if shakespeare had been a slightly more important person during his lifetime, at least as important as ben jonson, history would have provided us with more details about his life. but shakespeare was not at the top of the social ladder, he was little more than a parasite of contemporary magnates. nor did he belong to the great minds of his time. he was too uneducated to achieve such a position, as it is known. the romantic ideas according to which shakespeare was a great wit, a great historian or a great thinker, are nowadays completely rejected […]. today, it is evident that shakespeare was first of all a true dodger of his era. he used the various materials from history or from the contemporary circumstances in england in order to create attractive theatrical masterpieces. first of all, we have to understand that shakespeare never thought of theatre as literature. the theatre was a dangerous and slightly indecent institution, which every respectful and truly honored member of the society would rather avoid.