Why do Shakespeare’s plays still hold an audience—and can we admire their power without overlooking their faults?

In Preface to Shakespeare, Samuel Johnson asks what makes a writer worth reading long after the fashions of his time fade. His answer begins with human nature. Shakespeare’s people feel true to life, Johnson argues, and his plays bring comedy and tragedy together rather than keeping them in separate worlds.

But Johnson does not ask you to admire blindly. He names Shakespeare’s faults, challenges critics who demand unity of time and place, and considers what an editor owes a damaged text. This is an argument about literary judgement, not a guide to plots: praise must have reasons, and even a great writer deserves close scrutiny.

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• Time as a test Consider how lasting merit differs from praise shaped by friendship, envy, or passing fashion.
• People true to life Explore Johnson’s claim that Shakespeare endures by showing human nature readers can recognise.
• Comedy beside tragedy See why Johnson defends plays that mix laughter and sorrow instead of obeying strict divisions.
• Freedom from rigid rules Follow his challenge to critics who confine drama to one place and a narrow span.
• Admiration without blindness Meet a critic who names faults plainly and asks editors to care for damaged texts.

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You will enjoy this if you love Shakespeare and want a sharp, honest guide to him, or if you like essays with a strong voice.