1438500 1623 Shakespeare. The Winter's Tale. Complete.

 

SHAKESPEARE, WILLIAM. The Winters Tale. Pages 277-303, complete, extracted from the first folio. Folio, 301x192 mm, red morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe; attractive copy with only marginal toning, a few minor stains, and small rust hole in 2B1 not affecting text, margins trimmed entering rule border on a few leaves. Booklabel of Philip C. Duschnes. [London, 1623].  First edition. Greg 397a; Jaggard, page 490.

 

FIRST PRINTING of this play, from the famous First Folio edition of Shakespeare, consisting of 24 pages on leaves F1 to G6. This dark comedy is set in Vienna and deals with morality and justice. Young Claudio is sentenced to death for fornication when his betrothed becomes pregnant, but others intercede to prevent this injustice. It was first performed in December, 1604, and first published in this form in the First Folio. See Pforzheimer 905 (for First Folio).

 

The text was set from a transcript submitted by Ralph Crane, a highly regarded scribe who set much of the First Folio text.  Though no quartos preceded the Folio version, there are subtle hints in the Folio text that hint at revisions having been made between the 1604 initial performance and setting of the Folio itself.  In the cast of characters, the Duke is referred to as Vincentio though the name appears nowhere in the text.  The song at the beginning of Act Four also appears in John Fletcher’s “Rollo Duke of Norway” with an additional stanza.  These and other minor inconsistencies suggest that the text as printed was revised post performance and scholars suggest that Thomas Middleton no doubt had a hand in it as well.