In his own time, Shakespeare was seen as merely one among many talented playwrights and poets, but ever since the late 17th century he has been considered the supreme playwright; and to a lesser extent, poet of the English language. No other playwright has been performed on the world stage as often as Shakespeare.
But his works have also been subject of controversy since they were first written. Most of the arguments didn’t heat up until the 18th century when he was taken to task over his puns, and the sexual suggestions in various scenes. Editors like Alexander Pope attempted to gloss over- or outright remove- the puns and the double entendres, but they were quickly reversed by others; by mid-century they were back, with only a few exceptions.
Read on and Share the Knowledge:
http://bbark.deepforestproductions.com/column/2011/12/12/banned-books-awareness-william-shakespeare/
