1. Shakespeare Through the Ages presents not the most current of Shakespeare criticism, but the
best of Shakespeare criticism, from the seventeenth century to today. In the process, each volume
also charts the flow over time of critical discussion of a particular play. Other useful and
fascinating collections of historical Shakespearean criticism exist, but no collection that we know
of contains such a range of commentary on each of Shakespeare’s greatest plays and at the same
time emphasizes the greatest critics in our literary tradition: from John Dryden in the seventeenth
century, to Samuel Johnson in the eighteenth century, to William Hazlitt and Samuel Coleridge
in the nineteenth century, to A.C. Bradley and William Empson in the twentieth century, to the
most perceptive critics of our own day. This canon of Shakespearean criticism emphasizes
aesthetic rather than political or social analysis.
Some of the pieces included here are full-length essays; others are excerpts designed to present a
key point. Much (but not all) of the earliest criticism consists only of brief mentions of specific
plays. In addition to the classics of criticism, some pieces of mainly historical importance have
been included, often to provide background for important reactions from future critics.
These volumes are intended for students, particularly those just beginning their explorations of
Shakespeare. We have therefore also included basic materials designed to provide a solid
grounding in each play: a biography of Shakespeare, a synopsis of the play, a list of characters,
and an explication of key passages. In addition, each selection of the criticism of a particular
century begins with an introductory essay discussing the general nature of that century’s
commentary and the particular issues and controversies addressed by critics presented in the
volume.