Grief And Joy:a Comparative Study Of Li Bai And Shakespeare

Two great names with equal poetic excellence are recorded in the history of world literature by Li Bai of China and Shakespeare of Britain, whose poetic works not only ushered in brand-new eras for their national literatures but also laid far-reaching bearings on the literature development of the whole world. The two poets both advocated a common poetic style of integrating realistic description with lyric expression, which was deeply ingrained in their analogous life experiences. With noble ideals and soaring ambitions in mind, Li Bai started travelling extensively to various places of China, "paying visits to all the eminent generals" and "winning a good reputation among court officials." At the age of thirty-four, he wrote a passionate self-recommendation letter to Han Chaozong, Vice Governor of the Jingzhou Prefecture. Also in his thirties, Shakespeare dedicated Venus and Adonis to his patron Earl of Southampton by appending a comparable self-recommendation letter on the title page. The coincidence-like experience of writing letters to the authority, or people of influence, truly reflects the poets' eager desire to pursue their ideals. But in times when talents were envied and slandered they could not truly win recognition and honor from the fatuous ruling class. Soon after being summoned to Chang'an by the emperor, Li Bai was banished due to slanderous talk of crafty officials. Although Shakespeare made a great stir on the London stage, he soon became the target of evil and envious Robert Greene, whose Groatsworth of Wit almost pushed the poet into an abyss of desperation. The emotion of grief, therefore, has become a common tune of their poetic works.Although rejected and frustrated, they retained their lofty and unyielding moral integrity, holding the belief that they would make outstanding achievements with the great force of their works. Such a belief is then sublimated into a high spirit of joy, which permeates their poetic works with unbounded passion towards life. Seemingly ambivalent, the grief and joy are actually in perfect dialectical unity. The unity, on the one hand, is conceived in a broad and noble mind, which requires great vision, utmost fortitude and majestic vigor of romanticism. On the other hand, the unity also reflects the features of the times in which the two poets lived and the social regularity under certain historical conditions.