--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A play that takes as its burden the…" description: "\"“A play that takes as its burden the meaning of self-consciousness may hint that inner freedom can be attained only when the protagonist can separate h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/harold-bloom-3350_freedom_a-play-that-takes-as-its-burden-the-mean_1228140.jpg" --- # A play that takes as its burden the meaning of… ![“A play that takes as its burden the meaning of self-consciousness may hint that inner freedom can be attained only when the protagonist can separate his genius for expanding consciousness from his own passion for theatricality.” quote by Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/harold-bloom-3350_freedom_a-play-that-takes-as-its-burden-the-mean_1228140.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/harold-bloom-3350_freedom_a-play-that-takes-as-its-burden-the-mean_1228140.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/harold-bloom-3350_freedom_a-play-that-takes-as-its-burden-the-mean_1228140.jpg) > ““A play that takes as its burden the meaning of self-consciousness may hint that inner freedom can be attained only when the protagonist can separate his genius for expanding consciousness from his own passion for theatricality.”” [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The play suggests that true inner freedom emerges only when a character can separate his creative drive from his desire for theatrical display. **In simple terms:** Freedom comes from separating art from ego. Key Takeaway Cultivate humility in creative pursuits. Themes art ego self‑consciousness Mood analytical critical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - theatre performance - creative work - personal development Key Concepts literary analysis philosophy Questions to Reflect On - Can you separate your creative purpose from your need for applause? - What does inner freedom look like for you? A Different Perspective Ego can dominate and block authentic expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Consciousness Hint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness-hint-3787046/) [Consciousness Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness-passion-3787045/) [Expanding Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expanding-consciousness/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Inner Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-freedom-1049620/) [Meaning Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning-self-1040712/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Self consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-consciousness/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [I think that the consciousness of passion makes you act very differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-almodovar/i-think-that-the-consciousness-of-passion-makes-you-act-very/) [Pedro Almodovar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-almodovar/) > [Tied to consciousness are all positive qualities, so that ocean within is an ocean of unbounded intelligence, unbounded creativity, unbounded happiness, unbounded love, unbounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/tied-to-consciousness-are-all-positive-qualities-so-that-ocean-within/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [The reverie we intend to study is poetic reverie. This is a reverie which poetry puts on the right track, the track an expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/the-reverie-we-intend-to-study-is-poetic-reverie-this-is-a-reverie/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [Enlightenment is any experience of expanding our consciousness beyond its present limits. We could also say that perfect enlightenment is realizing that we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thaddeus-golas/enlightenment-is-any-experience-of-expanding-our-consciousness-beyond-2/) [Thaddeus Golas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thaddeus-golas/) > [From the standpoint of our spiritual development, it might be important for us to realize that we came from an unknown somewhere; we brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-templeton/from-the-standpoint-of-our-spiritual-development-it-might-be/) [John Templeton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-templeton/) > [The side effect of expanding consciousness is that negativity starts to evaporate; it goes away like darkness when you turn on a light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/the-side-effect-of-expanding-consciousness-is-that-negativity-starts/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [I'll tell you what I think. I think sages are the growing tip of the secret impulse of evolution. I think they are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/i-ll-tell-you-what-i-think-i-think-sages-are-the-growing-tip-of-the/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [The side effect of expanding consciousness is that negativity starts to evaporate; it goes away like darkness when you turn on a light. Many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/the-side-effect-of-expanding-consciousness-is-that-negativity-starts-2/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [Enlightenment is any experience of expanding our consciousness beyond its present limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thaddeus-golas/enlightenment-is-any-experience-of-expanding-our-consciousness-beyond/) [Thaddeus Golas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thaddeus-golas/) > [I am also interested in music expanding consciousness. By expanding consciousness, I mean that old patterns can be replaced with new ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-oliveros/i-am-also-interested-in-music-expanding-consciousness-by-expanding/) [Pauline Oliveros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-oliveros/) > [The great wisdom traditions of the world all recognize that the main impediment to living a life of meaning is being self-absorbed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/the-great-wisdom-traditions-of-the-world-all-recognize-that-the-main/) [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) > [I am very much an only child, meaning I am self-reliant, egocentric, sociable. I had my mother, father, and an uncle who lived with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-wilson/i-am-very-much-an-only-child-meaning-i-am-self-reliant-egocentric/) [Tony Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-wilson/) > [“your happiness comes before anyone else's happiness -the real meaning of "self-respect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-lovelace/your-happiness-comes-before-anyone-else-s-happiness-the-real-meaning/) [Amanda Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-lovelace/) > [Meaning that is self-made is in the last analysis no meaning. Meaning, that is, the ground on which our existence as