Shakespeare's editors
Encyclopedia
Shakespeare's editors were essential in the development of the modern practice of producing printed books and the evolution of textual criticism
.
The 17th-century folio collections of the plays of William Shakespeare
did not have editors in the modern sense of the term. In the best understanding of contemporary consensus scholarship, the plays to be included in the First Folio
(1623
) were gathered together or "compiled" by John Heminges
and Henry Condell
, two long-time colleagues of Shakespeare in the King's Men
. The play manuscripts may have been proofread
and prepared for printing by Edward Knight
, the "book-keeper" or prompter of the company. The task of proofreading and correcting the actual printed pages of the Folio was left to the compositors and printers in the print-shop, yielding the uneven and often defective text that is the First Folio.
Even less is known about the creation of the Second
(1632
), Third (1663–64
), and Fourth Folios (1685
) than about the First; see Folios and Quartos (Shakespeare)
.
In the 18th century, however, interested individuals made the first concerted efforts to bring order to the tangle of textual difficulties that the Folios of the previous century presented. The list below gives the date of each edition of Shakespeare's plays, the editor, the format of the collection, and pertinent specific information.
The early 19th century saw the first Variorum
editions of Shakespeare's works, editions that collated and synthesized the efforts of the editors of the previous century:
These massive editions laid the foundation for modern textual scholarship on Shakespeare's works, and by extension on works of literature in general. In the 19th century the text, drawn primarily from Malone and Steevens, was "monumentalized" in the Cambridge edition (1863-6) and its single-volume companion, the Globe edition (1864). It was followed by the New Cambridge edition in 1921, and all modern standard editions inherit primarily from this edition.
As for the personalities involved: some of these men were friends, like Steevens, Reed, and Malone; acquaintances called them the Shakespeare Gang. Others nourished spirits of competitiveness and resentment. Pope made Theobald the first hero of The Dunciad
. Warburton belittled Rowe's "Account of the Life" of Shakespeare — but he reprinted it in his own edition, without change or improvement. Despite his friendship with Malone and Reed, Steevens was famous for his irascibility; in notes to his 1793 edition of Shakespeare, he concocted obscene interpretations of some passages and attributed those readings to people he didn't like.
The next major edition, the Cambridge Shakespeare (1863–66), moved away from the practice of a single editor following his own sometimes capricious instincts and judgments. The first volume of the Cambridge Shakespeare was edited by William George Clark
and John Glover, and the subsequent eight volumes by Clark and William Aldis Wright
. Clark and Wright also produced the single-volume Globe Shakespeare (1864) using their Cambridge texts; together, these became the standard for the remainder of the century.
The most radical edition in the twentieth century was the Oxford Shakespeare, prepared under the general editorship of Stanley Wells
and Gary Taylor
. It aims to present the texts as they were originally performed, which results in numerous controversial choices, including presenting multiple texts of King Lear
, a text of Hamlet
in which the scenes presumably cut by Shakespeare are relegated to an appendix, and an emphasis on the collaborative nature of several of the plays.
Textual criticism
Textual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
.
The 17th-century folio collections of the plays of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
did not have editors in the modern sense of the term. In the best understanding of contemporary consensus scholarship, the plays to be included in the First Folio
First Folio
Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. is the 1623 published collection of William Shakespeare's plays. Modern scholars commonly refer to it as the First Folio....
(1623
1623 in literature
The year 1623 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*February 2 - The King's Men perform Twelfth Night at Court on Candlemas....
) were gathered together or "compiled" by John Heminges
John Heminges
John Heminges was an English Renaissance actor. Most noted now as one of the editors of William Shakespeare's 1623 First Folio, Heminges served in his time as an actor and financial manager for the King's Men.-Life:Heminges was born in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire in 1556...
and Henry Condell
Henry Condell
Henry Condell was an actor in the King's Men, the playing company for which William Shakespeare wrote. With John Heminges, he was instrumental in preparing the First Folio, the collected plays of Shakespeare, published in 1623....
