8-1WorksPublished

//Answer Prepared by//: Billy L More than seventy issues or editions of William Shakespeare’s works were published during his lifetime (Frye 32). Two narrative poems, “Venus and Adonis” and “Lucrece,” were first, and appeared in quarto form in 1594 (Frye 30). Shakespeare carefully proofread and took them to press, something he did not do with his plays. The publication of these poems probably provided money to get Shakespeare through the plague years (Frye 28). In 1594, his first play was published: “Titus Andronicus.” It did not carry his name because he was not known to the general public. Publishers would only use the author's name if it would help sell the book. Elizabethan authors had no rights to their printed works, they were the publisher's property (Frye 50). A total of eighteen plays were published before Shakespeare died, one per quarto. Since no copyright laws existed in the Elizabethan era, publishers would pirate plays and printers would change the copy to fit the page (Frye 49). The standard system in Shakespeare's time was that the theatrical company owned the plays. They would try to keep the plays out of print so other acting groups could not use the material (Frye 50).

The Shakespeare sonnets were published in 1609 (Ackroyd 478). It has been argued that Shakespeare did not author the sonnets. One basis of the challenge was the title page which suggested that the author was dead. The fact that the dedication was written by the printer and the text was full of misprints and errors provided additional reason for doubt that Shakespeare was the author (Whalen 26-27). There is other evidence, however, that suggests that Shakespeare was the creator. The sonnets were expertly arranged, the project took many years, and no one person could have owned all of the material except the poet (Ackroyd 471). History also confirmed that two contemporaries reported that Shakespeare was the author: Heywood in 1612 and Drummond in 1614 (Ackroyd 472). In Shakespeare’s time, plays were not regarded as an important literary form, whereas poetry was regarded as a proper occupation for a gentleman (Frye 30). This fact is reflected in Shakespeare’s decision to be involved in the publication of his sonnets.

Quartos and folios were the two print forms in which Shakespeare’s works were published. Quartos were printed and then folded into quarters and sold unbound. One play appeared per quarto. There were six “bad” quartos: lines were paraphrased, characters omitted, and scenes appeared in different orders. There were the “foul papers:” quartos that reflected actual performances, stage direction, and were vivid. Finally there was one “doubtful” quarto (Downer 33, Frye 31). The First Folio or collected volume of Shakespeare’s plays was assembled by theatrical associates, John Heminges and Henry Condell and published in 1623 (Nettleton 92). Included in the First Folio were thirty-six plays, five commendatory poems, two open letters, an index, and a list of actors who performed in Shakespeare’s plays (Whalen 50). The first twelve pages of the Folio contain the most powerful testimony supporting the argument that it was in fact Shakespeare that wrote these works. Without the publication of the quartos and folios, much of Shakespeare's literary works would have been lost. Works Cited:

Ackroyd, Peter. Shakespeare The Biography. New York: Nan A. Talese, 2005

Frye, Roland Mushat. Shakespeare's Life and Times. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1967.

Leslie Dunton-Downer and Alan Riding. Essential Shakespeare Handbook. New York, New York: DK Publishing, 2004.

Nettleton, Pamela Hill. William Shakespeare Playwright and Poet. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point

Books, 2005.

Whalen, Richard F. Shakespeare: Who was He? The Oxford Challenge to the Bard of Avon. Westport, CT:

Praeger Publishers, 1994.