Leaves of Grass · Character

Shakespeare

William Shakespeare, cited as a literary giant and influence.

minor

First appearance: inscriptions

Shakespeare shows up with force in Song of the Exposition. The page is where that presence becomes real.

Referenced as part of the blazoned page of the old world that has passed.

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In Song of the Exposition: Referenced as part of the blazoned page of the old world that has passed. Later, in Thus by Blue Ontario's…

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Character Web

7 connections

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Story tension across the book.

The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the speaker fully internalizes the world’s suffering, feeling…

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Shakespeare appears across 9 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Song of the Exposition
Referenced as part of the blazoned page of the old world that has passed.
Thus by Blue Ontario's Shore
Among the loftiest bards of past ages who stride before the narrator
Fancies at Navesink
Cited alongside Homer and Tennyson as a poet whose woe-entangled characters the speaker would trade for the sea's essence.
Had I the Choice
Mentioned as a great bard whose works include Hamlet, Lear, and Othello.
To Get the Final Lilt of Songs
Listed among the mighty poets whose inmost lore the speaker wishes to penetrate.
Shakespeare-Bacon’s Cipher
Referenced in the title and as part of the cipher concept.
Old Chants
Listed among the great poets whose works are part of the old chants.
The Unexpress’d
Mentioned among the great poets whose works are part of the long tradition of expression.
Endnotes
Mentioned as part of the Elizabethan age that Whitman sees as foundational to the United States.

Chapter companion notes

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