The collected works of William Hazlitt, Vol. 01 (of 12)

In Short

This introductory volume of William Hazlitt’s collected writings brings together three foundational works: the diverse cultural and personal essays of The Round Table, the brilliant, character-driven dramatic commentary of Characters of Shakespear’s Plays, and the ferocious polemic A Letter to William Gifford, Esq. Rather than following a narrative plot, the book traces the movement of a fierce, solitary intellect testing ideas against life. Across these pages, Hazlitt explores why art resists mechanical progress, why Shakespeare remains unrivaled in capturing the shifting states of human passion, and how social hypocrisy corrupts public judgment. Supported by an introductory biographical essay and detailed editorial notes, the volume reveals how Hazlitt forged a new style of English prose—direct, muscular, and steeped in moral courage. It endures as a masterclass in critical thinking, showing how aesthetic appreciation and political conviction can burn with the exact same flame.

The Story

The volume opens not with Hazlitt’s own voice, but with an introductory portrait that sets the stage for his intellectual battle. The editor frames Hazlitt as the son of a Unitarian minister, inheriting a pugnacious disposition, a fiery courage, and an unyielding doggedness of temper. In a literary landscape dominated by conservative institutions and pious critical gatekeepers, Hazlitt emerges as a solitary fighter whose admiration for human genius—whether found in Shakespeare’s verse or Napoleon’s ambition—earns him the venomous hostility of the political powers of his day.

From this biographical backdrop, the book moves directly into The Round Table, a collection of essays where Hazlitt establishes his wide-ranging critical territory. He begins by examining the textures of daily life and human psychology. He dissects the nature of pedantry, arguing that a passionate absorption in one's own pursuit, however obscure, is a primary source of human happiness. He moves fluidly between reflections on social manners, the artificiality of modern conversation, and the true meaning of artistic "gusto"—that rare power by which an artist imparts the full, living reality of a subject to the canvas or the page.

As The Round Table unfolds, Hazlitt’s focus expands into cultural and philosophical critique. He addresses the widespread misconception that the fine arts advance alongside scientific discovery. Science, he argues, accumulates factual knowledge through systematic reasoning, whereas art relies on a direct, immediate impulse from nature that cannot be generated by rules, academies, or official prizes. When that original natural impulse dies, institutional attempts to revive it are mere mechanical tricks. In these same essays, Hazlitt turns a sharp eye toward social dynamics, exploring how religious sects and formal professions often foster hypocrisy by creating an internal, secret standard of virtue that insulates people from common human sympathy.

The middle section of the volume, Characters of Shakespear’s Plays, shifts this critical inquiry into the realm of dramatic literature. Hazlitt systematically moves through Shakespeare’s corpus, presenting a progressive argument about the nature of poetic imagination. He begins by defending Shakespeare against classicist critics like Dr. Samuel Johnson, who faulted the playwright for unpolished expression or unnatural pathos. Hazlitt demonstrates that Shakespeare’s genius lies in his total self-forgetfulness and his ability to trace the gradual growth of passion within the human mind.

To prove his point, Hazlitt examines figure after figure across the tragedies, histories, and comedies. He analyzes the dark, disinterested intellectual activity of Iago, who plots destruction out of a sheer craving for action and power. He contrasts the material, earthbound nature of Caliban with the ethereal, airy swiftness of Ariel in The Tempest. He explores the terrifying majesty of Lady Macbeth, the tragic, impetuous blindness of Lear, and the calculating political ambition of Bolingbroke against the weak, poetic vulnerability of Richard II. In each instance, Hazlitt argues that Shakespeare does not create moral types or rigid caricatures; instead, he opens up the actual workings of the human spirit, capturing feelings at their precise point of movement and change.

