Notes to Shakespeare — Volume 01: Comedies

The audiobook presents Samuel Johnson’s celebrated notes on Shakespeare’s comedies, compiled in a scholarly edition. Listeners get insight into Johnson’s 18th‑century criticism, his lexical expertise, and the collaborative history with George Steevens that shaped the variorum. The introduction frames the legacy of Johnson’s preface and explains why his marginalia matter to students and lovers of the plays.

The commentary walks through the early scenes of each comedy, unpacking language, jokes, and cultural references that can feel opaque today. Readers hear the careful balance of Johnson’s own observations and the accumulated notes of earlier editors, offering a layered perspective on the text. This makes the recordings a useful companion for anyone revisiting “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” and the rest, helping listeners appreciate the humor and craftsmanship of Shakespeare’s work.