophecy is read, completing the participant's "mental photograph."

The People

Because this text is an interactive parlor game, its central figures are the archetypal personalities evoked by the quoted passages and the players themselves.

• The Leader, who holds the book and directs the game. The Leader wants to guide the social gathering smoothly by reading each question in order and revealing the corresponding poetic answer selected by the players.
• The Players, who seek entertainment, self-discovery, and lighthearted social connection. They navigate the game by choosing numbers at random, risking public ribbing or flattering revelations about their true nature, secret wishes, and romantic prospects.
• Sir Oracle, representing the archetypal persona of supreme authority and self-importance. This figure demands absolute silence whenever he speaks, standing as a monument to pride and bombast.
• The Humble Swain, representing the desire for a simple, quiet life removed from high society. This figure prefers modest daily labors and peace over courtly ambition or political intrigue.
• The Constant Lover, who pursues romance with complete devotion, offering sincere oaths, deep sighs, and total surrender to their chosen ideal regardless of the obstacles.
• The Cynic or Shrew, who resists romance, rejects fawning compliments, and expresses sharp disdain for romantic melodrama, preference for solitude, or mistrust of suitors.

In Its Own Voice

When asked to describe an ideal partner, the book draws upon a famous line from King Lear to highlight gentleness:

"Her voice was ever soft, Gentle, and low; an excellent thing in woman."

Addressing the universal search for peace and rest, the game turns to Henry IV to express a deep longing for relief:

"Sleep, gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse."

When predicting a player's future, the text offers romantic triumph through a declaration from Antony and Cleopatra:

"Upon your sword Sit laurel'd victory, and smooth success Be strew'd before your feet!"

What It's Really About

At its core, the book explores how literature can be repurposed to serve human social needs across different eras. By cutting dramatic lines from their original theatrical contexts and reframing them as answers to personal questions, the text examines the instinct to find self-meaning in art. It addresses the tension between high culture and popular entertainment, showing how elevated poetry can become a casual parlor game. Underneath its playful structure, the book touches on themes of fate, character analysis, romantic longing, and the universal desire to peek into the future through the lens of timeless poetry.

Why Read It Today

This volume appeals to lovers of Shakespeare, social historians, and readers interested in nineteenth-century entertainment. It offers a fascinating glimpse into Victorian domestic life, showing how readers of the era engaged with classic literature in an interactive, lighthearted setting. Reading the text feels like stepping into a historical living room, where dramatic poetry becomes a shared party game rather than an academic subject.

The primary difficulty modern readers may encounter stems from the fragmented nature of the text. Because the book consists entirely of isolated lines of verse detached from their original plays, it lacks a standard narrative prose drive. Readers unfamiliar with Shakespeare's language may also find the archaisms and poetic phrasing slightly dense at first glance. However, for those willing to engage with its unusual structure, the book remains a charming artifact. It leaves you with an appreciation for how versatile classic literature can be when used to illuminate everyday human character.