Preface to Shakespeare

What it is

A preface written by the critic and lexicographer Samuel Johnson for his 1765 edition of Shakespeare's plays, along with some of his notes on individual plays.

Why it matters

Johnson's preface became one of the most influential pieces of Shakespeare criticism ever written. It shows how, more than a century after Shakespeare's death, scholars were still working to explain why his plays mattered and how they should be read and judged.

Look closer

• Why do you think Johnson begins by discussing how people praise the dead?
• What does it tell us that a major 18th-century writer devoted serious attention to Shakespeare's work?
• How might Johnson's own time and tastes have shaped his judgments of Shakespeare?