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The first Folio was a printed collection of his different plays published just a couple years after his death. If this Folio was never made we might have lost a majority of his works.

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Without the First Folio, half of Shakespeare's plays might have been lost forever. Learn more about this remarkable book, published in 1623.

What is a Shakespeare First Folio?

The 1623 First Folio of Shakespeare is the first printed collection of Shakespeare's plays, published seven years after his death in 1616. Of the 36 plays assembled by his friends and fellow actors John Heminges and Henry Condell, eighteen were being published for the first time. Learn more about the First Folio and its historical importance.

The Folger's First Folios

The Folger Shakespeare Library has 82 copies of the First Folio, the largest collection in the world. Of an estimated original print run of about 750 copies, only 235 are known to survive.

In 2016, to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, the Folger sent 18 of its First Folios on a tour of the United States. More than half a million people saw this traveling exhibition, First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare, at public libraries, universities, museums, and other venues in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC. Meet the 18 Folger First Folios from the tour, learn about their history, and read some of the stories from their travels.

Read a First Folio

Printing the First Folio

How was the First Folio made? The Folger has created a teaching tool called DIY First Folio for understanding the printing process. This visually rich narrative of the First Folio's 1623 printing features interactive exercises that allow users to fold and unfold Folio sheets, create play gatherings, and print high-resolution facsimile images of pages from the First Folio. DIY First Folio was created with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

More First Folio Resources
How Shakespeare's First Folio Became a Star
Adam Hooks and Daniel De Simone chart the rise of the First Folio-how and when this book became a cultural icon with such a dizzying price tag.
Creating Shakespeare's First Folio
Emma Smith offers an intimate, step-by-step examination of how the First Folio was conceived, how Shakespeare's plays were gathered, how the rights for them were obtained, how the book was laid out, and - most vividly - how it was assembled and printed.
The Millionaire and the Bard
Andrea Mays talks about some of the fascinating financial and personal details of Henry Folger's life, and in particular, how he went about collecting so many First Folios.
A New First Folio Discovery
Eric Rasmussen, who authenticated the discovery of a new First Folio in 2014, shares fascinating stories and observations about one of the world's most iconic rare books.
Inside the Folger Conservation Lab
To celebrate 400 years of Shakespeare in 2016, 18 of the Folger's First Folios toured the United States. Go behind the scenes with the conservators who prepared the books for travel.
Editing Shakespeare
Paul Werstine and Suzanne Gossett talk about editing Shakespeare and why the First Folio is considered such a foundational text.
Portraits of Shakespeare
The Droeshout engraving in the First Folio is considered one of the few authentic portraits of Shakespeare. Katherine Duncan-Jones explains why.
The Book of Will
Lauren Gunderson discusses her play about John Heminges and Henry Condell, their families, and everyone involved in gathering and creating the First Folio.

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Without the First Folio, half of Shakespeare's plays might have been lost forever. Learn more about this remarkable book, published in 1623. The 1623 First Folio of Shakespeare is the first printed collection of Shakespeare's plays, published seven years after his death in 1616.

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William Shakespeare was probably born on about April 23, 1564, the date that is traditionally given for his birth, and was the oldest surviving child. Shakespeare, almost certainly attended Stratford's grammar school all the way until he was 15. He married when he was 18 and had a set of twins.

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Since William Shakespeare lived more than 400 years ago, and many records from that time are lost or never existed in the first place, we don't know everything about his life. For example, we know that he was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, 100 miles northwest of London, on April 26, 1564. But we don't know his exact birthdate, which must have been a few days earlier.

We do know that Shakespeare's life revolved around two locations: Stratford and London. He grew up, had a family, and bought property in Stratford, but he worked in London, the center of English theater. As an actor, a playwright, and a partner in a leading acting company, he became both prosperous and well-known. Even without knowing everything about his life, fans of Shakespeare have imagined and reimagined him according to their own tastes, just as we see with the 19th-century portrait of Shakespeare wooing his wife at the top of this page.

Birth and Childhood | Marriage and Children | London Theater | Final Years

William Shakespeare was probably born on about April 23, 1564, the date that is traditionally given for his birth. He was John and Mary Shakespeare's oldest surviving child; their first two children, both girls, did not live beyond infancy. Growing up as the big brother of the family, William had three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund, and two younger sisters: Anne, who died at seven, and Joan.

Their father, John Shakespeare, was a leatherworker who specialized in the soft white leather used for gloves and similar items. A prosperous businessman, he married Mary Arden, of the prominent Arden family. John rose through local offices in Stratford, becoming an alderman and eventually, when William was five, the town bailiff-much like a mayor. Not long after that, however, John Shakespeare stepped back from public life; we don't know why.