, two long-time colleagues of Shakespeare in the King's Men
King's Men (playing company)
The King's Men was the company of actors to which William Shakespeare belonged through most of his career. Formerly known as The Lord Chamberlain's Men during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, it became The King's Men in 1603 when King James ascended the throne and became the company's patron.The...
. The play manuscripts may have been proofread
Proofreading
Proofreading is the reading of a galley proof or computer monitor to detect and correct production-errors of text or art. Proofreaders are expected to be consistently accurate by default because they occupy the last stage of typographic production before publication.-Traditional method:A proof is...
and prepared for printing by Edward Knight
Edward Knight (King's Men)
Edward Knight was the prompter of the King's Men, the acting company that performed the plays of William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, John Fletcher, and other playwrights of Jacobean and Caroline drama.In English Renaissance theatre, the prompter managed the company's performances, ensuring that they...
, the "book-keeper" or prompter of the company. The task of proofreading and correcting the actual printed pages of the Folio was left to the compositors and printers in the print-shop, yielding the uneven and often defective text that is the First Folio.
Even less is known about the creation of the Second
Second Folio
Second Folio is the term applied to the 1632 edition of the works of William Shakespeare, following upon the First Folio of 1623.Much language was updated; there are almost 1,700 changes from the First Folio....
(1632
1632 in literature
The year 1632 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*On February 14, Tempe Restored, a masque written by Aurelian Townshend and designed by Inigo Jones, is performed at Whitehall Palace....
), Third (1663–64
1663 in literature
The year 1663 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*February - The Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres is founded in Paris....
), and Fourth Folios (1685
1685 in literature
The year 1685 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* Antoine Furetière is expelled from the French Academy.* in London, the year sees one of the major theatrical flops of the Restoration era: Albion and Albanius — an allegorical drama in praise of Charles II, with text by...
) than about the First; see Folios and Quartos (Shakespeare)
Folios and Quartos (Shakespeare)
The earliest texts of William Shakespeare's works were published during the 16th and 17th centuries in quarto or folio format. Folios are large, tall volumes; quartos are smaller, roughly half the size...
.
In the 18th century, however, interested individuals made the first concerted efforts to bring order to the tangle of textual difficulties that the Folios of the previous century presented. The list below gives the date of each edition of Shakespeare's plays, the editor, the format of the collection, and pertinent specific information.
- 17091709 in literatureThe year 1709 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*February 2 - Alexander Selkirk, the original Robinson Crusoe, is rescued and returns to civilisation.*April 12 - The Tatler is founded by Richard Steele....
, Nicholas RoweNicholas Rowe (dramatist)Nicholas Rowe , English dramatist, poet and miscellaneous writer, was appointed Poet Laureate in 1715.-Life:...
; octavoBook sizeThe size of a book is generally measured by the height against the width of a leaf, or sometimes the height and width of its cover. A series of terms is commonly used by libraries and publishers for the general sizes of modern books, ranging from "folio" , to "quarto" and "octavo"...
, 6 volumes. Rowe was the first person to attempt a clean and fully comprehensible text of the plays; but he depended upon a copy of the Fourth Folio and made generally conjectural emendations. He also added full stage directions (he was a playwright himself) and full lists of Dramatis personae, and wrote the first biographical sketch of the poet. - 17251725 in literatureThe year 1725 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Émilie de Breteuil marries Marquis Florent-Claude du Chastellet....
, Alexander PopeAlexander PopeAlexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
; quartoBook sizeThe size of a book is generally measured by the height against the width of a leaf, or sometimes the height and width of its cover. A series of terms is commonly used by libraries and publishers for the general sizes of modern books, ranging from "folio" , to "quarto" and "octavo"...
, 6 volumes. Pope was the first to attempt a collation of the quarto texts of the plays, yet he produced what was basically a reprint of Rowe that added little of value. - 17331733 in literatureThe year 1733 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Antoine François Prévost arrives in London, where he will edit Le Pour et centre....
