Question: How does Johnson defend Shakespeare against the charge of the violation of the three unities?

Introduction

Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) is the famous literary scholar in the history of English Literature. He is considered the father of the English Dictionary. His literary criticism “Preface to Shakespeare” (1765) proved his genius in the field of Criticism. “Preface to Shakespeare” here Johnson has shown the mastery of defending Shakespeare of violation of dramatic unities.

Proper use of unity of action

Johnson deals with the two unities – unity of time and unity of place. The other unity -unity of action has not been discussed because this unity is indispensable for each dramatic work. Aristotle has laid the utmost importance on the unity of action as it is the central success of a drama.  The unity of action means the proper arrangement of events such as beginning, middle, and end. we can notice that in Shakespearian drama the proper use of unity of action.

“The changes of action be so prepared as to be understood, that the incidents be various and affecting, and the characters consistent, natural and distinct. No other unity is intended, and therefore none is to be sought.”

Ignorance of unities for delight in diversity

According to Johnson, the violation of the unities is not only his fault but also his ignorance of unities.  Shakespeare willingly ignored the two dramatic unities. Johnson has defended Shakespeare that maintaining the three unities is not the hard and fast rule of creating the drama. So, Shakespeare has willingly ignored the three unities for providing delight to the readers to a great context.

” The unities of time and place are not essential to a just drama, that though they may sometimes conduce to pleasure, they are always to be sacrificed to the nobler beauties of variety and instruction ”

From this quoted line we can easily understand that the unity of time and the unity of place is violated apparently in Shakespeare ‘s drama.

More Notes of Criticism

Free from traditionalism

Johnson has defended Shakespearian fault that violating dramatic untiy. Johnson has uttered that Shakespear has viotated the three unity for showing his creative genius to the readers. His talents are free from the traditionalism. His dramatic unity is free not tie with rope to Aristotle’s dramatic unity.

Showing extra-ordinary genius

According to Johnson, since Shakespeare is an extraordinary genius, it does not matter whether he maintains dramatic unities or not. Besides, success is the fact not the technique.

Conclusion

In termination, we can say that Johnson‘s arguments about Shakespeare’s violation of the two unities have made the drama more praiseworthy.