Why is Shakespeare called the poet of nature by Johnson Samuel Johnson - called Shakespeare - the poet of nature He said this because Shakespeare wrote about real people and real life His characters and their feelings are natural They speak like normal people Shakespeare understood human nature very well Realistic Characters Shakespeare s characters are not fake or overacted They act and speak like real people They show true emotions like love anger fear or hope Even if the characters are kings ghosts or magical beings they still feel human Johnson said that these characters fit their age class and gender The author says Shakespeare is above all writers at least above all modern writers the poet of nature the poet that holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and of life Common Human Emotions Shakespeare wrote about all kinds of feelings His plays have love