The final major movement of the volume is A Letter to William Gifford, Esq., a devastating counterattack against the editor of the Quarterly Review. Here, the theoretical insights on art, honesty, and human nature developed in the earlier sections are forged into a personal weapon. Hazlitt confronts Gifford as the ultimate embodiment of literary servility and political bigotry. He exposes how Gifford uses his critical authority not to evaluate truth or beauty, but to enforce political conformity and protect the ruling establishment. Hazlitt dismantles Gifford’s dishonest reviews, calling out his petty quibbles, his misreadings, and his instinctual hatred for independent thought. The volume concludes with extensive explanatory notes that anchor Hazlitt’s rich array of classical, literary, and historical allusions, leaving the reader with the complete portrait of an uncompromising writer who refused to let his judgment be bought or intimidated.

How It Unfolds

The pugilist introduced An editorial opening establishes Hazlitt’s background as the son of a dissenting minister, detailing the relentless personal and political attacks he faced from conservative critics who sought to villainize his character and suppress his writing.

Reflections on life and art The Round Table essays open with examinations of human behavior, celebrating the eccentric passion of the pedant and defining artistic "gusto" as the power to convey the full, vibrant truth of nature.

The organic nature of genius Hazlitt argues that art cannot progress like science, warning that academies and formal rules fail to revive creative genius once its direct connection to nature is severed.

Unmasking social hypocrisy The essays turn to social critique, demonstrating how rigid sects, formal religious professions, and refined modern manners often diminish genuine human sympathy and conceal deceit.

Shakespeare’s living mind Beginning Characters of Shakespear’s Plays, Hazlitt defends the dramatist against rigid critics, arguing that Shakespeare’s true power is his ability to show passions developing naturally within the human soul.

The anatomy of villainy and virtue Hazlitt analyzes key dramatic figures, comparing Iago’s cold, intellectual love of mischief with Lady Macbeth’s fierce ambition, and contrasting Caliban’s earthy instincts with Ariel’s delicate spirit.

Tragic flaws and political reality Examining the histories and tragedies, Hazlitt breaks down King Lear’s rash impetuosity, Richard II’s fragile royalty, and the cold, pragmatic political maneuvering of usurpers like Bolingbroke.

The assault on critical bigotry In A Letter to William Gifford, Esq., Hazlitt launches a scathing critique against the editor of the Quarterly Review, exposing him as a servile tool of the political establishment who attacks independent writers.

The defense of free thought Hazlitt dismantles Gifford’s partisan reviews step-by-step, defending his own political essays and asserting the right of literature to remain free from government intimidation and institutional malice.

The People

William Hazlitt The author and central intellect of the volume. He wants to evaluate art, politics, and human nature with unvarnished honesty, free from institutional bias. Standing in his way are the conservative literary establishment, partisan reviewers, and the prevailing social hypocrisies of 19th-century Britain. Through his essays and polemics, he emerges as a fearlessly independent critic who pairs deep aesthetic sensitivity with an unyielding fighting spirit.

William Gifford The editor of the Quarterly Review and Hazlitt’s chief antagonist. He seeks to maintain political order and literary conformity by denouncing any writer who challenges the government or traditional orthodoxies. His narrowness of mind, servility to power, and personal malice make him the primary target of Hazlitt’s sharpest satire, ending up exposed as a corrupt gatekeeper of culture.

William Shakespeare Though a historical figure, Shakespeare functions as the ideal creative hero within the book's core argument. His artistic aim was to render human nature in all its boundless variety and unconscious truth. Hazlitt presents him as an unparalleled observer whose deep psychological insight resists the artificial rules of rigid moralists and formal critics.

Iago The villain of Othello, analyzed by Hazlitt as a embodiment of diseased intellectual activity. He wants constant exercise for his restless mind and a feeling of power over others, driven by a callous indifference to good or evil. His boundless craving for dangerous intrigue leads to the total destruction of his friends and his own ultimate downfall.

Lady Macbeth The driving force behind Macbeth's usurpation, whose desires center on self-interest and family aggrandizement. She is hindered only by momentary flashes of human recollection, such as noting the sleeping King Duncan's resemblance to her father. She ends up consumed by the overwhelming weight of her own passion, transforming from a figure of majestic power into a broken apparition.

King Lear An aged monarch driven by a rash, impetuous desire for absolute affection and validation. His own blind vanity and inability to distinguish flatterers from true loyalty stand in his way, plunging him into betrayal, madness, and tragedy. Through his suffering, he reveals the devastating consequences of unchecked passion and credulity.

