Critical reputation William Shakespeare

—ben jonson

shakespeare not revered in lifetime, received large amount of praise. in 1598, cleric , author francis meres singled him out group of english writers excellent in both comedy , tragedy. authors of parnassus plays @ st john s college, cambridge numbered him chaucer, gower, , spenser. in first folio, ben jonson called shakespeare soul of age, applause, delight, wonder of our stage , though had remarked elsewhere shakespeare wanted art .

between restoration of monarchy in 1660 , end of 17th century, classical ideas in vogue. result, critics of time rated shakespeare below john fletcher , ben jonson. thomas rymer, example, condemned shakespeare mixing comic tragic. nevertheless, poet , critic john dryden rated shakespeare highly, saying of jonson, admire him, love shakespeare . several decades, rymer s view held sway; during 18th century, critics began respond shakespeare on own terms , acclaim termed natural genius. series of scholarly editions of work, notably of samuel johnson in 1765 , edmond malone in 1790, added growing reputation. 1800, firmly enshrined national poet. in 18th , 19th centuries, reputation spread abroad. among championed him writers voltaire, goethe, stendhal, , victor hugo.

a garlanded statue of william shakespeare in lincoln park, chicago, typical of many created in 19th , 20th century

during romantic era, shakespeare praised poet , literary philosopher samuel taylor coleridge; , critic august wilhelm schlegel translated plays in spirit of german romanticism. in 19th century, critical admiration shakespeare s genius bordered on adulation. king shakespeare, essayist thomas carlyle wrote in 1840, not shine, in crowned sovereignty, on all, noblest, gentlest, yet strongest of rallying signs; indestructible . victorians produced plays lavish spectacles on grand scale. playwright , critic george bernard shaw mocked cult of shakespeare worship bardolatry , claiming new naturalism of ibsen s plays had made shakespeare obsolete.

the modernist revolution in arts during 20th century, far discarding shakespeare, eagerly enlisted work in service of avant-garde. expressionists in germany , futurists in moscow mounted productions of plays. marxist playwright , director bertolt brecht devised epic theatre under influence of shakespeare. poet , critic t.s. eliot argued against shaw shakespeare s primitiveness in fact made him modern. eliot, along g. wilson knight , school of new criticism, led movement towards closer reading of shakespeare s imagery. in 1950s, wave of new critical approaches replaced modernism , paved way post-modern studies of shakespeare. 1980s, shakespeare studies open movements such structuralism, feminism, new historicism, african-american studies, , queer studies. in comprehensive reading of shakespeare s works , comparing shakespeare literary accomplishments accomplishments among leading figures in philosophy , theology well, harold bloom has commented shakespeare larger plato , st. augustine. encloses because see fundamental perceptions.