The Shakespeare Key: Unlocking the Treasures of His Style, Elucidating the Peculiarities of His Construction, and Displaying the Beauties of His Expression (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from The Shakespeare Key: Unlocking the Treasures of His Style, Elucidating the Peculiarities of His Construction, and Displaying the Beauties of His Expression

Shakespeare's style, so masterly in power of effect, so vigorous in expression, so full of varied resource, so marked with bold originality, yet so accordant with pure English diction, offers supreme advantage in its careful study to the thinkers, the writers, and the orators in his native language. A man possessed of good intellect and education, who moulds his composition and speech on the model afforded by Shakespeare's works, can hardly fail of being an able writer and speaker; and even a moderately gifted and moderately educated man, who is in the habit of reading and thoughtfully appreciating Shakespeare, is likely to become capable of expressing himself with strength and clearness - the best eloquence - whether in writing or speaking.

Never was author who combined so many different words in his single writings - and not only so many different words, but so many varied forms and uses of words - as Shakespeare; never was author who comprised so many different phrases and sentences, with varied constructional forms of phrases and sentences, as Shakespeare; therefore it is that the possession of a ready means for inspecting these must needs be an advantage to students of the English language. More particularly must it be valuable to dramatic writers; whose object it is to produce prompt and imme diate impression upon those who hear sentences uttered, without the opportunity to te-scan and weigh which reading affords. Of the same value is it to public Speakers; since they also have to choose such expressions as will at once convey their meaning in the most full and forcible manner: and where can such expressions be found in larger number and more pregnant with significance than in Shakespeare's writings?

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