Shakespeare’s GeniusArticle Free Pass “He was not of an age, but
for all time!” exclaimed Ben Jonson in his poem “ To the Memory
of My Beloved, the Author Mr. William Shakespeare,” one of
several dedicatory poems prefacing the great 1623 Folio of
Comedies, Histories & Tragedies, the first collected volume of
Shakespeare’s works. Time has thus far supported this bold
declaration: no writer before or since has equaled Shakespeare
in influence, reverential acclaim, or enduring commercial and
popular success. Although his work has been studied more than
that of any other writer, the facts of his life remain
maddeningly elusive. Some skeptics claim that the son of a
Stratford glover could not possibly have written such an
unparalleled body of work. And, in fact, the sort of uncritical
reverence that Shakespeare often receives can lead to
disappointment. The apocryphal first-time reader of Hamlet who
comes away disgusted because the play turned out to be “nothing
but quotes” testifies to the level of Shakespeare’s