Nineteen of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's plays first appeared in

quarto Quarto (abbreviated Qto, 4to or 4º) is the format of a book or pamphlet produced from full sheets printed with eight pages of text, four to a side, then folded twice to produce four leaves. The leaves are then trimmed along the folds to produc ...

before the publication of the

First Folio ''Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies'' is a collection of plays by William Shakespeare, commonly referred to by modern scholars as the First Folio, published in 1623, about seven years after Shakespeare's death. It is cons ...

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 The title page of a book, thesis or other written work is the page at or near the front which displays its title, subtitle, author, publisher, and edition, often artistically decorated. (A half title, by contrast, displays only the title of a w ...

information from each edition.

Plays first published before 1623

''
Henry VI, Part 2 ''Henry VI, Part 2'' (often written as ''2 Henry VI'') is a Shakespearean history, history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591 and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas ''Henry VI, Part 1'' ...
''

Q1 1594 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 Thomas Creede (fl. 1593 – 1617) was a printer of the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras, rated as "one of the best of his time." Based in London, he conducted his business under the sign of the Catherine Wheel in Thames Street from 1593 to 1600 ...

for Thomas Millington. As it appears in the

, the play is about a third longer than the first quarto version. Most scholars agree that the 1594 version as printed is a memorial reconstruction, or

bad quarto A bad quarto, in Shakespearean scholarship, is a quarto-sized printed edition of one of Shakespeare's plays that is considered to be unauthorised, and is theorised to have been pirated from a theatrical performance without permission by someone ...

, 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. STC 26099; 64 pages. Q2 1600 Q3 1619 (not dated, printed with ''Henry VI, Part 3'' as part of

Thomas Pavier Thomas Pavier (died 1625) was a London publisher and bookseller of the early seventeenth century. His complex involvement in the publication of early editions of some of Shakespeare's plays, as well as plays of the Shakespeare Apocrypha, has l ...

False Folio False Folio is the term that Shakespeare scholars and bibliographers have applied to William Jaggard's printing of ten Shakespearean and pseudo-Shakespearean plays together in 1619, the first attempt to collect Shakespeare's work in a single ...

) File:Henry VI pt 2 quarto.jpg, Q1 1594. File:2H6 TP Q2 1600.jpg, Q2 1600 File:Whole Contention.JPG, Q3 1619.

''
Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen as his attempt to emul ...
''

Q1 1594 The only extant copy of this quarto belongs to the collection of the

Folger Shakespeare Library The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., United States. It has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare, and is a primary repository for rare materi ...

in Washington, DC. Q2 1600 Q3 1611 File:Shakespeare Titus Andronicus Q1 1594.jpg, Q1 1594. File:Titus Q2 (1600).jpg, Q2 1600. File:The Most Lamentable Tragedie of Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare 1611.jpg, Q3 1611.

'' Richard III''

Q1 1597 Q2 1598 Q3 1602 Q4 1605 Q5 1612 Q6 1622 Q7 1629 Q8 1634 File:Richardthird.jpg, Q1 1597 File:R3 Q2 TP 1598.jpg, Q2 1598 File:R3 Q3 TP 1602.jpg, Q3 1602 File:R3 Q4 TP 1605.jpg, Q4 1605 File:R3 Q5 TP 1612.jpg, Q5 1612 File:R3 Q6 TP 1622.jpg, Q6 1622 File:R3 Q7 TP 1629.jpg, Q7 1629 File:R3 Q8 TP 1634.jpg, Q8 1634

''
Henry VI, Part 3 ''Henry VI, Part 3'' (often written as ''3 Henry VI'') is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591 and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas '' 1 Henry VI'' deals with the loss of Eng ...
''

Octavo Octavo, a Latin word meaning "in eighth" or "for the eighth time", (abbreviated 8vo, 8º, or In-8) is a technical term describing the format of a book, which refers to the size of leaves produced from folding a full sheet of paper on which multip ...

1 1595 Q2 1600 Q3 1619 (not dated, printed with ''Henry VI, Part 2'' as part of

) File:3H6 O TP 1595.jpg, O1 1595 File:3H6 Q2 TP 1600.jpg, Q2 1600 File:Whole Contention.JPG, Q3 1619.

'' Romeo and Juliet''

Q1 1597 Q2 1599 Q3 1609 Q4 a 1622 (not dated) Q4 b 1622 (not dated) Q5 1637 File:Romeo and Juliet Q1 Title Page.jpg, Q1 1597 File:Romeo and Juliet Q2 Title Page.jpg, Q2 1599 File:Romeo and Juliet Q3 TP 1609.jpg, Q3 1609 File:RJ TP Q4a 1622.jpg, Q4 a 1622 File:RJ TP Q4b 1622.jpg, Q4 b 1622 File:RJ TP Q5 1637.jpg, Q5 1637

'' Richard II''

Q1 1597 Q2 1598 Q3 1598 Q4 a 1608 Q4 b 1608 Q5 1615 Q6 1634 File:R2 Q1 TP 1597.jpg, Q1 1597 File:R2 Q2 TP 1598.jpg, Q2 1598 File:R2 Q3 TP 1598.jpg, Q3 1598 File:R2 Q4 a TP 1608.jpg, Q4 a 1608 File:R2 Q4 b TP 1608.jpg, Q4 b 1608 File:R2 Q5 TP 1615.jpg, Q5 1615 File:R2 Q6 TP 1634.jpg, Q6 1634

