Lincoln and Shakespeare

by Michael Anderegg

Lincoln Prize Finalist It was the measure of Shakespeare’s poetic greatness, an early commentator remarked, that he thoroughly blended the ideal with the practical or realistic. “If this be so,” Walt Whitman wrote, “I should say that what Shakespeare did in poetic expression, Abraham Lincoln essentially did in his personal and official life.” Whitman was only one of many to note the affinity between these two iconic figures. Novelists, filmmakers, and playwrights have frequently shown Lincoln quoting Shakespeare. In Lincoln and Shakespeare , Michael Anderegg for the first time examines in detail Lincoln’s fascination with and knowledge of Shakespeare’s plays. Separated by centuries and extraordinary circumstances, the two men clearly shared a belief in the power of language and both at times held a fatalistic view of human nature. While citations from Shakespeare are few in his writings and speeches, Lincoln read deeply and quoted often from the Bard’s work in company, a habit well documented in diaries, letters, and newspapers. Anderegg discusses Lincoln’s particular interest in Macbeth and Hamlet and in Shakespeare’s historical plays, where we see themes that resonated deeply with the president—the dangers of inordinate ambition, the horrors of civil war, and the corruptions of illegitimate rule. Anderegg winnows confirmed evidence from myth to explore how Lincoln came to know Shakespeare, which editions he read, and which plays he would have seen before he became president. Once in the White House, Lincoln had the opportunity of seeing the best Shakespearean actors in America. Anderegg details Lincoln’s unexpected relationship with James H. Hackett, one of the most popular comic actors in America at the his letter to Hackett reveals his considerable enthusiasm for Shakespeare. Lincoln managed, in the midst of overwhelming matters of state, to see the actor’s Falstaff on several occasions and to engage with him in discussions of how Shakespeare’s plays should be performed, a topic on which he had decided views. Hackett’s productions were only a few of those Lincoln enjoyed as president, and Anderegg documents his larger theater-going experience, recreating the Shakespearean performances of Edwin Booth, Charlotte Cushman, Edwin Forrest, and others, as Lincoln saw them.

Genres: History, Shakespeare, Civil War

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 6, 2015

Reviews

[Colin Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book does a serviceable job cataloging likely every primary reference to Shakespeare in Lincoln’s life, it ultimately feels like on any discernible thesis surrounding either Lincoln or Shakespeare. Far too much time spent on cataloguing Lincoln’s travels and what Shakespeare plays where happening along his routes he /might/ have been able to attend. Also entirely too much synopsis of Shakespearean actors of the day and how they were reviewed.

Worst of all though the book misses the great historical tension and poetry of Lincoln, a lifelong Shakespeare devotee, being murdered by Booth, a Shakespeare actor himself and heir to a great legacy of Shakespearean acting. Lincoln’s assassination is potentially the most important event in American history, but it’s definitely the most important moment in American Shakespearean history and American theater history. And this book misses all of that.

[James Crabtree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prior to the mass media and instant entertainment we have today there was live entertainment. There were various lectures, dramatic readings, and, of course, plays. Shakespeare was naturally a cultural cornerstone to stage productions and his comedies and dramas were still very much a staple over 250 years later.

Anderegg has produced an excellent study as to how Americans in Lincoln's time would have known Shakespeare's works, either in print or as produced on the stage at the time. That Lincoln himself was familiar with Shakespeare's works is well-known; although he did not quote Shakespeare hardly at all in his speeches or writings Lincoln did write about Shakespeare and expressed an opinion of productions and even read passages aloud amongst his friends and associates. Anderegg has meticulously researched Lincoln's movements and whether Lincoln might have been able to attend that performance or another.

This is a fine book on the topic and Anderegg's research makes the reader feel as if he or she really has a firm understanding of Lincoln's love of Shakespeare and why it was so important to him.

[Ethan]

Great informational study. Provided a thorough understanding of Lincoln's feelings on Shakespeare and the way that he interacted with the Bard. Details of Lincoln's theater-going, reading habits, etc. The definitive book on Lincoln's relationship to Shakespeare.