The Politics of Shakespeare Criticism in the Restoration and Early Eighteenth Century

Recent treatments of William Shakespeare's reputation during the Restoration and eighteenth century have attempted to demonstrate how little attention was paid to Shakespeare's excellence as a playwright before the middle of the eighteenth century. Although these works have usually emphasized performance and the little respect with which his texts were treated on the stage, they have left the impression that Shakespeare's reputation among literary critics was low. This essay attempts to sort out the various critical attitudes toward Shakespeare and the bases for them.