Preface to Shakespeare

We judge a living writer by his worst work, Samuel Johnson argues, and a dead one by his best. Why does age make genius seem brighter, like the sun seen through artificial opacity?

Writing in the eighteenth century, Johnson asks whether Shakespeare’s long-lived reputation is mere reverence for antiquity—or proof of lasting excellence. The old local customs and passing jokes in the plays have faded, yet readers still find pleasure in them. Johnson’s answer begins with Shakespeare’s gift for showing not rare creatures or theatrical exaggerations, but people stirred by the passions and principles shared across ordinary life. He measures the playwright against other dramatists, and asks what makes these scenes feel so close to experience. What, exactly, has Shakespeare seen in human nature that keeps his plays alive?

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