The Critics Versus Shakspere / A Brief for the Defendant

A forensic brief that defends Shakespeare against successive waves of criticism and revision, tracing judgments from seventeenth- and eighteenth-century detractors through later defenders. It surveys accusations of rawness, violation of classical unities, bombast, and loose plotting voiced by figures like Ben Jonson, Voltaire, Dryden, Rymer, Pope, and Johnson, and documents theatrical adaptations and editorial remodellings that altered plots and characters. The essay balances these attacks against the endurance of popular esteem and numerous critical editions, and concludes by noting more recent scholarly challenges that reopened debates about originality and influence.