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William Shakespeare
The Plays



First Folio

Shakespeare's First Folio (1623)
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Since they were written 400 years ago, Shakespeare's plays have had a profound impact on Western Civilisation. Hundreds of words invented by Shakespeare have passed into common usage, such as amazement, bloody, eventful, and many of his phrases have become proverbs. Some include:

All that glitters is not gold
Be all and end all
Disgraceful conduct
Green eyed monster
Naked truth
The course of true love never did run smooth
The milk of human kindness
It's Greek to me
Too much of a good thing


Shakespeare's plays have been translated into many languages, and are still performed all over the world today. Almost everyone in the Western World has read one of Shakespeare's plays, even if only at school, and almost everyone can name one of his works. Arguably, Shakespeare's most famous and popular play is the romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Other popular plays include Hamlet, Macbeth,A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello, and The Merchant of Venice.

First Folio

Shakespeare's First Folio (1623)
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Some of Shakespeare's plays were published individually in his lifetime, but most were printed for the first time in the First Folio of 1623. This was a collection of 36 plays, divided into Comedies, Histories and Tragedies, in one printed volume. Next to the Bible, it is the most influential and important literary publication in Western History. It is thought by some that Shakespeare wrote, or at least contributed to, other plays, such as Pericles and Edward III. However, as they were not published in the First Folio, this is a matter of some debate.

For a full list of the 36 plays included in the First Folio please click the links below:


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