Samuel Johnson’s

Criticism
 Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709– 13 December 1784), often referred to as Dr.
Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions to English literature as a
poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor, and lexicographer.
 Samuel Johnson wrote The preface to Shakespeare in which he displays classic critical
form. He wrote that Shakespeare's greatness lies in his style of representation of the
general human nature. His characters are neither type of certain qualities nor are they
some particular persons of distinctive individualistic traits.
Preface to Shakespeare (1765)

 This essay is divided into three parts

 Modern practices were always about glorifying the old and degrading the modern. (14)
Johnson says critics of the 18th century take everything that’s old for granted while they
doubt everything that is modern.
 how to decide whether a piece of literature is good or not?
1. if it lasts for long time.
2.  if it gradually gained recognition
3. if it rises whenever we compare it to other works.
  Thousands of books were written about Shakespeare’s plays. If modern experiments
should prove themselves against time then their works are good. However if they only
lasted for a little while then they failed.
 
 We don’t believe that the modern works are rotten, but the classical lasted for a long time
therefore they’re the most considered. Any work of literature that can bear with analysis
proves its success. When a work of literature succeed in that it becomes more considered
and best understood.
 In his essay. “The Poet” is written with capital P because Johnson meant here only
Shakespeare. Johnson considered Shakespeare to be the English classical figure because
he has long outlived his century
 People’s taste could change because of time, fashion, or because people themselves have
changed. “Nothing can please many, and please long, but just representations of general
nature.” Johnson states that Shakespeare is above all modern writers, the poets of nature,
and poets who praise important people. His reason is that Shakespeare’s characters are
always understood in despite of their place and time. Although he writes about his real life
sentiments, we can never find Shakespeare in his plays nor know what his real opinions
are.
 A modern dramatist would always present a lady, a lover. and a rival.
 However, this kind of love is not affective in life, its absence doesn’t stop us from living.
Anyone can be a dramatist but a poet is someone who uses his language to teach and
delight.
 The Greeks classified tragedy and comedy and their classification lasted for centuries.
 People who criticized Shakespeare did so because he didn’t follow the ancient
classification. Johnson, however, is saying Shakespeare is better than everyone because
although he mixed the genres together, we still know that his tragedy is a tragedy and his
comedy is a comedy and we’re not confused. The eighteenth century definitions of
comedy, tragedy, and history has been revised by Shakespeare according to his attitude
toward classification and blurring impact of these two things
Shakespeare’s Faults

  Samuel Johnson was the first to acknowledge Shakespeare’s faults. Shakespeare’s faults
are big, not minor.
 Johnson is subjective in this part of the essay. 
PART III
Samuel Johnson’s opinion regarding the three unities

 Johnson is the first English writer to express these ideas. This is the most original idea that
Johnson came up with. Johnson agreed with the unity of action and objected to the unities
of time and place. Sidney was a big fan of the three unities. Dryden agreed with Sidney.
Pope didn’t express his opinion about it as clearly, but he’s still a fan of the three unities. 
 The only important unity in a history play is the unity of action, a history play has to
have:
 A change of action that is understandable.
 It need to have several affecting incidents
 Consistent characteristics of the characters. For example, if a character starts out to be
brave it needs to continue being brave until the end of the play.
 Its characters have to be distinct, not similar to one another. The unities of time and place
are not important in a history play. If it’s, for example, about a battle, it’d start in a castle
where the king is talking to his soldiers. Then it’d move to a battle field, and then it’d
move to a hospital.
 Discussion of the classic view of the necessity of the three unities. The audience didn’t
take plays that observed the unity of time seriously. Sidney said that it’s absurd to me to
watch a woman gets pregnant and gives birth in one day.
 Art should imitate life. And in real life we don’t have a woman who gets pregnant and
have a child in one hour.
 Johnson says that the audience realizes that he hasn’t changed his place, and that the place
can’t change itself. The audience doesn’t confuse the play with reality and can use his
imagination.
 Objection against the unity of place: the spectator who can imagine from place to another
far away place, he sure can imagine other things. There’s no limits to imagination.
 Objection against the unity of time: I’m not sure what did Ms. Eman say about this point.
For example, in The merchant of Venice the actions happen in several months and they’re
connected. (577) you, for example, can remember some incidents that happened to you in
first grade. but you cannot remember the whole year. Because it’s easy for the mind to
forget, and it’s also easy for the
  Mind to connect. If something happened to you in the first grade that is connect to
another thing happened to you in the first year in university; your mind will link them.
Time is very easy to ignore. Drama is credited whenever it moves, action is what we need.
If I thought that Hamlet was actually dying on stage, it’d not be delightful. The action
delight the audience because he realize it’s not real. If I saw Hamlet die on stage I’d be
affected because I’ll remember that death exists. Or maybe I’ll remember a recent death
of someone close. To read Shakespeare is the same as attending Shakespeare. If it’s okay
to skip time in novel, why it isn’t in drama? since watching fiction is the same as reading
it.