‘This is also the first time these plays were definitively codified as histories, tragedies and comedies.’Īlso appearing in the Christie’s exhibition, courtesy of a private owner, is the Halliwell-Watson First Folio, once owned by arguably the greatest Shakespeare editor of the 19th century, James Orchard Halliwell. ‘Their work in assembling the First Folio is particularly important because they not only gathered the plays, but they went to great pains to establish an accurate text, as close to Shakespeare’s original words as possible,’ says the specialist. It also means that the plays might have been lost for ever had it not been for the efforts of Heminge and Condell. These were often discarded after use, which explains why there are no surviving manuscripts from Shakespeare’s time. They were each bequeathed 26 shillings and eight pence in Shakespeare’s will.ĭuring the Bard’s lifetime, actors would have been given a manuscript of Shakespeare’s text to prepare for their roles: ‘possibly not the entire play, just their own part,’ notes Ford. John Heminge and Henry Condell were actors and shareholders in the Globe Theatre and were ultimately able to buy enough of a stake to own half of the theatre between them. Idioms such as ‘be-all and end-all’ and ‘one fell swoop’ - both from Macbeth - and the ‘unkindest cut of all’, which appeared in Julius Caesar, might never have entered the popular lexicon if not for this literary masterpiece. Margaret Ford, Christie’s International Head of Books & Manuscripts in London, says the exhibition will not only tell the story of the Folio’s publication, ‘but by bringing together multiple copies, it will chronicle the life of one of the most important books printed across the centuries’. It will be the largest exhibition of First Folios ever assembled in the United Kingdom (surpassing the display of four copies at the British Library a century ago). To mark the 400th anniversary of their publication, Christie’s is bringing together six copies of the First Folio and exhibiting them from 2 to. The folio edition contains 36 plays, including 17 that were printed during his lifetime, one that was printed after his death, and 18 that might otherwise have been lost - among them Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure and Julius Caesar. Published 400 years ago, in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare’s death, the First Folio brought together the author’s collected plays for the first time. Oft-quoted, imitated, and acted on stages throughout the world, many of the words of Shakespeare could have been lost for ever had it not been for John Heminge and Henry Condell, the writer’s friends and fellow actors, who compiled Mr William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, often referred to as the ‘First Folio’.

No one in history has had such a colossal impact on English literature and language as William Shakespeare.

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