Shakespeare, as the son of a leading Stratford citizen, almost certainly attended Stratford's grammar school. Like all such schools, its curriculum consisted of an intense emphasis on the Latin classics, including memorization, writing, and acting classic Latin plays. Shakespeare most likely attended until about age 15.

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Since William Shakespeare lived more than 400 years ago, and many records from that time are lost or never existed in the first place, we don't know everything about his life. For example, we know that he was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, 100 miles northwest of London, on April 26, 1564.

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In 1616 when Shakespeare died only around half of his plays were published, but in 1709 Nickolas Rowe started to edit and publish many more of his plays.

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When William Shakespeare died in 1616, only about half of his plays had ever been printed, in small one-play editions called quartos. Another 18 plays are known today only because they are included in the 1623 First Folio, the first collected edition of the plays.

In 1709, Nicholas Rowe became the first modern editor of Shakespeare's plays, making the text more accessible through tools such as lists of characters and act and scene divisions. Editors in every age-including the present-have addressed a variety of questions, including how to make sense of conflicting early versions of the plays. Other publishers have taken the text in new directions, from foreign-language editions to graphic novels.

Poems | Early quartos | The First Folio | Later editions | A variety of forms

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When William Shakespeare died in 1616, only about half of his plays had ever been printed, in small one-play editions called quartos. Another 18 plays are known today only because they are included in the 1623 First Folio, the first collected edition of the plays.

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At the end of his life, Shakespeare entered the real-estate business and bought the second biggest house in the town.  One of the last plays that Shakespeare worked on was The Two Noble Kings that he wrote with a collaborator and died on his birthday.

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Since William Shakespeare lived more than 400 years ago, and many records from that time are lost or never existed in the first place, we don't know everything about his life. For example, we know that he was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, 100 miles northwest of London, on April 26, 1564. But we don't know his exact birthdate, which must have been a few days earlier.

We do know that Shakespeare's life revolved around two locations: Stratford and London. He grew up, had a family, and bought property in Stratford, but he worked in London, the center of English theater. As an actor, a playwright, and a partner in a leading acting company, he became both prosperous and well-known. Even without knowing everything about his life, fans of Shakespeare have imagined and reimagined him according to their own tastes, just as we see with the 19th-century portrait of Shakespeare wooing his wife at the top of this page.

Birth and Childhood | Marriage and Children | London Theater | Final Years

William Shakespeare was probably born on about April 23, 1564, the date that is traditionally given for his birth. He was John and Mary Shakespeare's oldest surviving child; their first two children, both girls, did not live beyond infancy. Growing up as the big brother of the family, William had three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund, and two younger sisters: Anne, who died at seven, and Joan.

Their father, John Shakespeare, was a leatherworker who specialized in the soft white leather used for gloves and similar items. A prosperous businessman, he married Mary Arden, of the prominent Arden family. John rose through local offices in Stratford, becoming an alderman and eventually, when William was five, the town bailiff-much like a mayor. Not long after that, however, John Shakespeare stepped back from public life; we don't know why.

Shakespeare, as the son of a leading Stratford citizen, almost certainly attended Stratford's grammar school. Like all such schools, its curriculum consisted of an intense emphasis on the Latin classics, including memorization, writing, and acting classic Latin plays. Shakespeare most likely attended until about age 15.

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Since William Shakespeare lived more than 400 years ago, and many records from that time are lost or never existed in the first place, we don't know everything about his life. For example, we know that he was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, 100 miles northwest of London, on April 26, 1564.

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The Burbages started to build the Globe, but they didn't have enough money. They partnered with five other people to help pay for it. One of these people was Shakespeare.

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In Shakespeare's time, a stage wasn't just one type of space; plays had to be versatile. The same play might be produced in an outdoor playhouse, an indoor theater, a royal palace-or, for a company on tour, the courtyard of an inn.

In any of these settings, men and boys played all the characters, male and female; acting in Renaissance England was an exclusively male profession. Audiences had their favorite performers, looked forward to hearing music with the productions, and relished the luxurious costumes of the leading characters. The stage itself was relatively bare. For the most part, playwrights used vivid words instead of scenery to picture the scene onstage.

On This Page: Playhouses and the Globe | Theaters and Palaces | Audience Experiences | Actors, Costumes, and Staging | Stage and Screen after Shakespeare

In 1576, when Shakespeare was still a 12-year-old in Stratford-upon-Avon, James Burbage built the Theatre just outside London. The Theatre was among the first playhouses in England since Roman times. Like the many other playhouses that followed, it was a multi-sided structure with a central, uncovered "yard" surrounded by three tiers of covered seating and a bare, raised stage at one end of the yard. Spectators could pay for seating at multiple price levels; those with the cheapest tickets simply stood for the length of the plays.

Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, was one of several to perform at the Theatre, appearing there by about 1594. A few years later, the Burbages lost their lease on the Theatre site and began construction of a new, larger playhouse, the Globe, just south of the Thames. To pay for it, they shared the lease with the five partners (called actor-sharers) in the Lord Chamberlain's company, including Shakespeare.

The Globe, which opened in 1599, became the playhouse where audiences first saw some of Shakespeare's best-known plays. In 1613, it burned to the ground when the roof caught fire during a performance of Shakespeare's . A new, second Globe was quickly built on the same site, opening in 1614.

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In Shakespeare's time, a stage wasn't just one type of space; plays had to be versatile. The same play might be produced in an outdoor playhouse, an indoor theater, a royal palace-or, for a company on tour, the courtyard of an inn.

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Shakespeare wrote many poems one called "The Phoenix and the Turtle" which is about a phoenix and a turtle dove that gets engulfed in flames from which its ashes grows another phoenix. there are a lot of speculations on what this poem really means.

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The poem by Shakespeare now known as "The Phoenix and Turtle," or "The Phoenix and the Turtle," was first printed with no title; it was one of several additional poems in the 1601 publication of a long poem by Robert Chester.

In the classical tradition, the mythical phoenix consumes itself in fire, from the ashes of which another phoenix is born. In Shakespeare's poem, the phoenix is female and the turtle (that is, a turtledove) is male.

The poem has been interpreted in many ways. The phoenix and turtledove may die in a fire that produces a new phoenix-or may not produce offspring. Some see the poem as a celebration of their physical union. Others suggest that the two become one as they approach a Christian heaven, or offer a philosophical reading. Some even link them to historical figures, although such interpretations are no longer widely favored.

In the poem's first part, sometimes called the "session," birds assemble to sing the second part, or "anthem." The anthem celebrates the phoenix and turtle's love and introduces the figure of Reason. Reason composes the final "Threnos" (a dirge), which many find the most beautiful section.

(Adapted from the Folger Shakespeare Library edition of Shakespeare's Sonnets and Poems, edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. © 2004, 2006 Folger Shakespeare Library)

You can read the poem online or buy it in the Folger edition.

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The poem by Shakespeare now known as "The Phoenix and Turtle," or "The Phoenix and the Turtle," was first printed with no title; it was one of several additional poems in the 1601 publication of a long poem by Robert Chester.

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When Shakespeare was 12, in 1576, James Burbage built the Theater just outside London. This was one of the first theaters built in England since Roman times.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In Shakespeare's time, a stage wasn't just one type of space; plays had to be versatile. The same play might be produced in an outdoor playhouse, an indoor theater, a royal palace-or, for a company on tour, the courtyard of an inn.

In any of these settings, men and boys played all the characters, male and female; acting in Renaissance England was an exclusively male profession. Audiences had their favorite performers, looked forward to hearing music with the productions, and relished the luxurious costumes of the leading characters. The stage itself was relatively bare. For the most part, playwrights used vivid words instead of scenery to picture the scene onstage.

On This Page: Playhouses and the Globe | Theaters and Palaces | Audience Experiences | Actors, Costumes, and Staging | Stage and Screen after Shakespeare

In 1576, when Shakespeare was still a 12-year-old in Stratford-upon-Avon, James Burbage built the Theatre just outside London. The Theatre was among the first playhouses in England since Roman times. Like the many other playhouses that followed, it was a multi-sided structure with a central, uncovered "yard" surrounded by three tiers of covered seating and a bare, raised stage at one end of the yard. Spectators could pay for seating at multiple price levels; those with the cheapest tickets simply stood for the length of the plays.

Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, was one of several to perform at the Theatre, appearing there by about 1594. A few years later, the Burbages lost their lease on the Theatre site and began construction of a new, larger playhouse, the Globe, just south of the Thames. To pay for it, they shared the lease with the five partners (called actor-sharers) in the Lord Chamberlain's company, including Shakespeare.

The Globe, which opened in 1599, became the playhouse where audiences first saw some of Shakespeare's best-known plays. In 1613, it burned to the ground when the roof caught fire during a performance of Shakespeare's . A new, second Globe was quickly built on the same site, opening in 1614.

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In Shakespeare's time, a stage wasn't just one type of space; plays had to be versatile. The same play might be produced in an outdoor playhouse, an indoor theater, a royal palace-or, for a company on tour, the courtyard of an inn.

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One of the poems he wrote was titled "The Comedy of Errors". It was about two sets of twins. there was a shipwreck killing some of the family and causing others to become lost. This causes confusion on an city that they find themselves on.

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Plot summary of and introduction to William Shakespeare's play The Comedy of Errors, with links to online texts, digital images, and other resources.

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In London, no one knew where and how Shakespeare made money. In London, was where he became and popular and well know for his works of being an actor, playwright, and, in time, a business partner.

