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ChapterI.ShakespeareearlyEuropeanreception(1623-1725)
AllthecommendatorypoemsandprefacestotheFirstFolio,presentShake-
speareasanordinarymanandsimultaneouslycreatehisimageastheTran-
scendentalAuthor.Hisworks,writtennot‘ofanage,butforalltime’,were
addressedbothtotheintellectualelite,‘themostable’onesandtoaverage
readers,thosewho‘canbutspell’([1623]1994:xlv).Thefirsteditorsclaimed
thattheplaywrightshouldbereadandre-readagainandagain.Ifwedonotap-
preciatehim,itisonlyourownfaultasweobviouslydonotunderstandhim6
Shakespeare,asearlyasintheFirstFolio,becamethedefiniteembodimentof
ArtasunderstoodbyRenaissancehumanists,freeandfaraboveofearthlyflaws
andvices(Kujawińska-Courtney,1996:189-191).
Inhisprivatepapers,however,BenJonson,slightlytoneddownhisenthu-
siasmfortheworkofhislife-longfriendandfellowplaywright.Inthemuch
celebratedrejoinder,leftbyJonsonandpublishedafterhisdeathinTimber
,or
Discoveriesweread:
IrememberthePlayershaveoftenmentioneditasanhonourtoShakespeare,that
inhiswriting,(whatsoeverhepenn’d)heeneverblottedoutline.Myanswer
hathbeene,wouldhehadblottedathousand.Whichtheythoughtamalevolent
speech.Ihadnottoldposteritythis,butfortheirignorance,whochoosethat
circumstancetocommendtheirfriendby,whereinhemostfaulted;andtojusti-
fiemineowncandor,(forIlov’dtheman,anddoehonourhismemory[onthis
sideIdolatry]asmuchasany).Heewas(indeed)honest,andofanopenandfree
nature;hadanexcellentPhantasie,bravenotions,andgentleexpressions:wherein
heeflow’dwiththatfacilitythatsometimeitwasnecessaryheshouldbestopp’d
[…]Butheeredeemedhisvices,withhisvertues.Therewasevermoreinhimto
bepraysed,thantobepardoned(Jonson,[1640]CH,vol.1:26).
Theabovequotedfragmenthasaverytellingtitle‘DeShakespearenostrati’
proudlyannouncingthatitisabout‘ourShakespeare’,itstronglysuggeststhat
inmidseventeenthcenturytheplaywrightwasalreadybecominganational
icon.Anotherstrikingfeatureofthispassageisthementionofidolatry,which
becameaninseparablefactorofEnglishShakespearecriticism.Additionally,
itisworthnotingthatwiththisnotebookentryJonsoninitiatedthefashion
ofviewingShakespearecriticismthroughtheframeworkofvirtuesandvices.
TheideathatShakespeare’splayswerebarbarousbutdispersedwithstunningly
6
JohnHemingesandHenryCondellincludingsuchawarningintheiraddress‘To
TheGreatVarietyofReaders’wereclearlypredictingtheattacksonShakespeare
fromthearenaofthosewho,equippedwiththoroughclassicaleducation,blindly
adheredtotherulessetfortragedyandcomedybyancientRomeandGreece.
