Theatre History II Entry 10

There have been many new editions and adaptations of Shakespeare’s texts. The first was called the Quarto. It was printed in 1608. In this one the writing was very different than the script you would see today. The stage directions do not exist, there are none written in.

Then another updated edition was published. It is called the Folio. The Folio was printed in 1623. It includes minimal stage directions and explanation. Modern editions include stage directions and explanations as to who exits and who is talking to whom. I knew that there were different editions, but I never knew the difference between them and how great it was. For example: In A Midsummer Night’s Dream the original Quarto said “exeunt”, the Folio expanded by saying “Manet Lysander and Hermia”. Meaning that these characters should remain on stage.

Jowett, John. Shakespeare and Text. 1st ed. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print.