Shakespeare was not revered in his lifetime

It was thought he would be better remembered for his poetry. We have two men to thank for his plays being left for posterity. Shortly after Shakespeare's death, John Heminges and Henry Condell, two friends and fellow actors of Shakespeare, published the First Folio, a collected edition of his dramatic works. 

I often think this is a good argument against those did Shakespeare actually write own his plays conspiracies, as they were not thought to be the works of genius they are considered today but in fact, 'of interest to no one'. 

A bust of Shakespeare in the St Mary Aldermanbury Garden, London. Though depicting Shakespeare, this is actually a memorial to John Heminge and Henry Condell, editors of the First Folio.