The poem "Shakespeare", by Matthew Arnold, is a tribute
poem to the great playwright William Shakespeare.
The poem
explicitly shows Arnold's honor by raising Shakespeare to a level similar to one which
others typically raise God/gods to. The lines of the poem conveys the greatness which
Arnold thought Shakespeare exemplified.
According to
Arnold, while others must "abide our questions", Shakespeare is free from them. While
questions are asked over and over, Shakespeare only has to smile showing his unending
knowledge.
Perhaps the most adorning line is : "
Self-school'd, self-scann'd, self-honour'd, self-secure". Here, Arnold is saying that
Shakespeare's ability to teach himself outweighs all others because he must only answer
to himself and no one else. "We" mortals must submit to the questions that others pose
to us. Arnold believes that Shakespeare was (and remains) above
this.
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