Printed books allowed for Shakespeare's works to reach a wide audience from "summary" of Shakespeare and the Book by David Scott Kastan,George M Bodman Professor of English David Scott Kastan
The advent of printed books in the sixteenth century revolutionized the dissemination of literature, allowing works like those of Shakespeare to reach a much wider audience than ever before. Prior to the printing press, manuscripts were laboriously copied by hand, limiting their availability and accessibility. With the introduction of printing technology, however, it became possible to produce multiple copies of a text quickly and efficiently, making it easier for Shakespeare's plays and poems to circulate throughout England and beyond. Printed books not only increased the quantity of Shakespeare's works in circulation but also improved their quality. The consistency and accuracy of printed texts helped to preserve the integrity of Shakespeare's language and ensure that his plays were transmitted faithfully from one generation to the next. This standardization of the text made it easier for readers and audiences to engage with Shakespeare's works, fostering a deeper appreciation of his language and ideas. Moreover, the affordability of printed books made Shakespeare's works more accessible to a broader range of readers, including those outside the aristocratic and scholarly circles that traditionally had exclusive access to literature. The relatively low cost of printed books meant that even people of modest means could afford to purchase and read Shakespeare's plays and poems, democratizing access to his work and expanding his audience to include a more diverse cross-section of society. In this way, printed books played a crucial role in popularizing Shakespeare's works and cementing his reputation as one of the greatest writers in the English language. By making his plays and poems widely available and affordable, printed books helped to ensure that Shakespeare's legacy would endure for centuries to come, influencing generations of readers, scholars, and theatergoers with his timeless words and enduring insights into the human experience.
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