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Since William Shakespeare lived more than 400 years ago, and many records from that time are lost or never existed in the first place, we don't know everything about his life. For example, we know that he was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, 100 miles northwest of London, on April 26, 1564. But we don't know his exact birthdate, which must have been a few days earlier.

We do know that Shakespeare's life revolved around two locations: Stratford and London. He grew up, had a family, and bought property in Stratford, but he worked in London, the center of English theater. As an actor, a playwright, and a partner in a leading acting company, he became both prosperous and well-known. Even without knowing everything about his life, fans of Shakespeare have imagined and reimagined him according to their own tastes, just as we see with the 19th-century portrait of Shakespeare wooing his wife at the top of this page.

Birth and Childhood | Marriage and Children | London Theater | Final Years

William Shakespeare was probably born on about April 23, 1564, the date that is traditionally given for his birth. He was John and Mary Shakespeare's oldest surviving child; their first two children, both girls, did not live beyond infancy. Growing up as the big brother of the family, William had three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard, and Edmund, and two younger sisters: Anne, who died at seven, and Joan.

Their father, John Shakespeare, was a leatherworker who specialized in the soft white leather used for gloves and similar items. A prosperous businessman, he married Mary Arden, of the prominent Arden family. John rose through local offices in Stratford, becoming an alderman and eventually, when William was five, the town bailiff-much like a mayor. Not long after that, however, John Shakespeare stepped back from public life; we don't know why.

Shakespeare, as the son of a leading Stratford citizen, almost certainly attended Stratford's grammar school. Like all such schools, its curriculum consisted of an intense emphasis on the Latin classics, including memorization, writing, and acting classic Latin plays. Shakespeare most likely attended until about age 15.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Since William Shakespeare lived more than 400 years ago, and many records from that time are lost or never existed in the first place, we don't know everything about his life. For example, we know that he was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, 100 miles northwest of London, on April 26, 1564.

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You could pay a little to stand and watch the play or pay more to watch from a good seat. You could eat food and drinks while watching the play. All roles were played by men and boys. The clothes that the actors wore were modern and not what the characters should have worn. The actors had to be able to play instruments, be athletic, and fence with great skill. The stage had very little scenery, only the needed props.

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In Shakespeare's time, a stage wasn't just one type of space; plays had to be versatile. The same play might be produced in an outdoor playhouse, an indoor theater, a royal palace-or, for a company on tour, the courtyard of an inn.

In any of these settings, men and boys played all the characters, male and female; acting in Renaissance England was an exclusively male profession. Audiences had their favorite performers, looked forward to hearing music with the productions, and relished the luxurious costumes of the leading characters. The stage itself was relatively bare. For the most part, playwrights used vivid words instead of scenery to picture the scene onstage.

On This Page: Playhouses and the Globe | Theaters and Palaces | Audience Experiences | Actors, Costumes, and Staging | Stage and Screen after Shakespeare

In 1576, when Shakespeare was still a 12-year-old in Stratford-upon-Avon, James Burbage built the Theatre just outside London. The Theatre was among the first playhouses in England since Roman times. Like the many other playhouses that followed, it was a multi-sided structure with a central, uncovered "yard" surrounded by three tiers of covered seating and a bare, raised stage at one end of the yard. Spectators could pay for seating at multiple price levels; those with the cheapest tickets simply stood for the length of the plays.

Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, was one of several to perform at the Theatre, appearing there by about 1594. A few years later, the Burbages lost their lease on the Theatre site and began construction of a new, larger playhouse, the Globe, just south of the Thames. To pay for it, they shared the lease with the five partners (called actor-sharers) in the Lord Chamberlain's company, including Shakespeare.

The Globe, which opened in 1599, became the playhouse where audiences first saw some of Shakespeare's best-known plays. In 1613, it burned to the ground when the roof caught fire during a performance of Shakespeare's . A new, second Globe was quickly built on the same site, opening in 1614.

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In Shakespeare's time, a stage wasn't just one type of space; plays had to be versatile. The same play might be produced in an outdoor playhouse, an indoor theater, a royal palace-or, for a company on tour, the courtyard of an inn.

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Shakespeare had written around 38 plays and more then 150 poems. almost all has been translated into all the major languages.

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Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays and over 150 short and long poems, many of which are considered to be the finest ever written in English. His works have been translated into every major living language, and some others besides (the Folger's holdings include translations in Esperanto and Klingon), and nearly 400 years after his death, they continue to be performed around the world.

The Folger has copies of every play, from the earliest printings to modern editions, and we offer carefully edited print and digital texts. Follow the links below for more information, including plot synopses, brief textual histories, and selected images from our collection.

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Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays and over 150 short and long poems, many of which are considered to be the finest ever written in English. His works have been translated into every major living language, and some others besides (the Folger's holdings include translations in Esperanto and Klingon), and nearly 400 years after his death, they continue to be performed around the world.