'' Henry IV, Part 1''

Quarto 0 1598 This version thought to be earlier than Q1 is known only from a single fragment in the

, 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 Q2 1599 Q3 1604 Q4 1608 Q5 1613 Q6 1622 Q7 1632 Q8 1639 File:1H4 Q1 2.2 1598.jpg, Q0 1598, composite image illustrating the two unique points of the edition. File:1H4 Q1 TP 1598.jpg, Q1 1598 File:1H4 Q2 TP 1599.jpg, Q2 1599 File:1H4 Q3 TP 1604.jpg, Q3 1604 File:1H4 Q4 1608.jpg, Q4 1608 File:1H4 Q5 TP 1613.jpg, Q5 1613 File:1H4 Q6 TP 1622.jpg, Q6 1622 File:1H4 Q7 TP 1632.jpg, Q7 1632 File:1H4 Q8 TP 1639.jpg, Q8 1639

'' Love's Labour's Lost''

Q 1598 File:Loves labours tp.jpg, Q 1598

'' 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 File:2H4 Q1 TP 1600.jpg, Q 1600

'' Henry V''

Q1, 1600 Q2, 1602 Q3, 1619 (falsely dated 1608 as part of

) File:Henry V 1600 Q titlepage.JPG, Q1 1600 File:H5 Q2 TP 1602.JPG, Q2 1602 File:Henry V 1619.jpg, Q3 1619

'' A Midsummer Night's Dream''

Q1 1600 Q2 1619 (falsely dated 1600 as part of Thomas Pavier's False Folio) File:MND title page.jpg, Q1 1600 File:Midsummer's Night Dream 1619.jpg, Q2 1619

''
Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as a ...
''

Q1 1600 Q2 1619 (falsely dated 1600 as part of Thomas Pavier's False Folio) Q3 1637 File:Merchant venice tp.jpg, Q1 1600 File:Merchant of Venice 1619.jpg, Q2 1619 File:MOV Q3 TP 1637.jpg, Q3 1637

''
Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...
''

Q 1600 File:Much Ado Quarto.JPG, Q 1600

''
Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...
''

Q1 1602 Q2 1619 (publisher falsely stated as Arthur Johnson as part of Thomas Pavier's False Folio) Q3 1630 File:Merry Wives tp.jpg, Q1 1602 File:MWW Q2 TP 1619.jpg, Q2 1619 File:MWW Q3 TP 1630.jpg, Q3 1630

''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
''

Q1 1603 Q2 a 1604 Q2 b 1605 Q3 1611 Q4 1622 (no date) Q5 1637 File:Hamlet Q1 Frontispiece 1603.jpg, Q1 1603 File:Hamlet Q2 TP 1604.jpg, Q2a 1604 File:Hamlet Q2b TP 1605.jpg, Q2b 1605 File:Hamlet Q3 TP 1611.jpg, Q3 1611 File:Hamlet Q4 TP 1622.jpg, Q4 1622 File:Hamlet Q5 TP 1637.jpg, Q5 1637

''
King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane ...
''

Q1 1608 Q2 1619 (falsely dated 1608 as part of Thomas Pavier's False Folio) File:King Lear Q1.jpg, Q1 1608 File:King Lear 1619.jpg, Q2 1619

''
Troilus and Cressida ''Troilus and Cressida'' ( or ) is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1602. At Troy during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida begin a love affair. Cressida is forced to leave Troy to join her father in the Greek camp. Meanwh ...
''

Q a 1609 Q b 1609 File:Troilus Qa TP 1609.jpg, Q a 1609 File:Troilus and Cressida.JPG, Q b 1609

''
Pericles, Prince of Tyre ''Pericles, Prince of Tyre'' is a Jacobean play written at least in part by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions over its authorship, as it was not included in the First Folio. It was p ...
''

Q1 1609 Q2 1609 Q3 1611 Q4a 1619 (first state as part of

) Q4b 1619 (corrected state falsely dated 1609 as part of Thomas Pavier's False Folio) Q5 1630 Q6 1635 File:Pericles 1609.jpg, Q1 1609 File:PPT Q2 TP 1609.jpg, Q2 1609 File:PPT Q3 TP 1611.jpg, Q3 1611 File:Pericles Pavier 1619 1st state.jpg, Q4 1st state File:Pericles Pavier 1619 2nd state.jpg, Q4 2nd state File:Pericle 1630.jpg, Q5 1630 File:PPT Q6 TP 1635.jpg, Q6 1635

'' Othello''

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

Plays first published after 1623

''
The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...
''

Q 1631 File:The_Shrew_TP_1631.jpg, Q 1631

'' Two Noble Kinsmen''

Q 1634 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. File:The Two Noble Kinsmen by John Fletcher William Shakespeare 1634.jpg, Q 1634

Footnotes

References

* . * . * . {{DEFAULTSORT:Shakespeare's Plays

Quarto Quarto (abbreviated Qto, 4to or 4º) is the format of a book or pamphlet produced from full sheets printed with eight pages of text, four to a side, then folded twice to produce four leaves. The leaves are then trimmed along the folds to produc ...

Lists of plays Shakespeare, William Bibliographies of British writers Dramatist and playwright bibliographies

Plays first published before 1623

''Henry VI, Part 2 ''Henry VI, Part 2'' (often written as ''2 Henry VI'') is a Shakespearean history, history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591 and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas ''Henry VI, Part 1'' ...''

''Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen as his attempt to emul ...''