HAMLET was the play, or rather Hamlet himself was the character, in the intuition and exposition of which I first made my turn for philosophical criticism, and especially for insight into the genius of Shakspeare, noticed. This happened first amongst my acquaintances, as Sir George Beaumont will bear witness; and subsequently, long before Schlegel had delivered at Vienna the lectures on Shakspeare, which he afterwards published, I had given on the same subject eighteen lectures substantially the
aesthetic appeal—is more or less indisputable today. The roots of theatre in India are ancient and deep-seated. Theatrical expression of some kind or the other has been since primitive and mythic times, an integral part of Indian life. Our knowledge about the initial, primitive stage of theatrical activity in India is very meagre. However one can safely say that theatre in India as in Greece was deeply embroiled with religion and the theatrical activity in India as in other cultures “began with primitive