# Scylla and Charybdis explained — Ulysses

> Chapter companion for Ulysses by James Joyce.

## What happens

In the National Library, Stephen Dedalus expounds his theory that Shakespeare's works, particularly Hamlet, are deeply autobiographical, shaped by the playwright's personal betrayals and losses. The discussion involves John Eglinton, Mr. Best, and the Quaker librarian, with Buck Mulligan arriving late. They debate Shakespeare's identity, the nature of genius, and the relationship between art and life, touching on themes of paternity, betrayal, and artistic creation.

## Themes in this chapter

### Identity and Selfhood

Stephen explores how Shakespeare's identity is reflected in his characters, particularly the father-son dynamic in Hamlet.

### Art and Creativity

The chapter delves into the creative process, with Stephen arguing that art emerges from personal experience and loss.

### Fatherhood and Filial Relations

Central to Stephen's theory is the relationship between Shakespeare and his father, mirrored in Hamlet and the ghost.

### Memory and History

Stephen discusses how the past (Shakespeare's life) shapes the present (his plays), and how memory influences artistic creation.

## Character check-ins

### Stephen Dedalus

Presents his theory on Shakespeare and Hamlet, linking the playwright's life to his works.

### Buck Mulligan

Arrives late to the library discussion, mocking Stephen's theories with his characteristic wit.

### John Eglinton

Engages critically with Stephen's ideas, defending Aristotle over Plato and questioning the biographical approach.

### Haines

Mentioned as having left to buy Hyde's Lovesongs of Connacht, missing the discussion.

### Mr Best

Participates in the conversation, referencing Wilde's theory of the sonnets and Mallarmé's view of Hamlet.

## Key lines

> though all my body has been woven of new stuff time after time, so through the ghost of the unquiet father the image of the unliving son looks forth.

Stephen suggests that just as the body constantly renews itself, the ghost of Hamlet's father reveals the son's own nature.

_Stephen's theory of the father-son relationship in Hamlet._

> In the intense instant of imagination, when the mind, Shelley says, is a fading coal that which I was is that which I am and that which in possibility I may come to be.

Stephen quotes Shelley to argue that in the moment of creation, past, present, and future selves converge.

_Stephen's philosophical reflection on artistic creation._

> What is a ghost? One who has faded into impalpability through death, through absence, through change of manners.

Stephen defines a ghost as someone who has become intangible due to death, absence, or cultural change.

_Stephen's definition of a ghost in the context of Hamlet._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ulysses_se/chapters/ix
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ulysses_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ulysses_se/chapters