The Ghosts A Study of the Occultism in the By L. W. ROGERS THEO BOOK COMPANY 2006 N. Sayre Ave. CHICAGO Publisher gift 82018-1426 AUTHOR'S NOTE In six of the Shakespeare plays occult phenomena constitute so important a part of them that they are presented under the titles of those dramas, while phenomena which are of a more incidental character are grouped under the divisions of dreams, ceremonial magic, etc. About fifteen years ago I wrote a pamphlet on The Occultism in the Shakespeare Plays. The greater part of it has been incorporated in this book. PREFACE If the value of literature depends upon the impression it makes upon the human race, there is nothing except the various scriptures of the world that rank with the Shakespeare plays. Most things that are written are soon forgotten. Thousands of books come weekly from the presses. They are read by comparatively few and pass to oblivion unknown to the millions. Occasionally a novel or a drama does attain considerable fame and wide circulation. It is the sensation of the day but the commotion it causes soon subsides and in a few years it is heard of no more. Not many books live a decade. Those that are known to a second generation are exceedingly rare. With the ephemeral character of literature in mind it is impressive to reflect that the Shakespeare plays are more than three centuries old and are more popular today than in the past. They have been translated into all languages and they are probably more widely read and more frequently quoted than anything else in print. The philosophy, the poetry, the artistry |