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This paper seeks to reveal, from a rhetorical perspective, the way in which Shakespeare is portrayed in the press of the Canary Islands in the nineteenth century. In accordance with the studies of reception carried out at that time, the artist is shown in commendatory terms and he is granted an extraordinary, even supernatural, aura. The corpus used for this study provides a classification of rhetorical figures, one that focuses on the interaction with the reader and the authors' wish to share the admiring image of the poet and playwright. Bearing in mind the effect that the critics' words can have when they regard the English writer, I use Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca's classification, who distinguish among figures of choice, presence and communion. This classification is intent on determining the effect that certain figures can have in the choice of some words, in the increase of Shakespeare's presence, and in the establishment of communion with the audience so that they feel inclined to share the authors' theses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]