List of Shakespeare plays in quarto


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
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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. As it appears in the First Folio, 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, 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
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Q3 1619
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''[Titus Andronicus]''

Q1 1594
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Q2 1600
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Q3 1611
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''Richard III">Richard III (play)">Richard III''

Q1 1597
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Q2 1598
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Q3 1602
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Q4 1605
THE TRAGEDIE of King Richard the third. Conteining his treacherous Plots against his brother Clarence: the pittifull murther of his innocent Ne- phewes: his tyrannicall vsurpation: with the whole course of the detested life, and most deserued death. As it hath bin lately Acted by the Right Honourable the Lord Chamberlaine his seruants. Newly augmented, By William Shakespeare. LONDON Printed by Thomas Creede, and are to be sold by Mathew Lawe, dwelling in Paules Church-yard, at the Signe of the Foxe, neare S. Austins gate, 1605.
Q5 1612
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Q6 1622
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Q7 1629
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Q8 1634
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''[Henry VI, Part 3]''

Octavo 1 1595
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Q2 1600
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Q3 1619
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''[Romeo and Juliet]''

Q1 1597
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Q2 1599
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Q3 1609
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Q4 a 1622
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Q4 b 1622
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Q5 1637
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''Richard II">Richard II (play)">Richard II''

Q1 1597
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Q2 1598
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Q3 1598
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Q4 a 1608
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Q4 b 1608
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Q5 1615
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Q6 1634
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''[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
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Q2 1599
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Q3 1604
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Q4 1608
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Q5 1613
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Q6 1622
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Q7 1632
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Q8 1639
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''[Love's Labour's Lost]''

Q 1598
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''[Henry IV, Part 2]''

Quarto a omits the first scene of act iii and eight other passages in quire E. Quarto b 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
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''Henry V">Henry V (play)">Henry V''

Q1, 1600
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Q2, 1602
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Q3, 1619
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''[A Midsummer Night's Dream]''

Q1 1600
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Q2 1619
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''[Merchant of Venice]''

Q1 1600
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Q2 1619
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Q3 1637
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''[Much Ado About Nothing]''

Q 1600
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''[Merry Wives of Windsor]''

Q1 1602
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Q2 1619
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Q3 1630
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''[Hamlet]''

Q1 1603
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Q2 a 1604
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Q2 b 1605
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Q3 1611
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Q4 1622
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Q5 1637
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''[King Lear]''

Q1 1608
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Q2 1619
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''[Troilus and Cressida]''

Q a 1609
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Q b 1609
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''[Pericles, Prince of Tyre]''

Q1 1609
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Q2 1609
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Q3 1611
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Q4a 1619
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Q4b 1619
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Q5 1630
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Q6 1635
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''[Othello]''

Q1 1622
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Q2 1630
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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]''

Q 1631
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''[Two Noble Kinsmen]''

Q 1634
italic=unset 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.

Footnotes