Shakespeare’s Symmetries: The Mirrored Structure of Action in the Plays

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The organization of Shakespeare’s plays has baffled audiences and critics since the 17th century. Cymbeline, for example, has been dismissed as
incoherent.
Hamlet
is of no clear shape.
And Antony and Cleopatra
bewilders the mind.

These judgments result from an incomplete understanding of Shakespeare’s constructive practice. It is not the narrative arc alone that organizes the plays but a complex structure of interwoven narratives and thematic actions. While the narrative varies from play to play, thematic actions are invariably designed in mirroring pairs around the central scene: A-B-C-B-A. This symmetrical pattern, which can be visualized as an arch with a focal keystone, is the foundation of all of Shakespeare’s mature work, as shown through analysis of the 26 plays in this book. This thematic arch
illuminates the structure of plays, demonstrating that they are rigorously crafted and revealing otherwise invisible subtleties.