Final answer:
The notion that Shakespeare's audience was polite and well-behaved is false; the Elizabethan theater was a lively, social venue with significant audience interaction and distractions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that theatergoers of Shakespeare's time were polite and well-behaved is false. Elizabethan theaters, such as the famous Globe Playhouse, were bustling places where the audience was known to engage in loud conversation, often walk in and out to get food or drink, and were exposed to the elements due to the open courtyard design.
This atmosphere was quite lively and not what we would typically consider polite and well-behaved by modern standards. Shakespeare's plays, in particular, had to account for this kind of audience with longer, repetitive lines ensuring viewers did not miss important plot points amidst the hubbub. Furthermore, the proximity of theaters to pubs and the social norms of the time contributed to this boisterous environment.