This study presents an account of Wittgenstein's "Philosophical Investigations", interpreting the text as displaying the human need to pursue an ideal of expressive freedom within the limits set by culture. The author sees Wittgenstein as a Romantic protagonist pondering on the nature of intentional consciousness, and ranging over ethics, aesthetics and philosophy of mind. Leading a human life becomes a creative act, of continuously seeking to overcome both complacency and scepticism. Eldridge aims to provide a careful reconstruction of the central motive of Wittgenstein's work.