List of Shakespeare plays in quarto explained

Nineteen of William Shakespeare's plays first appeared in quarto before the publication of the First Folio in 1623, eighteen of those before his death in 1616. One play co-authored with John Fletcher, The Two Noble Kinsmen, was first published in 1634, and one play first published in the First Folio, The Taming of the Shrew, was later published in quarto. Following are listed the Shakespeare plays that appeared in quarto up to 1642 with complete title page information from each edition.

Plays first published before 1623

Henry VI, Part 2

Q1 1594

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

The play known as King Henry VI, Part 2 was entered into the Stationers Register 12 March 1594 and printed that same year by Thomas Creede for Thomas Millington.[1] As it appears in the First Folio, the play is about a third longer than the first quarto version.[2] Most scholars agree that the 1594 version as printed is a memorial reconstruction, or bad quarto, but they are divided as to whether it is based on the full folio version or an abridged and possibly revised version of the play.[3] STC 26099; 64 pages.

Q2 1600

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q3 1619 (not dated, printed with Henry VI, Part 3 as part of Thomas Pavier's False Folio)

English: italic=unset|THE Whole Contention {{!

Titus Andronicus

Q1 1594

English: italic=unset|THE {{![4]

Q2 1600

English: italic=unset|The most lamenta- {{!

Q3 1611

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Richard III

Q1 1597

English: italic=unset|THE TRAGEDY OF {{!

Q2 1598

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q3 1602

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q4 1605

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q5 1612

English: italic=unset|''THE'' {{!

Q6 1622

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q7 1629

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q8 1634

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Henry VI, Part 3

Octavo 1 1595

English: italic=unset|The true Tragedie of Richard {{!

Q2 1600

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q3 1619 (not dated, printed with Henry VI, Part 2 as part of Thomas Pavier's False Folio)

English: italic=unset|THE Whole Contention {{!

Romeo and Juliet

Q1 1597

English: italic=unset|''AN'' {{!

Q2 1599

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q3 1609

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q4 a 1622 (not dated)

English: italic=unset|THE MOST {{!

Q4 b 1622 (not dated)

English: italic=unset|THE MOST {{!

Q5 1637

English: italic=unset|THE MOST {{!

Richard II

Q1 1597

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q2 1598

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q3 1598

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q4 a 1608

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q4 b 1608

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q5 1615

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q6 1634

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Henry IV, Part 1

Quarto 0 1598

This version thought to be earlier than Q1 is known only from a single fragment in the Folger Shakespeare Library, comprising four leaves of quire C that was found in a book binding. The running headline uses the word "hystorie" instead of "historie" and line spoken by Poins in 2.2, "How the rogue roared" is given as "How the fat rogue roared".

Q1 1598

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q2 1599

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q3 1604

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q4 1608

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q5 1613

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q6 1622

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q7 1632

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q8 1639

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Love's Labour's Lost

Q 1598

English: italic=unset|''A'' {{!

Henry IV, Part 2

Quarto a (84 pages) omits the first scene of act iii and eight other passages in quire E. Quarto b (88 pages) adds the missing first scene of act iii and resets the immediately surrounding text, adding two leaves to quire E. The title pages are identical.

Q 1600

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Henry V

Q1, 1600

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q2, 1602

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q3, 1619 (falsely dated 1608 as part of Thomas Pavier's False Folio)

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Q1 1600

English: italic=unset|A {{!

Q2 1619 (falsely dated 1600 as part of Thomas Pavier's False Folio)

English: italic=unset|A {{!

Merchant of Venice

Q1 1600

English: italic=unset|The most excellent {{!

Q2 1619 (falsely dated 1600 as part of Thomas Pavier's False Folio)

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q3 1637

English: italic=unset|The most excellent {{!

Much Ado About Nothing

Q 1600

English: italic=unset|Much adoe about {{!

Merry Wives of Windsor

Q1 1602

English: italic=unset|A {{!

Q2 1619 (publisher falsely stated as Arthur Johnson as part of Thomas Pavier's False Folio)

English: italic=unset|A {{!

Q3 1630

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Hamlet

Q1 1603

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q2 a 1604

English: italic=unset|''THE'' {{!

Q2 b 1605

English: italic=unset|''THE'' {{!

Q3 1611

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q4 1622 (no date)

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q5 1637

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

King Lear

Q1 1608

English: italic=unset|M. William Shak-speare: {{!

Q2 1619 (falsely dated 1608 as part of Thomas Pavier's False Folio)

English: italic=unset|M. VVilliam Shake-speare, {{!

Troilus and Cressida

Q a 1609

English: italic=unset|THE Historie of Troylus {{!

Q b 1609

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Pericles, Prince of Tyre

Q1 1609

English: italic=unset|THE LATE, {{!

Q2 1609

English: italic=unset|THE LATE, {{!

Q3 1611

English: italic=unset|THE LATE, {{!

Q4a 1619 (first state as part of Thomas Pavier's False Folio)

English: italic=unset|THE LATE, {{!

Q4b 1619 (corrected state falsely dated 1609 as part of Thomas Pavier's False Folio)

English: italic=unset|THE LATE, {{!

Q5 1630

English: italic=unset|''THE LATE,'' {{!

Q6 1635

English: italic=unset|''THE LATE,'' {{!

Othello

Q1 1622

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

Q2 1630

English: italic=unset|THE {{!

File:Othello title page.jpg|Q1 1622File:Othello Q2 TP 1630.jpg|Q2 1630

Plays first published after 1623

The Taming of the Shrew

Q 1631

English: italic=unset|A WITTIE {{!

Two Noble Kinsmen

Q 1634

English: italic=unset|THE {{! Gent. Printed at London by Tho. Cotes, for Iohn Waterson: and are to be sold at the signe of the Crowne in Pauls Church-yard. 1634.}}

References

Notes and References

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  4. The only extant copy of this quarto belongs to the collection of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC.