Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 1960 A C Bradley as a Critic of Shakespearean Tragedy John Britton Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Britton, John, "A C Bradley as a Critic of Shakespearean Tragedy" (1960) Dissertations 576 https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/576 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons For more information, please contact ecommons@luc.edu This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License Copyright © 1960 John Britton A C BRADLtrr AS A CRITIC OF SHAKESPEARE;AN THAG&JY by John Britton A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty or the Graduate School or Loyola University in Partial FUlfillment ot the Requirements tor the Degree of Doctor or Philosophy June 1960 LIFE John Britton was born in Burlington, New Jersey, oniJeoember 8, 1929 He was graduated from Burlington High School, Burlington, New Jersey, June, 1947, and from the University of Pennsylvania, June, 1951, tdth the degree of Bachelor of Arts From September, 1951, to July, 1959, the author narian in the Society of Jesus a semi- irlaa He pursued the Jesuit course of studies at \'lernersville, Pennsylvania, from September, 1951, to July, 1954, at the Novitiate of St Isaac Jogues During the summer of 1954 he took eduoation courses at Plattsburg College, Plattsburg, New York From September, 1954, to June, 1957, he studied at lJest Baden College, West Baden Springs, Ind.iana, and i " Juno, 1957, he was grunted the degree of Licentiate in Philosophy l,fuile at I'lest Baden College, the author began grajuate stUdies in English with Loyola University, Chicago, and in June, 1957, ho became a full-time graduate student at Loyola ~ring th3 s~~er of 1958 he took courses in Engli sh at Columbia Uni versi ty in New York City rfir Britton has published three articles: !t'Pied Beauty' and the Glory of God," Renasoenoe, XI (1958-1959), 72-75; "Browning's !Bishop Blou'~hram's Apolop;y,' 702-709," !xplicator, XVII (1958- 1i 111 1959) Item 50; "Gumm'ings 'pl ty thi s busy monster, manunkind, E!p1ioat~r, XVIII (1959-1960), Item t" TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I INTRO DUC TIO N • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Statement of purpose Brief sketch of Bradley's life and writings His personaH',:'; lecturer-General vie',-1 which cri tic s have taken of hi s work II SOI~ ?JNDAM3NTAL CRITICAL T~NETS • • • • • • • • • 11 Certain questions to be asked any critio Bradley's idea of a poem-Poetry as end and means-The impression Activity of the reader 'lbe good critic Problems in oriticizing Shakespeare III BRADLEY'S THEORY OF SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGr.~;)y • • • • • 19 Bradley's aim and method The traq:l0 hero and the relationship of character to action Some elements of the action which are other than charaoteristic Action as confliot The tragio hero and his conflict: the tra~edy of waste The ultimate nature of the tragic world Some concluding re~ marks ' Iir BRADLEY'S MBTHOD OF CRITICIZING A PA'1TICULAR TRAGEDY 86 Macbeth material in the first part of Shak~~e,ar ean TragedI The central critique of Hacbet ,-Character-oritlcism The special Notes on Mac~_-Some concluding remarks - v CONCLUSIONS • • • " • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Sensibility and knowledge Gharacteristic limitations Charaoterlstic powers Significant manysidedness iv 135 I drea~ed last night that Shrurespeare's ghost Sat for a Oivil Servioe post The English paper of th~ year Contained a question on King Lear, ~,\1hlch Sh3.ke~peH.re 9.nsl,rered very badly Beoause he had not read his Bradley Guy Boas, quoted by I J Semper in Hamlet h1ithout Tears (Dubuque, Iowa, 1946), p v ;5 OHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A O Bradley's most famous work, Shakespeare,an Tragedy, first appeared in 1904 Now, more than fifty years later, this book, together with some of Bradley.s other works, is still talked about and argued about in college classrooms and learned and critioal journals In view of this Bradley's oritioism, it is surprisin~ oontlnuin~ interest in that no full-length examina tion of the subject has ever been made It is the intention of the present study to confine itself to certain definite aspeots of Bradley's oritioism of Shakespearean tragedy, and even in this relatively restricted field, which preoludes detailed diso1lssion of many of Bradley's writings (except, of oourse, as they bear upon the s 11bject in hand), there have been no full studies Hr Thomas Charbeneau, S.J., wrote a master's thesis for Loyola University Chioago, in 1954, "Bradleyfs Theory of Tragedy: Analysis and Ori tique, tI in whioh he states that hi s specific purpose is "to analyse Bradle.r's theory of traGedy, especially as he applies it to Othello, and then to oriticize his theory in the Scholastlc-Ar1 stotelian principles II li~~t of Hi s major conclusion is that Bradley's theory of tragedy is false, because it logically I leads to a denla1 of free v11ll.1 ~eneral The purpose, subj oct l'f'l.atter, ana apnroaoh of the present study differ very muoh from r11- Char-beneau's, nor oan this writer agree 1-lith some of Mr Charbeneau t s premi ses and oonclusions It 1s the purpose of thift dissertation to tnvestip;ate A C Bradley's theory of Shakespearean tragedy and his method of oritioizing a partioular tragedy; to note and disouss what the more important oritios ~ince Bradley have said on his treatment of these two subjeots; and to suggest a possible judgment as to Bradley's value as a orltio of Shakespearean tragedy The emphasis throughout will be on making Bradley's own ideas and praotioes as olear as possible, especially throu2A close attention to his vari ous wri tin~s In this introductory chapter we shall sketoh briefly Bradley's oareer and the general view which oritics have taken of his work Andrew Cecil Bradley was born in 1851 to a notable clerioal family.3 He took his degree at Oxford, where, after a short inter~ val, he was elected a Fellow of Balli01 in l87h He remained 1pp • 9~lO of the unpublished thesis at Loyola University, Chioago 2The particulars of the disagreement will be considered later~ 3For blog,raphioal details on Bradley see J 1-1 Maokail, "Andrew Ceoil Bradley, 1851-1935, fI P~ooeedinf.5s.2!!!l! Bri tish Acaderrrv XXI (1935), 385-392,: M Roy Ridley, "Andrew Cecil Bradley," :2ID! Supplement, l2ll-l04~ (London, 1949), Pp 98-100 there for nine years, lecturing and tutoring in English, first, then in moral philosophy and Aristotle's Politics was named as first occupant of a ohair of versity Colle~e, En~llsh In 1882 he studies at Uni Liverpool; then Glasgow University, eight years latar, called him to a similar chair In 1901 Oxford named him to the important post of Professor of Poetry, and from 1901 to 1906 Bradley delivered there several of his best-known and most influential lectures Aocording to the University's statutes, Bradley oould not be reappointed to his post for a seoond flveyear term spend the Cambrid~e re~t offered him a chair, but he preferred to of his life in London t-lorking at his own studies In g06 he played an Important part in fOtLnding the 1e Edi ted by John Dover ~lfilson The Cambridge New Shakespeare Ca.'Tlbridge, Eng., 1947 B ARTICLES IN BOOKS Abercrombie, Lascelles "A Plea foXt the Liberty of Interpreting," ASRects of Shakes~eare: 3eIqs BritIsh Aoademz Lectures (London, 1933J, pp 2,-7-254, Battenhouse, Roy vI "Shakespe.9.rean Tragedy: A Christian"Interpreta tion," 1h!! TraesI0 Vi slon !!i9 the Chri st~an Fai t.ll, ed Nathan A Soott, Jr (New fork, 1937), PP 50-98 Campbell, James Oscar "Shakespeare and the 'New' Critios," Johx'\ iUinox Adams Memorial ~tudies, edd James G MoMana\~y Gi1e • Dawson, EdWIn E HIl10ughby (WashIngton, D.C., 1948), pp 81-96 Eliot, T S "Foreword to the English Edition," Henri F1uchere, Sh¥e!peare, translated by Guy He.milton (London, 1953), pp v-v!l - "Hamlet and His Problems," Seleoteq Essa'Vs, new edition (Neil( YOI'k, 1950), PP 121-126 " Imperfee t Cri tic s: Swinburne as CI'l tio," The Sacred ~'iood !!l.1 CritiCism (London, 1920)-;-p'p l7-a.: ~sĐays 9!! p.osta ã "Shakespeare and the Stoioism of Seneca, TI Se1eote9 Essa;y:s, new edition (New York, 1950), PP 107-120 152 "Shakespearian Critioism: From Dryden to Colerid~e,u A Co~anion to ShakesReare Studies, edd Harley Granville.- earer an£G B.' Harrison (Cambridge, Eng., 1934.), PP 287299 Herford, C H "The German Contribution to f'.~:.:.;:(ji:;peare Criticism," A Book of Homag:e to Shakespeare, edited by Israel Gollanoz-rLOndOn, 19ib};-Pp 231-235 Isaacs, J "Shakespearian Critioism: From Coleridge to the Pres ent Day,," A COmPanion 1£ Sp.akespeare St.u;-pp 98-100 Santayana, George "The Absenoe of Religion in Shakespeaz-e," r 153 Essaxs in Literarx Criticism of Geor~e Santaxana, ed Irving Singer Tiel