Question: were shakespeare's plays popular when he was alive

title: Shakespeare's reputation
text: It is difficult to assess Shakespeare 's reputation in his own lifetime and shortly after . England had little modern literature before the 1570s , and detailed critical commentaries on modern authors did not begin to appear until the reign of Charles I . The facts about his reputation can be surmised from fragmentary evidence . He was included in some contemporary lists of leading poets , but he seems to have lacked the stature of the aristocratic Philip Sidney , who became a cult figure due to his death in battle at a young age , or of Edmund Spenser . Shakespeare 's poems were reprinted far more frequently than his plays ; but Shakespeare 's plays were written for performance by his own company , and because no law prevented rival companies from using the plays , Shakespeare 's troupe took steps to prevent his plays from being printed . That many of his plays were pirated suggests his popularity in the book market , and the regular patronage of his company by the court , culminating in 1603 when James I turned it into the `` King 's Men , '' suggests his popularity among higher stations of society . Modern plays ( as opposed to those in Latin and Greek ) were considered ephemeral and even somewhat disreputable entertainments by some contemporaries ; the new Bodleian Library explicitly refused to shelve plays . Some of Shakespeare 's plays , particularly the history plays , were reprinted frequently in cheap quarto ( i.e. pamphlet ) form ; others took decades to reach a 3rd edition . 

Answer: answer: It is difficult to assess Shakespeare's reputation in his own lifetime and shortly after.   That many of his plays were pirated suggests his popularity in the book market, and the regular patronage of his company by the court, culminating in 1603 when James I turned it into the `` King's Men,'' suggests his popularity among higher stations of society.  Modern plays were considered ephemeral and even somewhat disreputable entertainments by some contemporaries.  Some of Shakespeare's plays, particularly the history plays, were reprinted frequently in cheap quarto form; others took decades to reach a 3rd edition.