Shakespeare's Memory

Main Characters and Their Development

• The story's protagonist—a man whose life is invaded by a grand, foreign memory, Shakespeare's memory—appears to the reader as a being balancing on the edge between his own self and the all-consuming ocean of another's recollections. His inner world gradually fills with the images, feelings, and thoughts of the great playwright, leading to a painful split: he can no longer distinguish where his own «I» ends and the unknown life of another begins. This character journeys from curiosity and admiration to anxiety and fear of losing his own essence; his development is a subtle drama of inner disintegration and the search for lost individuality. The second key character—the enigmatic Don Ottavio, who passes Shakespeare's memory to the protagonist—embodies the temptation and danger of knowledge. Shrouded in mystery, he is like a guide between worlds, bearing the mark of tragic doom. Their interaction reveals the theme of responsibility for another's memory, as well as the inevitable loss of self in the attempt to touch the absolute of another's genius.