Those who support the continued reading and performance of Shakespeare’s plays maintain that in England appreciation for his work has always extended beyond educated elites and that ever since Shakespeare’s own time his plays have always been known and loved by comparatively uneducated people. Skepticism about this claim is borne out by examining early eighteen-century editions of the plays. These books, with their fine paper and good bindings, must have been far beyond the reach of people of ordinary means.
The main point of the argument is to
(A) suggest that knowledge of Shakespeare’s play is a suitable criterion for distinguishing the educated elite from other members of English society
(B) provide evidence that at some time in the past appreciation for Shakespeare’s play was confined to educated elites
(C) prove that early eighteenth-century appreciation for Shakespeare’s works rested on aspects of the works that are less appreciated today
(D) demonstrate that since Shakespeare’s time the people who have known and loved his work have all been members of educated elites
(E) confirm the skepticism of the educated elite concerning the worth of Shakespeare’s plays