, Lewis TheobaldLewis TheobaldLewis Theobald , British textual editor and author, was a landmark figure both in the history of Shakespearean editing and in literary satire...
; octavo, 7 volumes. Theobald has been called "the first Shakespeare scholar"; he carried forward the task of collating the quartos, and began the study of Shakespeare's sources and the order of the plays' composition. (See Chronology of Shakespeare's plays.) - 17441744 in literatureThe year 1744 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*May 29 - Alexander Pope is received into the Roman Catholic faith, a day before his death.*Samuel Foote makes his debut as an actor....
, Thomas HanmerThomas Hanmer (politician)Sir Thomas Hanmer, 4th Baronet was Speaker of the House of Commons from 1714 to 1715, discharging the duties of the office with conspicuous impartiality...
; quarto, 6 volumes. Hanmer relied on Theobald's text, and made guesswork corrections. His edition was reprinted in 17701770 in literatureThe year 1770 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:* John Armstrong - Miscellanies* James Beattie -An Essay on the Nature and Immutability of Truth...
. - 17471747 in literatureThe year 1747 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Samuel Johnson begins work on his dictionary of the English language* David Garrick becomes one of the managers of Drury Lane Theatre-New books:...
, William WarburtonWilliam WarburtonWilliam Warburton was an English critic and churchman, Bishop of Gloucester from 1759.-Life:He was born at Newark, where his father, who belonged to an old Cheshire family, was town clerk. William was educated at Oakham and Newark grammar schools, and in 1714 he was articled to Mr Kirke, an...
; octavo, 8 volumes. The "supercilious" Warburton also relied on Theobald while criticizing him, and made his own sometimes fanciful emendations. In 17481748 in literatureThe year 1748 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* While in debtor's prison in London, John Cleland writes Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, also known as Fanny Hill, considered the first modern "erotic novel" by some.* Euler’s fifth paper on nautical topics, E137,...
Thomas Edwards published his Supplement to Warburton's Edition of Shakespeare, in later editions called The Canons of Criticism — a satirical exposure of Warburton's failings. - 17651765 in literature-Events:* Beginning of Sturm und Drang movement in German literature.* Arthur Murphy introduces Hester Thrale and her husband to Samuel Johnson.*Denis Diderot completes Encyclopédie.-New books:* Henry Brooke - The Fool of Quality...
, Samuel JohnsonSamuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
, The Plays of William ShakespeareThe Plays of William ShakespeareThe Plays of William Shakespeare was an 18th-century edition of the dramatic works of William Shakespeare, edited by Samuel Johnson and George Steevens. Johnson announced his intention to edit Shakespeare's plays in his Miscellaneous Observations on Macbeth , and a full Proposal for the edition was...
; octavo, 8 volumes. Johnson in turn relied upon Warburton; his edition is noteworthy mainly for its famous Preface. - 17681768 in literatureSee also: 1767 in literature, other events of 1768, 1769 in literature, list of years in literature.-Events:*John Wilkes returns from exile in France and is elected to Parliament.*May 10 - John Wilkes is imprisoned for attacking King George III in print....
, Edward CapellEdward CapellEdward Capell , English Shakespearian critic, was born at Troston Hall in Suffolk.-Biography:Through the influence of the Duke of Grafton he was appointed to the office of deputy-inspector of plays in 1737, with a salary of £200 per annum, and in 1745 he was made groom of the privy chamber through...
; octavo, 10 volumes. Appalled by the undisciplined emendations of Hanmer and Warburton, Capell spent three decades collecting and collating the quartos. He was also the first to exploit the Stationers' RegisterStationers' RegisterThe Stationers' Register was a record book maintained by the Stationers' Company of London. The company is a trade guild given a royal charter in 1557 to regulate the various professions associated with the publishing industry, including printers, bookbinders, booksellers, and publishers in England...
and Francis MeresFrancis MeresFrancis Meres was an English churchman and author.He was born at Kirton in the Holland division of Lincolnshire in 1565. He was educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he received a B.A. in 1587 and an M.A. in 1591. Two years later he was incorporated an M.A. of Oxford...
