XXVII explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• The Joy of Reading and Lifelong Learning

  Ryecroft finds deep joy and renewed wonder in rereading The Tempest, discovering new depths each time.

• English Character and National Identity

  Ryecroft expresses that Shakespeare and England are inseparable, and he is glad to have been born English to read Shakespeare in the original.

Characters to notice

• Henry Ryecroft

  The narrator who reads and meditates on The Tempest.

• William Shakespeare

  The poet whose work The Tempest is the subject of Ryecroft's reflection.

• Homer

  Mentioned as a poet whose full music is inaccessible across time.

Key passages

• “Today I have read The Tempest. It is perhaps the play that I love best, and, because I seem to myself to know it so well, I commonly pass it over in opening the book. Yet, as always in regard to Shakespeare, having read it once more, I find that my knowledge was less complete than I supposed.”

  Ryecroft reads The Tempest again and realizes he knew it less thoroughly than he thought.

  Highlights the endless depth of Shakespeare's work and the joy of rediscovery.

• “Among the many reasons which make me glad to have been born in England, one of the first is that I read Shakespeare in my mother tongue.”

  Ryecroft counts being able to read Shakespeare in English as a primary reason for his gratitude at being English.

  Connects national identity with literary heritage.

• “In the love and reverence awakened by that voice of voices, Shakespeare and England are but one.”

  Ryecroft feels that Shakespeare and England are inseparable in his heart.

  Culminates the chapter's theme of unity between poet and country.