In Its Own Voice

When contrasting the vitality of Shakespeare's fairy realm in A Midsummer Night's Dream with the heavy, somber tone attributed to him by foreign critics, Hazlitt praises the playwright's extraordinary light touch:

The reading of this play is like wandering in a grove by moonlight: the descriptions breathe a sweetness like odours thrown from beds of flowers.

Reflecting on the psychological necessity of intense personal devotion—even to the most obscure or seemingly tedious pursuits—Hazlitt defends the harmless vanity of the passionate specialist:

He who is not in some measure a pedant, though he may be a wise, cannot be a very happy man.

Addressing the editor who attempted to crush his literary reputation on political grounds, Hazlitt delivers a direct, uncompromising indictment of institutional hostility:

There is a difference of political opinion between you and me; therefore you undertake not only to condemn that opinion, but to proscribe the writer.

What It's Really About

Beneath its discussion of plays, art exhibitions, and literary rivalries, this volume is an extended argument for intellectual independence and the vitality of human experience. Hazlitt insists that both art and critical thought must draw their life directly from nature rather than from artificial systems, academic formulas, or political dogmas. He repeatedly tests whether a work of art or a philosophical claim reflects the genuine, shifting complexities of human feeling, or merely satisfies an abstract rule.

A central theme of the work is the danger of institutional control over the mind. Whether analyzing how religious sects narrow the sympathies of their members, how royal academies domesticate artistic inspiration, or how state-aligned reviews enforce political conformity, Hazlitt warns against every force that seeks to substitute authority for authentic experience. For Hazlitt, true genius—exemplified by Shakespeare—is essentially open, varied, and unconscious, capturing the world as it is rather than forcing it into a moralizing mold.

Finally, the book explores the nature of human passion and motivation. Hazlitt rejects simplistic views that reduce human behavior to neat moral categories. By examining characters like Iago, Edmund, or Lady Macbeth, he demonstrates that people are often driven by a craving for action, a love of power, or an excess of self-interest that logic alone cannot explain. Understanding human nature requires an imagination capable of entering into every mental state, from familiar mirth to the wildest despair.

Why Read It Today

Reading this first volume of Hazlitt's collected works offers a direct encounter with one of the most vivid and expressive prose styles in the English language. Readers who enjoy literary criticism, cultural commentary, and historical debate will find Hazlitt a bracing companion. His writing feels modern because he refuses to hide behind academic jargon or timid qualifications; he states his convictions with absolute clarity, backing them up with sharp observation and intense feeling.

The primary difficulty modern readers may encounter lies in the book's period context. Hazlitt writes for an audience intimately familiar with 19th-century British politics, forgotten magazine wars, and classical literature. Readers must navigate detailed references to political figures like William Pitt and Edmund Burke, as well as extended, line-by-line debates over theatrical performances and contemporary art exhibitions. Furthermore, Hazlitt's habit of weaving unreferenced poetic quotations directly into his prose demands an attentive eye.

Despite these historical layers, the volume remains extraordinarily rewarding. Hazlitt's analysis of Shakespeare's characters stays with the reader long after finishing the book, offering insights that feel far more perceptive than much of the formal academic scholarship that followed him. His defense of free expression and his fierce resistance to political bullying resonate just as strongly today as they did in the nineteenth century. To read Hazlitt is to be reminded that clear writing requires clear thinking, and that true appreciation of art demands an open, courageous mind.

<ElicitationsGroup message="To explore Hazlitt's writings further:"> <Elicitation label="Analyze Hazlitt's concept of 'gusto' in art" query="Explain William Hazlitt's concept of 'gusto' as presented in his essays, including how he applies it to painting and literature."/> <Elicitation label="Compare Hazlitt's Shakespeare criticism with Samuel Johnson's" query="Compare William Hazlitt's dramatic criticism in Characters of Shakespear's Plays with Samuel Johnson's Preface to Shakespeare."/> </ElicitationsGroup>