a totality can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/meaning-that-is-self-made-is-in-the-last-analysis-no-meaning-meaning/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Each of us must become impassioned, finding meaning and self-fulfillment in our own life's journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-stoddard/each-of-us-must-become-impassioned-finding-meaning-and-self/) [Alexandra Stoddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-stoddard/) ## More by Harold Bloom > [I realized early on that the academy and the literary world alike - and I don't think there really is a distinction between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/i-realized-early-on-that-the-academy-and-the-literary-world-alike-and/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [I would say that there is no future for literary studies as such in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/i-would-say-that-there-is-no-future-for-literary-studies-as-such-in/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [“Brecht was a cynical bohemian bogey of the middle classes, but also much more than a mere provocateur. He developed and dramatized his political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/brecht-was-a-cynical-bohemian-bogey-of-the-middle-classes-but-also/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [The morality of scholarship, as currently practiced, is to encourage everyone to replace difficult pleasures by pleasures universally accessible precisely because they are easier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/the-morality-of-scholarship-as-currently-practiced-is-to-encourage/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [Dark influences from the American past congregate among us still. If we are a democracy, what are we to make of the palpable elements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/dark-influences-from-the-american-past-congregate-among-us-still-if/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [“We read frequently if unknowingly, in quest of a mind more original than our own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/we-read-frequently-if-unknowingly-in-quest-of-a-mind-more-original/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [“You can read merely to pass the time, or you can read with an overt urgency, but eventually you will read against the clock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/you-can-read-merely-to-pass-the-time-or-you-can-read-with-an-overt/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [In the finest critics one hears the full cry of the human. They tell one why it matters to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/in-the-finest-critics-one-hears-the-full-cry-of-the-human-they-tell/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [The idea of Herman Melville in a writing class is always distressing to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/the-idea-of-herman-melville-in-a-writing-class-is-always-distressing/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [If I were to sum up the negative reactions to my work, I think there are two primary causes: one is that if there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/if-i-were-to-sum-up-the-negative-reactions-to-my-work-i-think-there/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [Aesthetic value emanates from the struggle between texts: in the reader, in language, in the classroom, in arguments within a society. Aesthetic value rises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/aesthetic-value-emanates-from-the-struggle-between-texts-in-the/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [Shakespeare will not make us better, and he will not make us worse, but he may teach us how to overhear ourselves when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/shakespeare-will-not-make-us-better-and-he-will-not-make-us-worse-but/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [Criticism starts - it has to start - with a real passion for reading. It can come in adolescence, even in your twenties, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/criticism-starts-it-has-to-start-with-a-real-passion-for-reading-it/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [“No one has yet managed to be post-Shakespearean.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/no-one-has-yet-managed-to-be-post-shakespearean/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [What is supposed to be the very essence of Judaism - which is the notion that it is by study that you make yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/what-is-supposed-to-be-the-very-essence-of-judaism-which-is-the/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) [Explore all 127 Harold Bloom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) ## More Freedom quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“No one was more surprised than I to realize that my newfound freedom had been purchased by giving up on eternity and settling for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jessop/no-one-was-more-surprised-than-i-to-realize-that-my-newfound-freedom/) [Carolyn Jessop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jessop/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) [Browse all 30,110 Freedom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A play that takes as its burden the meaning of self-consciousness may hint that inner freedom can be attained only when the protagonist can separate his genius for expanding consciousness from his own passion for theatricality.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harold Bloom" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/a-play-that-takes-as-its-burden-the-meaning-of-self-consciousness-may/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Freedom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/a-play-that-takes-as-its-burden-the-meaning-of-self-consciousness-may/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/harold-bloom-3350_freedom_a-play-that-takes-as-its-burden-the-mean_1228140.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/harold-bloom-3350_freedom_a-play-that-takes-as-its-burden-the-mean_1228140.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/harold-bloom-3350_freedom_a-play-that-takes-as-its-burden-the-mean_1228140.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A play that takes as its burden the meaning of self-consciousness may hint that inner freedom can be…” — Harold Bloom", "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": "Harold Bloom", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A play that takes as its...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/a-play-that-takes-as-its-burden-the-meaning-of-self-consciousness-may/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/a-play-that-takes-as-its-burden-the-meaning-of-self-consciousness-may/#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 } } ] } ```