What is William Shakespeare's importance in The Art of Dramatic Writing?

References to Shakespeare in the book, The Art of Dramatic Writing, are primarily located in chapters about character. Egri is a huge fan of the people Shakespeare created, mentioning that his plays "Othello" and "King Lear" are built on their characters. Egri cites Hamlet as an example of a complete character and uses him to showcase what a three-dimensional character truly is. Both Hamlet and Othello, are described as being "iron-willed characters".

When looking at character growth in one of the chapters, Egri doesn't only list the characters of Hamlet and Othello as being good examples of how this is done. He also makes mention of the Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet as well, using Romeo for a lengthy period of time to discuss his well-written growth.

Egri frequently criticizes ancient Greek principles on writing, and in one instance, uses Shakespeare as an example of when playwrights disregard those rules. Shakespeare defied such thinkers as Aristotle, but his work was well-received and excellent.