# Hamlet Micure explained — Spoon River Anthology

> Chapter companion for Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters.

## What happens

In a feverish vision, the speaker revisits a childhood home transformed into a manor hall by the sea, where a man with a face like Euripides discusses the nature of 'divine despair' as expressed in Tennyson's 'Tears, Idle Tears.'

## Themes in this chapter

### Death and Legacy

The vision includes the memory of little Paul's death by diphtheria, and the conversation about despair touches on the legacy of artistic expression.

### The Search for Meaning

The speaker questions the meaning of 'divine despair,' seeking understanding of profound emotional and existential states.

## Key lines

> What is 'divine despair' Alfred?

The speaker asks Alfred about the concept of 'divine despair.'

_The speaker seeks clarification on a poetic term from Tennyson._

> My poor friend, that was why the despair Was divine.

Alfred explains that the despair was divine precisely because it was not fully captured in his poem.

_The response suggests that true divine despair transcends artistic expression._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/spoon_river_anthology_se/chapters/hamlet-micure
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/spoon_river_anthology_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/spoon_river_anthology_se/chapters