The Literary Remains of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Volume 2

In Short

This volume is a compendium of critical notes, lectures, and marginalia focused primarily on the plays of William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and the collaborative duo Beaumont and Fletcher. It serves as a masterclass in literary analysis, where the author dissects dramatic structure, character psychology, and the philosophy of language. By shifting between rigorous technical critique and intuitive appreciation, the writing has lasted as a cornerstone of Romantic criticism, offering a unique window into how one creative mind deeply interrogated the works of those who came before him.

The Story

The narrative arc of the book is essentially the intellectual journey of a critic encountering the "inexhaustible mine of virgin treasure" found in the English stage. It begins with foundational definitions of poetry and the drama, establishing a framework for how the modern, "picturesque" theater of Shakespeare differs from the "statuesque" symmetry of the ancient Greek stage. The author argues that whereas the Greeks sought a repose of the mind through perfect proportion, the moderns created a more complex whole by blending diverse, often interlaced, materials.

From these broad theoretical foundations, the work descends into the specific. The central movement involves an exhaustive tour of Shakespeare’s canon. The author treats the historical plays not merely as records of the past, but as vivid dramas, praising how Shakespeare breathes life into kings and commoners alike. He moves into the tragedies and comedies with a forensic intensity, correcting the mistakes of earlier commentators and offering his own insights into the "equilibrium" of the human mind. He spends significant time on Hamlet, viewing the prince’s famous hesitation not as a flaw in the play, but as a deliberate psychological study in the "morbid excess" of the contemplative faculty.

The journey continues into the works of Ben Jonson and the team of Beaumont and Fletcher. Here, the tone shifts toward technical evaluation, where the author debates textual corruptions, identifies stylistic borrowings, and judges the moral climate of the seventeenth century. He is often sharp, dismissing the editorial "blockheads" who attempt to rewrite lines they fail to understand, yet he remains deeply appreciative of moments of true brilliance.

The book then broadens its scope, moving away from the theater into a wider world of intellectual history. The final sections act as a series of diversions: a study of the Prometheus of Æschylus, explorations of the "wonderfulness of prose," and critical notes on theological works and historical figures like Sir Thomas Browne. The arc concludes not with a final resolution of these disparate ideas, but with a series of reflective, often lyrical, meditations on the relationship between nature, faith, and the spirit. It ends on a note of quiet, atmospheric beauty, suggesting that the critic’s task is never truly finished, as there is always another layer of wisdom to uncover in the "sleeping earth."

How It Unfolds

The foundation of drama The author establishes the contrast between the Greek and English stage, arguing that modern drama thrives on harmony and the fusion of varied elements. He emphasizes that the drama is a necessary remedy for the "dead palsy" of a public mind that has grown too accustomed to the sameness of modern life.

The Shakespearian mine The work transitions into a play-by-play analysis of Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies, where the author defends the playwright’s judgment against those who called him irregular. He illustrates how the language of the plays acts as a medium between the arbitrary symbols of speech and the inherent language of nature.

The historical plays The focus shifts to the English histories, where the author highlights the skill with which the poet introduces minor, accidental details to anchor the drama in reality. He discusses the fine struggle of ambition and dissimulation in the characters of Bolingbroke and Richard II.

Psychological depth The author provides an extended, rigorous defense of Hamlet, rooting the character’s behavior in the fundamental laws of human psychology. He argues that Hamlet’s inertia stems from an overbalance of thought, providing a direct, intentional contrast to the rapid, breathless movement of Macbeth.

The dramatists of the next age The discussion moves to Ben Jonson and Beaumont and Fletcher, where the author scrutinizes their plots and corrects textual errors. He evaluates these writers as products of their own specific moral climate, often finding them wanting when measured against the universal wisdom of Shakespeare.

Diverse marginalia The book concludes with a wide-ranging series of notes on theological texts, historical authors, and philosophy. These final beats bridge the gap between literature and religion, arguing that faith and intellect are inextricably linked in the quest for truth.

The People

The book is populated by the titans of the English stage, but they are viewed through the singular, demanding lens of the author. William Shakespeare is the central figure, held up as a genius who possessed an intuitive, scientific understanding of the human heart. The author wants us to see Shakespeare as a master of balance, someone who could blend the magnificent with the mean to create a "striking whole." Standing in the way of this understanding are the "shallow and stupid" critics of the past—men who viewed Shakespeare’s apparent inconsistencies as defects rather than deliberate psychological portraits.

Hamlet serves as the primary case study for the author’s theory of mental excess. He is a man of "enormous intellectual activity" who finds himself paralyzed by his own internal world. His opponent, in a sense, is the necessity of action, which pulls him toward a future he cannot resolve. The author treats Hamlet with the gravity of a living patient, ultimately defending him against the "vulgar" interpretations of his contemporaries.

Ben Jonson appears as a more rigid, technical craftsman, whose plays the author dissects with a mix of admiration and skepticism. The author acts as a corrector of errors, frequently identifying where other editors have misunderstood Jonson’s intent. Finally, figures like Sir Thomas Browne and the theologian Asgill become the subjects of the author’s final, more philosophical musings, where he distinguishes between the "reason" of the spirit and the cold "understanding" of the law.

In Its Own Voice

"For the drama, society was altogether a state of chaos, out of which it was, for a while at least, to proceed anew, as if there had been none before it."

The author sets the stage for the emergence of the English theater by describing the cultural vacuum that preceded the Elizabethan era.

"The Greeks reared a structure, which in its parts, and as a whole, fitted the mind with the calm and elevated impression of perfect beauty and symmetrical proportion."

In contrasting the ancient and modern, the author captures the serene, architectural quality of Greek tragedy.

"There is no time given to ask questions or to pass judgments; we are taken by storm, and, though in the histrionic art many a clumsy counterfeit, by caricature of one or two features, may gain applause as a fine likeness, yet never was the very thing rejected as a counterfeit."

The author reflects on the power of the theater to bypass our defenses and confront us with the truth of human nature.

What It's Really About

At its core, this book is an inquiry into the nature of genius and the limits of the human mind. The author is obsessed with the concept of "equilibrium"—the necessary balance between outward sensory perception and inward meditation. He treats literature as a laboratory for testing this balance. Whether he is analyzing the "vacillation" of Hamlet or the "statuettes" of Greek drama, he is always asking: how does the artist manifest the reality of human experience? The book argues that great art is not merely an imitation of life, but a form of "actual experience" that allows the audience to transcend the "dead palsy" of their own daily, monotonous existence.

Why Read It Today

Readers who love the act of close reading will find this volume deeply rewarding. It feels like sitting in the study of a brilliant, slightly restless mind, listening to a stream of consciousness that moves effortlessly from the meter of an obscure line in Cymbeline to the nature of divine revelation. The prose is precise, warm, and unapologetically intellectual.

You should be prepared for the book's demands; the author assumes you already possess a deep familiarity with Shakespeare’s plays and the broader English canon. He does not stop to summarize plots, and he frequently dives into the nuances of archaic grammar, textual variants, and Latinate philosophical terminology. The period attitudes can be jarring, as the author holds firm to a nineteenth-century conception of the "civilized" mind, and his penchant for correcting the "blockheads" of his day can sometimes feel like a private, intense academic feud.

However, the reward is an unparalleled insight into the creative process. If you have ever felt that a play was more than just a story—that it was a mirror of your own mental habits and moral struggles—you will find a kindred spirit here. What stays with you is the author’s profound, unshakable belief that the "inexhaustible mine" of literature is the most vital, living resource we possess.