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 1594italic=unset
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 1594italic=unset
Q2 1600
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Q3 1611
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''Richard III">Richard III (play)">Richard III''
Q1 1597italic=unset
Q2 1598
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Q3 1602
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Q4 1605
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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 1595italic=unset
Q2 1600
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Q3 1619
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''[Romeo and Juliet]''
Q1 1597italic=unset
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 1597italic=unset
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 1598This 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 1598italic=unset
''[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, 1600italic=unset
Q2, 1602
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Q3, 1619
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''[A Midsummer Night's Dream]''
Q1 1600italic=unset
Q2 1619
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''[Merchant of Venice]''
Q1 1600italic=unset
Q2 1619
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Q3 1637
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''[Much Ado About Nothing]''
Q 1600italic=unset
''[Merry Wives of Windsor]''
Q1 1602italic=unset
Q2 1619
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Q3 1630
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''[Hamlet]''
Q1 1603italic=unset
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 1608italic=unset
Q2 1619
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''[Troilus and Cressida]''
Q a 1609italic=unset
Q b 1609
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''[Pericles, Prince of Tyre]''
Q1 1609italic=unset
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 1622italic=unset
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 1631italic=unset
''[Two Noble Kinsmen]''
Q 1634italic=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.