's Palladis Tamia, and to explore Shakespeare's use of Raphael HolinshedRaphael HolinshedRaphael Holinshed was an English chronicler, whose work, commonly known as Holinshed's Chronicles, was one of the major sources used by William Shakespeare for a number of his plays....
's Chronicles and Sir Thomas NorthThomas NorthSir Thomas North was an English translator of Plutarch, second son of the 1st Baron North.-Life:He is supposed to have been a student of Peterhouse, Cambridge, and was entered at Lincoln's Inn in 1557. In 1574 he accompanied his brother, Lord North, on a visit to the French court. He served as...
's translation of PlutarchPlutarchPlutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
's Parallel LivesParallel LivesPlutarch's Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans, commonly called Parallel Lives or Plutarch's Lives, is a series of biographies of famous men, arranged in tandem to illuminate their common moral virtues or failings, written in the late 1st century...
. - 17731773 in literatureSee also: 1772 in literature, other events of 1773, 1774 in literature, list of years in literature.-Events:*Richard Brinsley Sheridan marries Elizabeth Linley.*Samuel Johnson and James Boswell tour the Western Isles of Scotland-New books:...
, George SteevensGeorge SteevensGeorge Steevens was an English Shakespearean commentator.He was born at Poplar, the son of a captain and later director of the East India Company. He was educated at Eton College and at King's College, Cambridge, where he remained from 1753 to 1756...
; octavo, 10 volumes. Steevens employed Johnson's text, but continued Capell's trend of adding new material. Steevens revised and re-issued his edition in 17781778 in literatureSee also: 1777 in literature, other events of 1778, 1779 in literature, list of years in literature.-New books:* Fanny Burney - Evelina* Pierre-Louis Ginguené - Satire des Satires* Clara Reeve - The Old English Baron-New drama:...
; in 17801780 in literatureThe year 1780 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Karl von Marinelli becomes head of the Schultz theatre company of Baden.*Richard Brinsley Sheridan is elected to Parliament-New books:...
Edmond Malone added another 2 volumes that contained Shakespeare's non-dramatic poems and other material. Isaac ReedIsaac ReedIsaac Reed was an English Shakespearean editor.-Life:The son of a baker, he was born in London. He was articled to a solicitor, and eventually set up as a conveyancer at Staple Inn, where he had a large practice.-Works:...
revised the Steevens edition again in 1785, and Steevens himself produced one final, 15-volume revision in 17931793 in literature-Events:*William Wordsworth tours Wales and western England, writing some of his best-known poems.-New books:*Charlotte Turner Smith**The Old Manor House**The Emigrants*Johann Heinrich Daniel Zschokke - Abällino, der grosse Bandit-New drama:...
. - 17901790 in literatureThe year 1790 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*June 9 - The Philadelphia Spelling Book by John Barry becomes the first book to be copyrighted in the United States....
, Edmond MaloneEdmond MaloneEdmond Malone was an Irish Shakespearean scholar and editor of the works of William Shakespeare.Assured of an income after the death of his father in 1774, Malone was able to give up his law practice for at first political and then more congenial literary pursuits. He went to London, where he...
; octavo, 10 volumes. Malone, often considered the best of the century's editors of Shakespeare, wrote the first general consideration of English Renaissance theatreEnglish Renaissance theatreEnglish Renaissance theatre, also known as early modern English theatre, refers to the theatre of England, largely based in London, which occurred between the Reformation and the closure of the theatres in 1642...
, utilizing resources like the records of the Master of the RevelsMaster of the RevelsThe Master of the Revels was a position within the English, and later the British, royal household heading the "Revels Office" or "Office of the Revels" that originally had responsibilities for overseeing royal festivities, known as revels, and later also became responsible for stage censorship,...
and Edward AlleynEdward AlleynEdward Alleyn was an English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of Dulwich College and Alleyn's School.-Early life:...
