In “Scylla and Charybdis”, Russell states that “the supreme question about a work of art is out of how deep a life does it spring.” (9, ll.49-50). In other words, he is saying that the most important part of our view of any form of art is how it affects us. According to him, the ideas that come forth are simply just that and they don’t go beyond that. Joyce on the other hand seems to be delving deeper into this statement with the discussion of Hamlet. By arguing that Shakespeare is playing the role of the ghost of Hamlet’s father, or that Ann Hathaway portrayed Queen Gertrude, Joyce opens up the possibility of his own characters representing others. Shakespeare’s son Hamnet, for instance, could be represented by Bloom’s son Rudy, as both boys died young.

We  had discussed in class that Joyce is speaking through some of his characters, like Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom. In this instance, Joyce is zooming out even further, showing that not only to his characters relate to other fictional literary characters, but they can also serve as real people. Questioning the deeper meaning of a work of art, whether it be in written form or painting, allows the audience to make connections to both the real and literary world.