---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What's wonderful about Tolkien and…"
description: "\"What's wonderful about Tolkien and Shakespeare is that they show up your own individual microscope. They're so infinitely vast. You can reinterpret the..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/andy-serkis-1548_about_what-s-wonderful-about-tolkien-and-shake_420826.jpg"
---

#  What's wonderful about Tolkien and Shakespeare is that…

![“What's wonderful about Tolkien and Shakespeare is that they show up your own individual microscope. They're so infinitely vast. You can reinterpret them in so many ways.” quote by Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/andy-serkis-1548_about_what-s-wonderful-about-tolkien-and-shake_420826.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/andy-serkis-1548_about_what-s-wonderful-about-tolkien-and-shake_420826.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/andy-serkis-1548_about_what-s-wonderful-about-tolkien-and-shake_420826.jpg)

> “What's wonderful about Tolkien and Shakespeare is that they show up your own individual microscope. They're so infinitely vast. You can reinterpret them in so many ways.”

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Great works act as lenses, allowing personal interpretation and endless creative possibilities across cultures and time.

**In simple terms:** Great art is a personal lens.

Key Takeaway

Explore classic works to discover new perspectives.

Themes

art interpretation creativity

Mood

inspired curious

Type

literary inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing
- teaching
- personal development
- cultural analysis

Key Concepts

literature theatre identity

Questions to Reflect On

- What does Tolkien mean to you?
- How does Shakespeare influence your worldview?

A Different Perspective

Interpretations may clash with original intent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Infinitely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinitely/) [Infinitely Vast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinitely-vast-2084992/) [Many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/many/) [Microscope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/microscope/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Show](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/show/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolkien/) [Tolkien Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolkien-shakespeare-3730770/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Vast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vast/) [Ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ways/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) [Wonderful Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful-tolkien-3730771/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/)

## Related quotes

> [What's wonderful about Tolkien and Shakespeare is that they show up your own individual microscope. They're so infinitely vast. You can reinterpret them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/what-s-wonderful-about-tolkien-and-shakespeare-is-that-they-show-up-2/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [“Be infinitely curious and creative for the world is infinitely vast and beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kota-yamada/be-infinitely-curious-and-creative-for-the-world-is-infinitely-vast/)

[Kota Yamada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kota-yamada/)

> [“For many feverish years he was burdened with the sensation, an ancient one to be sure, that the incredible sprawl of human history was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/for-many-feverish-years-he-was-burdened-with-the-sensation-an-ancient/)

[Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/)

> ['The Hobbit' was one of the first biggish books I ever read. I remember vividly the 'riddles in the dark' passage, and it meant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/the-hobbit-was-one-of-the-first-biggish-books-i-ever-read-i-remember/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [Recently I read that half the world or more has read 'The Lord of The Rings,' but then I found out that something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/recently-i-read-that-half-the-world-or-more-has-read-the-lord-of-the/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [“Go higher and higher, until it becomes impossible to bring you down, I wanna use a microscope to locate you, don't even dream of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/go-higher-and-higher-until-it-becomes-impossible-to-bring-you-down-i/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [I am equally fascinated and awed by visiting an Alexander McQueen show as I am looking under a microscope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neri-oxman/i-am-equally-fascinated-and-awed-by-visiting-an-alexander-mcqueen/)

[Neri Oxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neri-oxman/)

> [“You can't photograph the hugest mysteries of the universe that really have nothing to do with what shows up before your eyes, under a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-plum-ucci/you-can-t-photograph-the-hugest-mysteries-of-the-universe-that-really/)

[Carol Plum-Ucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-plum-ucci/)

> [First Ladies have always been held like specimens under a media microscope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-leon-talley/first-ladies-have-always-been-held-like-specimens-under-a-media/)

[Andre Leon Talley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-leon-talley/)

> [In order to understand the movement of prices, you need not an oscilloscope to measure the entire market and reduce it to noise, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gilder/in-order-to-understand-the-movement-of-prices-you-need-not-an/)

[George Gilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gilder/)

> [I want to know diverse facts about such things as galaxies or molecules or proteins or insect species. I have an impulse to want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-shiller/i-want-to-know-diverse-facts-about-such-things-as-galaxies-or/)

[Robert J. Shiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-shiller/)

> [Our eyes see very little and very badly – so people dreamed up the microscope to let them see invisible phenomena; they invented the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dziga-vertov/our-eyes-see-very-little-and-very-badly-so-people-dreamed-up-the/)

[Dziga Vertov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dziga-vertov/)