's papers at Dulwich CollegeDulwich CollegeDulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
. He is also noted for his work on the problem of chronology.
The early 19th century saw the first Variorum
Variorum
A variorum is a work that collates all known variants of a text. It is a work of textual criticism, whereby all variations and emendations are set side by side so that a reader can track how textual decisions have been made in the preparation of a text for publication...
editions of Shakespeare's works, editions that collated and synthesized the efforts of the editors of the previous century:
- 18031803 in literatureThe year 1803 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Novelist Mary Butt marries Captain Henry Sherwood, acquiring the surname by which she will become best known.-New books:...
, the First Variorum edition, edited by Isaac Reed; 21 volumes. - 18131813 in literatureThe year 1813 in literature involved some significant new books, including Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Robert Southey with Life of Nelson, Arthur Schopenhauer's Sufficient Reason, and Shelley's Queen Mab.-Events:...
, the Second Variorum, a reprint of the First; 21 volumes. - 18211821 in literatureThe year 1821 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* In the first known obscenity case in the United States, a Massachusetts court outlawed the John Cleland novel, Fanny Hill ...
, the Third Variorum, edited by James Boswell; 21 volumes.
These massive editions laid the foundation for modern textual scholarship on Shakespeare's works, and by extension on works of literature in general. In the 19th century the text, drawn primarily from Malone and Steevens, was "monumentalized" in the Cambridge edition (1863-6) and its single-volume companion, the Globe edition (1864). It was followed by the New Cambridge edition in 1921, and all modern standard editions inherit primarily from this edition.
As for the personalities involved: some of these men were friends, like Steevens, Reed, and Malone; acquaintances called them the Shakespeare Gang. Others nourished spirits of competitiveness and resentment. Pope made Theobald the first hero of The Dunciad
The Dunciad
The Dunciad is a landmark literary satire by Alexander Pope published in three different versions at different times. The first version was published in 1728 anonymously. The second version, the Dunciad Variorum was published anonymously in 1729. The New Dunciad, in four books and with a...
. Warburton belittled Rowe's "Account of the Life" of Shakespeare — but he reprinted it in his own edition, without change or improvement. Despite his friendship with Malone and Reed, Steevens was famous for his irascibility; in notes to his 1793 edition of Shakespeare, he concocted obscene interpretations of some passages and attributed those readings to people he didn't like.
The next major edition, the Cambridge Shakespeare (1863–66), moved away from the practice of a single editor following his own sometimes capricious instincts and judgments. The first volume of the Cambridge Shakespeare was edited by William George Clark
William George Clark
William George Clark , English classical and Shakespearean scholar, was born at Barford Hall, Darlington.He was educated at Sedbergh School and Shrewsbury School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was elected fellow after a brilliant university career. In 1857 he was appointed Public Orator...
and John Glover, and the subsequent eight volumes by Clark and William Aldis Wright
William Aldis Wright
William Aldis Wright , was an English writer and editor.William Aldis Wright was son of George Wright, a Baptist minister in Beccles. He was educated at Beccles Grammar School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA in 1858...
. Clark and Wright also produced the single-volume Globe Shakespeare (1864) using their Cambridge texts; together, these became the standard for the remainder of the century.
The most radical edition in the twentieth century was the Oxford Shakespeare, prepared under the general editorship of Stanley Wells
Stanley Wells
Stanley William Wells, CBE, is a Shakespeare scholar and Chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.Wells took his first degree at University College, London, and was awarded an honorary DLitt by the University of Warwick in 2008...
and Gary Taylor
Gary Taylor (English literature scholar)
Gary Taylor is George Matthew Edgar Professor of English at Florida State University, author of numerous books and articles, and joint editor of the Oxford Shakespeare and .-Life:...
. It aims to present the texts as they were originally performed, which results in numerous controversial choices, including presenting multiple texts of King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
, a text of Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
in which the scenes presumably cut by Shakespeare are relegated to an appendix, and an emphasis on the collaborative nature of several of the plays.