A dogma is defined as "a principal principle, or system thereof, especially if established by the authority of a Church". In the traditional sense, Shakespeare's Church does not exist. However, over the past three hundred years scholars and critics have pushed Shakespeare's transcendence to a kind of god of the Elizabethan era. It is no longer "William Shakespeare, playwright". Now he is "The Bard". Bardolatry's presence in the world of literature grew with each essay and book that defended the traditional view of Shakespeare as an infallible master of language. There are buildings and crews dedicated to the production of his works, while millions of people gather at conference tables and workshops designed to discuss the messages and lessons established in Shakespeare's sacred canon. This set of attitudes prevents scholars, students, and the average citizen from understanding Shakespeare's works as dramatic works and not as dogmatic texts. Critics and scholars are so forced to protect the Bard's gospel that they miss the historical event and personal issues surrounding Shakespeare's plays (Charney 9). Issues such as his economic status at the time of writing, the restrictions imposed on the theater by the monarchy, and the influence of current events on his work are largely ignored. Concepts such as dramatic interpretation and creative license are considered heresy by followers of the Bard. . These individuals are so obsessed with analyzing the literature itself that they ignore the wide range of competing arguments that lend credibility to Shakespeare's creative interpretations. Bardolatry has actually clouded many eyes from the greater truth behind Shakespeare's plays: they are dramatic works written by a talented playwright. The numerous historical, political, and economic circumstances surrounding the writing of Shakespeare's plays make it difficult to believe that he wrote the plays with the intent of founding a school of followers. The only playwright/writer who inspired reverence in Shakespeare's time was Ben Jonson, and it is therefore likely that Shakespeare died without knowing or caring how his works would be evaluated by future generations (Shoenbaum 60). Furthermore, the way Shakespeare's plays appeared in print, first in the various quartos and then finally in the First Folio after his death, does not evoke an emphasis on posterity. If Shakespeare's good friends, John Heminges and Henry Condell, had not collected the works for that Folio, Shakespeare's works may never have survived the centuries (Wells and Taylor 34).