If Shakespeare were alive today, he’d probably be selling box sets of his collected works, complete with bonus scenes and director’s commentary. Back in 1623, however, things were a little different. Shakespeare’s plays didn’t come with neat hardcover editions or audiobooks. Enter the First Folio — the ultimate literary flex of the 17th century. Think of it as the OG collector’s edition for all your Shakespeare needs. Without it, the world might never have heard To be or not to be.
So let’s crack open the First Folio and dive into the backstory of how Shakespeare’s friends saved his works from disappearing, while making sure the Bard got the printing press treatment he deserved.
What Is the First Folio?
The First Folio is the earliest collected edition of William Shakespeare’s plays, published in 1623, seven years after the playwright’s death. Officially titled Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, this hefty book contains 36 of his plays, some of which had never been published before. If the First Folio hadn’t come along, there’s a good chance works like Macbeth, Twelfth Night, and The Tempest might have been lost forever.
Think of it like Shakespeare’s greatest hits album—but with all the deep cuts included.
Who Put It Together? A Friendship for the Ages
The First Folio wouldn’t exist without two of Shakespeare’s close friends and fellow actors, John Heminges and Henry Condell. These two guys decided that the world needed a definitive collection of Shakespeare’s plays, so they went all-in on gathering his works.
Heminges and Condell wanted to make sure Shakespeare’s legacy was properly preserved—and, let’s be honest, to cash in on his fame a bit too. They compiled the plays, sought out publishers, and arranged for the printing of this literary treasure. Their efforts ensured that the Bard’s brilliance wouldn’t fade into obscurity (or worse, be misquoted forever).
What’s Inside the First Folio?
The First Folio isn’t just a slapdash collection of random plays—it’s a carefully curated mix of comedies, histories, and tragedies, neatly divided into three sections. Here’s a quick look at what’s inside:
1. Comedies:
- Much Ado About Nothing
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- The Taming of the Shrew
- Twelfth Night
(And many more laugh-out-loud moments—well, Elizabethan laugh-out-loud, anyway.)
2. Histories:
- Henry IV (Parts 1 & 2)
- Henry V
- Richard III
(Spoiler: Everyone dies, but they look noble doing it.)
3. Tragedies:
- Hamlet
- Othello
- Macbeth
- Romeo and Juliet
(Yep, things get dark fast.)
With 36 plays in total, the First Folio offers a little bit of everything—from star-crossed lovers to ambitious kings to fairies causing chaos in the woods.
What Makes the First Folio So Special?
Aside from being one of the most valuable books in the world (a single copy sold for nearly $10 million in 2020), the First Folio has an irreplaceable place in literary history. Here’s why it matters so much:
1. Saved from Oblivion
Many of Shakespeare’s plays, including Macbeth and Julius Caesar, weren’t printed during his lifetime. Without the First Folio, those masterpieces might have been lost forever, leaving us with fewer quotable lines to impress people at dinner parties.
2. Preserving the Text (Kind of)
While the First Folio saved Shakespeare’s works, it’s not exactly the perfect transcript. Some plays differ slightly from earlier “quarto” editions (individual play publications), and there are a few typos and inconsistencies. But hey, when your plays are hand-printed in the 1600s, you get the occasional “to” when you meant “too.” (No, really—they spelled Hamlet’s friend Horatio’s name differently within the same play.)
3. A Publishing Triumph
Printing the First Folio wasn’t an easy task. It required a team of typesetters, careful proofreading (or, you know, mostly careful), and a lot of ink and paper. At a whopping 900 pages, this was no pocket-sized read—it was a book you could knock someone out with if they got too rowdy at the theater.
How Many Copies Exist Today?
Originally, about 750 copies of the First Folio were printed. Today, only around 235 are known to exist, and each surviving copy is a treasured artifact. Some are housed in major libraries, like the British Library and the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., while others are in private collections (and probably guarded like the crown jewels).
The rarity of the First Folio means that whenever a new copy is discovered, it’s a big deal. Scholars get excited, collectors start bidding, and Shakespeare fans celebrate like it’s opening night at the Globe Theatre.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much is a First Folio worth?
In 2020, a First Folio sold at auction for $9.98 million. So yeah, if you ever find one tucked away in your attic, you’ve hit the literary jackpot.
2. How many plays did Shakespeare write in total?
The First Folio contains 36 plays, but Shakespeare wrote around 39 plays in total. Some works, like The Two Noble Kinsmen and Pericles, didn’t make it into the First Folio.
3. What’s the difference between a quarto and the First Folio?
A quarto is a small, single-play edition, often printed during Shakespeare’s lifetime. The First Folio is a collection of multiple plays, making it the most comprehensive source for his works. However, quartos sometimes contain slightly different versions of the plays.
Conclusion: A Legacy Bound in Pages
The First Folio of Shakespeare is more than just an old book—it’s a monument to genius, a literary lifeline that preserved some of the greatest plays ever written. Without it, the world might never have experienced the beauty of Romeo and Juliet’s love story, the existential musings of Hamlet, or the madness of King Lear.
Thanks to the dedication of Heminges and Condell, we get to enjoy Shakespeare’s works to this day. Whether you’re reading Macbeth for the 100th time or quoting Much Ado About Nothing at your next party, you owe a debt of gratitude to the First Folio. It’s a testament to friendship, ambition, and the power of storytelling—proof that even in the 1600s, people knew a literary masterpiece when they saw one.
So, next time you open a Shakespeare play, give a little nod to the First Folio—the book that ensured the Bard’s words would live on forever. And if you ever stumble across a dusty old copy at a yard sale… well, let’s just say that’s your ticket to literary immortality (and a pretty sweet retirement).