Suggestions

Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.
  • Shakespeare dark gray
    • No Fear Shakespeare Translations
    • Shakespeare Study Guides
    • Shakespeare Life & Times
    • Glossary of Shakespeare Terms
  • Literature dark gray
    • No Fear Literature Translations
    • Literature Study Guides
    • Glossary of Literary Terms
    • How to Write Literary Analysis
  • Other Subjects dark gray
    • Biography
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Computer Science
    • Drama
    • Economics
    • Film
    • Health
    • History
    • Math
    • Philosophy
    • Physics
    • Poetry
    • Psychology
    • Short Stories
    • Sociology
    • US Government and Politics
  • Test Prep PLUS dark gray
    • Test Prep Lessons
    • AP® English Literature
    • AP® English Language
  • Teacher dark gray
    • SparkTeach
    • Teacher's Handbook
  • Blog
My PLUS Dashboard
  • Account Details
  • Subscription & Billing

Please wait while we process your payment

Reset Password

  • Please wait while we process your payment

    Log in Create account

    Sparknotes

  • By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.

    Don’t have an account? Subscribe now

    Step 1 of 4

    Create Your Account

    Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial. Get instant access to all the benefits of SparkNotes PLUS! Cancel within the first 7 days and you won't be charged. We'll even send you a reminder.

    • Ad-free experience
    • Study notes
    • Flashcards & Quizzes
    • AP® English Test Prep
    • Plus much more

  • Already have an account? Log in

    Step 1 of 4

    Create Your Account done

    Step 2 of 4

    Choose Your Plan

    BEST VALUE

    Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!

    Step 2 of 4

    Choose Your Plan done

    Step 3 of 4

    Add Your Payment Details

  • We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country.

  • Step 3 of 4

    Add Your Payment Details done

    Step 4 of 4

    Payment Summary

    SparkNotes Plus

     Change

    US + tax

    You'll be billed only after your free trial ends.

    7-day Free Trial

    DUE NOW

    $0.00

    Total due on July 8, 2022

    This is not a valid promo code.

    Promo Code

    SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.

    Step 2 of 4

    Choose Your Plan

    Step 3 of 4

    Add Your Payment Details

    Step 4 of 4

    Payment Summary

    Suggestions

    Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.
    • My Account Icon My Account white
      • Account Details
      • Subscription & Billing
      My PLUS Dashboard
    • Shakespeare white
      • No Fear Shakespeare Translations
      • Shakespeare Study Guides
      • Shakespeare Life & Times
      • Glossary of Shakespeare Terms
    • Literature white
      • No Fear Literature Translations
      • Literature Study Guides
      • Glossary of Literary Terms
      • How to Write Literary Analysis
    • Other Subjects white
      • Biography
      • Biology
      • Chemistry
      • Computer Science
      • Drama
      • Economics
      • Film
      • Health
      • History
      • Math
      • Philosophy
      • Physics
      • Poetry
      • Psychology
      • Short Stories
      • Sociology
      • US Government and Politics
    • Test Prep PLUS white
      • Test Prep Lessons
      • AP® English Literature
      • AP® English Language
    • Teacher white
      • SparkTeach
      • Teacher's Handbook
    • Blog
    • Help

    Please wait while we process your payment

    expired-logo

    Your PLUS subscription has expired

    • We’d love to have you back! Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools.
    Renew your subscription

    Please wait while we process your payment

    expired-logo

    snpromo-logo
    • Looking for exclusive, AD-FREE study tools? Look no further!

    William Shakespeare’s Life & Times: First Folio

    • Biography
      • Early Life
      • Marriage
      • Shakespeare's Lost Years
      • Early Work
      • Shakespeare’s Sexuality
      • The Closure Of The Theatres
      • The Lord Chamberlain’s Men
      • Shakespeare’s Adversities
      • Shakespeare’s Growing Success
      • Last Plays and Final Years
      • Critical Reputation
    • Historical Context
      • Political
      • Elizabeth I
      • James I
      • Religious
      • The Reformation
      • The English Bible
      • Puritans
      • Theatrical
      • Shakespeare’s Globe Theater
      • Performances at Court
      • Actors
      • Censorship
      • Literary
      • Contemporaries
      • Sources
      • Influences
      • Authorship Controversy
    • Social Context
      • Shakespeare's Women
      • Women in Shakespeare’s England
      • Women in Shakespeare’s Writing
      • Shakespeare's "Others"
      • Jews in Shakespeare’s England
      • Moors in Shakespeare’s England
      • Sex and Shakespeare
      • Sexuality in Shakespeare’s England
      • Sexuality in Shakespeare’s Plays
      • Sexuality in Shakespeare’s Sonnets
      • Sex in Shakespeare’s Writing
    • Top 10 Quotes
    • Plays
      • Tragedy
      • Comedy
      • History
      • Romance
    • Poetry
      • Sonnets
      • Narrative Poems
    • Glossary
      • First Folio
      • Quarto
      • Prose
      • Verse
      • Iambic pentameter
      • Sonnet
      • Heroic Couplet
    • Language
      • A Glossary of Common Shakespearean Words
      • Words Invented by Shakespeare

    The First Folio refers to the first printed collection of thirty-six of Shakespeare’s plays. After Shakespeare died in 1616, two of his friends from the King’s Men theater company, John Heminge and Henry Condell, began compiling Shakespeare’s plays in one volume. Heminge and Condell separated the plays into three categories, which are reflected in their title for the collection. “Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies” was completed in 1623. “Folio” refers to the large size of the paper used for the collection. Folio printing was expensive, and was reserved for important works. The First Folio is considered the most reliable source of Shakespeare’s original language. Today, when we call a play a comedy, history, or tragedy, we are referring to its designation in the First Folio. However, scholars have subsequently added two more categories, Romances and Problem Plays, to describe plays that don’t neatly fit their First Folio designations.

    Previous section Narrative Poems Next section Quarto

    Popular pages: William Shakespeare

    • Shakespeare’s Early Life Biography

    • Shakespeare’s Marriage Biography

    • Queen Elizabeth & Shakespeare Historical Context

    • Women in Shakespeare’s England Social Context

    • Top 10 Shakespeare Quotes Top 10 Shakespeare Quotes

    Take a Study Break

    • Every Shakespeare Play Summed Up in a Single Sentence

    • The 7 Most Embarrassing Proposals in Literature

    • The 6 Best and Worst TV Show Adaptations of Books

    • QUIZ: Which Greek God Are You?

    Sign up for our latest news and updates!
    By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. You can view our Privacy Policy here. Unsubscribe from our emails at any time.

    SparkNotes—the stress-free way to a better GPA

    • Popular
    • No Fear Shakespeare
    • Literature Guides
    • Other Subjects
    • Blog
    • Teacher’s Handbook
    • SparkNotes PLUS
    • Why choose PLUS?
    • Sign Up
    • Log In
    • PLUS Help
    • More
    • Help
    • How to Cite SparkNotes
    • How to Write Literary Analysis
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise

    Copyright © SparkNotes LLC

    • Terms of Use
    • |
    • Privacy
    • |
    • Cookie Policy
    • |
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
           
    >