Selection and Emphasis

Abstract

As readers, actors or directors, our knowledge of Shakespeare’s dramatic art obviously depends on the text of his plays. But the question, what precisely is a Shakespearean text?, is simpler to ask than to answer. There is no evidence that Shakespeare himself was at all interested in the printed versions of his plays, and a good deal to suggest that the acting company of which he was a member was anxious to prevent copies of plays in their possession from reaching the printing house too early in case familiarity affected box-office takings.