Shakespeare in Dostoevsky’s 『Uncle’s Dream』

This paper examines the motifs of Shakespeare in one of Dostoevsky’s ‘comic novels’, 『Uncle’s Dream』, and examines the characters’ attitudes toward Shakespeare, ultimately examining how Shakespeare is accepted and positioned by the writer Dostoevsky. As examined in the main text, Shakespeare is mentioned a total of eight times in 『Uncle’s Dream』. Depending on who mentions Shakespeare, Mariya mentions it six times, Vasya once, and the narrator once. Mariya thinks that Shakespeare, read by Mozglyakov, who loves and wants to propose to her daughter Zina, is something that should be rejected because it instills dangerous ideas and is of no help in reality. In contrast, Vasya reads Shakespeare with Zina, fostering dreams and love together, reflecting on himself and being considerate of the other person, and asking Zina for forgiveness for his mistakes just before his death. In the last part of the novel, Zina and Mozglyakov also ask for forgiveness from those who were hurt by them for their involvement in the plot against the Prince (Zina's case) and their plot (Mozglyakov's case). The narrator takes a relatively neutral stance toward Zina and asks the reader whether Zina's series of attitudes are due to her reading of Shakespeare, once again posing a topic for discussion on Shakespeare. In summary, those who read Shakespeare try to fulfill their desires and dreams in a romantic way, but when problems arise in the process, they show a reflective attitude of repenting their mistakes and asking for forgiveness, while those who do not read or reject Shakespeare end up only trying to satisfy their own ambitions and greed.