> [The human mind prefers something which it can recognize to something for which it has no name, and, whereas thousands of persons carry field…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fairchild/the-human-mind-prefers-something-which-it-can-recognize-to-something/)

[David Fairchild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fairchild/)

> [Perhaps, if science is clever enough to see, it will realize that religion may not be too far off with its concrete imagery; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/perhaps-if-science-is-clever-enough-to-see-it-will-realize-that/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [We should picture the instrument that carries our mental functioning as resembling a compound microscope or photographic apparatus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/we-should-picture-the-instrument-that-carries-our-mental-functioning/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

## More by Andy Serkis

> [In a personal way, to do with family and the father-son relationship, in a kind of artistic way with regard to him being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/in-a-personal-way-to-do-with-family-and-the-father-son-relationship/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [I think I have a lot of internal energy, which does need to come out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/i-think-i-have-a-lot-of-internal-energy-which-does-need-to-come-out/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [Hoodwink is a product of his environment. He grew up in Belfast, he was part of the UDA and he fought for what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/hoodwink-is-a-product-of-his-environment-he-grew-up-in-belfast-he-was/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [Performance capture is a tool that young actors will need in the next 10, 20 years. It's on the increase, as you say. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/performance-capture-is-a-tool-that-young-actors-will-need-in-the-next/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [I think that Gollum is really the character who is a very human character, and he's very flawed, like most humans are, and has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/i-think-that-gollum-is-really-the-character-who-is-a-very-human/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [I'm quite contrary. If people agree on something, I tend to gravitate the other way by my nature. I don't like to be told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/i-m-quite-contrary-if-people-agree-on-something-i-tend-to-gravitate/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [I do love nature, but I don't suppose I'd spent more time in zoos as a child than anyone else!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/i-do-love-nature-but-i-don-t-suppose-i-d-spent-more-time-in-zoos-as-a/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [When you start to do research into gorillas or any kind of apes, if you're going to play them, that's one of the biggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/when-you-start-to-do-research-into-gorillas-or-any-kind-of-apes-if/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [I remember once, I read in a horoscope, because I'm an Aries, I read this terrible thing, which really affected me, which said, "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/i-remember-once-i-read-in-a-horoscope-because-i-m-an-aries-i-read/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [It's really up to the acting community to be willing to be educated about what performance capture is in order to fully appreciate it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/it-s-really-up-to-the-acting-community-to-be-willing-to-be-educated/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [I love acting and certainly won't give it up, but it's part of a bigger canvas for me now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/i-love-acting-and-certainly-won-t-give-it-up-but-it-s-part-of-a/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [Rather than something like King Kong where I really went after studying gorillas in the wild and captivity. I based Caesar \[ from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/rather-than-something-like-king-kong-where-i-really-went-after/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [On lower budget things you're still working collaboratively, but the investment and your level of creative importance is higher on something like this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/on-lower-budget-things-you-re-still-working-collaboratively-but-the/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [Gollum is entirely based on the notion of addiction. The way that the ring pervades him, makes him craving, lustful, depletes him physically, psychologically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/gollum-is-entirely-based-on-the-notion-of-addiction-the-way-that-the/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [I'm definitely moving more towards directing now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/i-m-definitely-moving-more-towards-directing-now/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

[Explore all 229 Andy Serkis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

## More About quotes

> [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/)

[Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/)

> [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/)

[Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/)

> [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/)

[Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/)

> [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/)

[Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/)

> [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/)

[Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/)

> [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/)

[Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/)

> [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/)

[Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/)

> [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/)

[Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/)

> [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/)

[Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/)

> [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/)

[Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/)

> [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/)

[Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

> [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/)

[Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/)

[Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What's wonderful about Tolkien and Shakespeare is that they show up your own individual microscope. They're so infinitely vast. You can reinterpret them in so many ways.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Andy Serkis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/what-s-wonderful-about-tolkien-and-shakespeare-is-that-they-show-up/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "About"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/what-s-wonderful-about-tolkien-and-shakespeare-is-that-they-show-up/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/andy-serkis-1548_about_what-s-wonderful-about-tolkien-and-shake_420826.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/andy-serkis-1548_about_what-s-wonderful-about-tolkien-and-shake_420826.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/andy-serkis-1548_about_what-s-wonderful-about-tolkien-and-shake_420826.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What's wonderful about Tolkien and Shakespeare is that they show up your own individual microscope. They're…” — Andy Serkis",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Andy Serkis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What's wonderful about Tolkien and Shakespeare...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/what-s-wonderful-about-tolkien-and-shakespeare-is-that-they-show-up/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/what-s-wonderful-about-tolkien-and-shakespeare-is-that-they-show-up/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
