Shakespeare Criticism

Historical
Criticism

The Defence Of Poesie by Sir Philip Sidney (1595).
The Excellency Of The English Tongue by Richard Carew (1614).
Timber, or Discoveries by Ben Jonson (1640), with the famous section on Shakespeare:

De Shakespeare nostrat.

I remember, the Players have often mentioned it as an honour to Shakespeare, that in his writing, (whatsoever he penn'd) hee never blotted out line. My answer hath beene, would he had blotted a thousand. Which they thought a malevolent speech. I had not told posterity this, but for their ignorance, who choose that circumstance to commend their friend by, wherein he most faulted. And to justifie mine owne candor, (for I lov'd the man, and doe honour his memory (on this side Idolatry) as much as any.) Hee was (indeed) honest, and of an open, and free nature: had an excellent Phantsie; brave notions, and gentle expressions: wherein hee flow'd with that facility, that sometime it was necessary he should be stop'd: Sufflaminandus erat; as Augustus said of Haterius. His wit was in his owne power; would the rule of it had beene so too. Many times hee fell into those things, could not escape laughter: As when hee said in the person of Cæsar, one speaking to him; Cæsar thou dost me wrong. Hee replyed: Cæsar did never wrong, but with just cause: and such like; which were ridiculous. But hee redeemed his vices, with his vertues. There was ever more in him to be praysed, then to be pardoned.

Margaret Cavendish, The Lady Marchioness of Newcastle, CCXI Sociable Letters, 1664, Letters CXXIII and CLXII, from Google Book Search.

...yet Shakespear did not want wit, to express to the life all sorts of persons, of what quality, profession, degree, breeding, or birth soever; nor did he want wit to express the divers and different humours, or natures, or several passions in mankind; and so well he hath expressed in his playes all forts of persons, as one would think he had been transformed into every one of those persons he hath described...

From letter CXXIII.

Of Dramatic Poesie by John Dryden (1668). For example:

To begin then with Shakespeare; he was the man who of all Modern, and perhaps Ancient Poets, had the largest and most comprehensive soul. All the Images of Nature were still present to him, and he drew them not laboriously, but luckily : when he describes any thing, you more than see it, you feel it too. Those who accuse him to have wanted learning, give him the greater commendation: he was naturally learn'd; he needed not the spectacles of Books to read Nature; he look'd inwards, and found her there.

Thomas Rymer, selections from The Tragedies of the Last Age Consider'd and Examined by the Practice of the Ancients and by the Common Sense of all Ages (1678), from Google Book Search.

I have chiefly consider'd the Fable or Plot, which all I conclude to be the Soul of a Tragedy; which with the Ancients is always found to be a reasonable Soul, but with us for the most part a brutish and often worse than brutish.

Nicholas Rowe, from Some Acount of the Life &c. of Mr. William Shakespear (1709). Much of Rowe's biography, as with most subsequent biographies, is given over to criticism of the works, since the biographical details are scant and speculative.
Smith, David Nichol. Eighteenth Century Essays on Shakespeare, 1903. A full view Google Book Search scan with a fully downloadable PDF version. This fascinating volume contains essays by Rowe (the original Life of Shakespeare), Dennis, Pope, Theobald, Hanmer, Warburton, Dr. Johnson, Farmer and Morgann. The essays (prefaces to collected works by these great editors) show the growth in stature of Shakespeare over the 18th century from man to idol.
Dr. Johnson's Preface to his 1765 Edition of the Works of Shakespeare, from the University of Toronto (produced to rigorous standards).
Preface to Shakespeare by Samuel Johnson, with notes on selected plays, from the University of Adelaide.
Dr. Johnson. Prologue Spoken By Mr. Garrick At The Opening Of The Theatre In Drury-Lane, 1747.
Dr. Johnson on Hamlet
Hazlitt, William. Characters Of Shakespeare's Plays (1817). The entire work from the University of Toronto.
Arnold, Matthew. Shakespeare (1849).
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, Sara Coleridge Coleridge, and Henry Nelson Coleridge. Notes and Lectures Upon Shakespeare and Some of the Old Poets and Dramatists, With Other Literary Remains of S.T. Coleridge. London: W. Pickering, 1849, from Google Book Search, full view and PDF, 375 pages.
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. Shakespeare, Ben Johnson, Beaumont and Fletcher: Notes and Lectures, 1874. This is a full view Google Book Search scan with a downloadable PDF version.

Gillham, Christiane. "'Single Nature's Double Name': Some Comments on The Phoenix and Turtle." Connotations 2.2.

Milward, Peter. "'Double Nature's Single Name': A Response to Christiane Gillham." Connotations 3.1.

Sims, James H. "Shakespeare's 'The Phoenix and the Turtle': A Reconsideration of 'Single Natures Double Name.'" Connotations 3.1.

Gillham, Christiane. "Single Natures Double Name: A Reply to Peter Milward and James H. Sims." Connotations 3.2.