Allen Ginsberg, on Shakespeare

When I first saw this link go by I immediately thought “Allen Ginsberg on Shakespeare? So, what, like F___ Shakespeare?” 🙂

I am glad I clicked.  I don’t really know what this blog is or where the content came from, but it appears to be a transcription of Ginsberg giving some sort of lesson on The Tempest, and in particular the underlying Buddhist ideas. I’m trying to process it now.

One thought he leads with, which I think is a stretch but maybe I’m wrong – he starts with the idea that Caliban is in fact Prospero’s kid? Is that reflected in the text?  He then uses the treachery of Caliban to show a karmic circle for Prospero. But I’m not sure how much he’s reading in to that.

2 thoughts on “Allen Ginsberg, on Shakespeare

  1. Ginsberg seems to read quite a bit into the text, but the musings of poets about Shakespeare are always interesting. This is a fascinating Buddhist/beat-generation slant with a guru-ish quality to it that I find almost mesmerizing to read.
    Thanks for the link!
    –Carl

  2. I'll read the text later because I'm in college right now, but I always thought of Caliban as Propero's son. For me, it seems right, and explains his angry and misadventures.

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