This article presents a possible chronological listing of the plays

Shakespeare's plays

William Shakespeare's plays have the reputation of being among the greatest in the English language and in Western literature. Traditionally, the 37 plays are divided into the genres of tragedy, history, and comedy; they have been translated into every major living language, in addition to being...

 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"...

.

Difficulty of creating a precise chronology

Shakespearean scholars, beginning with Edmond Malone

Edmond Malone

Edmond 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...

 in 1790, have attempted to reconstruct the plays' relative chronology by various means, primarily using external evidence (references by contemporary commentators and in private documents, allusions in other plays, entries in the Stationers' Register

Stationers' Register

The 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 records of performance and publication), and internal evidence (allusions to contemporary events, composition and publication dates of sources used by Shakespeare, the development of his style and diction over time, and the plays' context in the contemporary theatrical and literary milieu). Most modern chronologies are based on the work of E.K. Chambers in 1930, who dated the composition of 2 Henry VI and 3 Henry VI in 1590-1 as Shakespeare's first plays.

However, while most Shakespearean scholars agree within a few years for the composition of most plays, there is no definitive or precise chronology of the plays because of the fragmentary nature of the surviving evidence. This is especially pronounced in relation to the earlier plays; most chronologies tend to agree on the order of plays written after c.1600, but there are many different versions of the pre-1600 chronology.

Dates of performance are often of limited use, as oftentimes it is impossible to determine if a given performance is the first performance; the first performances of only two plays — Henry VIII

Henry VIII (play)

The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...

and Henry VI, Part 1

Henry VI, part 1

Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...

— can be identified, and even in this, there is some ambiguity about 1 Henry VI. Similarly, dates of first publication are relatively useless in determining a chronology, as about half of the plays were not published until the First Folio in 1623 (seven years after Shakespeare's death). Performance dates and publication dates are also problematic insofar as many of the plays were performed several years before they were published (for example, Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, and possibly George Peele, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy, and is often seen as his attempt to emulate the violent and bloody revenge plays of his contemporaries, which were...

was performed in 1592, but not published until 1594; Henry VI, Part 3

Henry VI, part 3

Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...

was performed in 1592 but not published until 1595). Both performance and publication dates can thus be used only to determine terminal dates of composition, and the initial dates are much more speculative.

In addition, some scholars completely break with the conventional dating system. E.A.J. Honigmann

E. A. J. Honigmann

Ernst Anselm Joachim Honigmann Professor of English Literature, Shakespeare scholar, and Fellow of the British Academy.- Early life :...

 for example, dissents from the most common dating of the plays with his "early start theory" by pushing back the beginning of Shakespeare's career four or five years beginning with the composition of Titus Andronicus in 1586 instead of following Chambers. Most scholars, however, reject Honigmann's theory, saying it causes more problems than it solves.

Chronology

There are five major scholarly editions of the Complete Works of Shakespeare

Complete Works of Shakespeare

Complete Works of William Shakespeare is the standard name given to any volume containing all the plays and poems of William Shakespeare. Some editions include several works which were not completely of Shakespeare's authorship , such as The Two Noble Kinsmen, a collaboration with John Fletcher, as...

: The Riverside Shakespeare

Riverside Shakespeare

The Riverside Shakespeare is a long-running series of editions of the complete works of William Shakespeare published by the Houghton Mifflin company.The first Riverside Shakespeare was edited by Richard Grant White and published in 1883 and 1901....

(G. Blakemore Evans

G. Blakemore Evans

Gwynne Blakemore Evans was an American scholar of Elizabethan literature best known for editing the Riverside Shakespeare edition in 1974.-Biography:...

, 1974; 2nd edn., 1996), The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works

The Oxford Shakespeare

The Oxford Shakespeare is a common term for the range of editions of William Shakespeare's works produced by Oxford University Press. The Oxford Shakespeare is produced under the general editorship of Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor.-The Complete Works:...

(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...

, 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:...

, John Jowett

John Jowett

John D. Jowett is an English Shakespeare scholar and editor. He is the Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Birmingham and Deputy Director of the Shakespeare Institute....

 and William Montgomery, 1986; 2nd edn., 2005), The Norton Shakespeare: Based on the Oxford Edition (Stephen Greenblatt

Stephen Greenblatt

Stephen Jay Greenblatt is a literary critic, theorist and scholar.Greenblatt is regarded by many as one of the founders of New Historicism, a set of critical practices that he often refers to as "cultural poetics"; his works have been influential since the early 1980s when he introduced the term...

, Walter Cohen, Jean E. Howard and Katharine Eisaman Haus, 1997; 2nd edn., 2008), The Arden Shakespeare: Complete Works

Arden Shakespeare

The Arden Shakespeare is a long-running series of scholarly editions of the works of William Shakespeare. It presents fully edited modern-spelling editions of the plays and poems, with lengthy introductions and full commentaries...

(Richard Proudfoot, Ann Thompson and David Scott Kastan, 1998; 2nd edn. 2002) and The RSC Shakespeare: William Shakespeare, Complete Works (Jonathan Bate

Jonathan Bate

Jonathan Bate CBE FBA FRSL is a British academic, biographer, critic, broadcaster, novelist and scholar of Shakespeare, Romanticism and Ecocriticism...

 and Eric Rasmussen

Eric Rasmussen

Eric Ralph Rasmussen is a retired professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of eight seasons in the majors, between and...

, 2007).

Arden presents the plays alphabetically without any attempt to construct an overall chronology. Oxford, Riverside, Norton and RSC all present chronologies which differ from one another. As such, dates in the following lists are approximate means. This list adopts the Oxford Shakespeare chronology, although none of the major chronologies has any real authority over any of the others.

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1590 or 1591. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as his first tentative steps in laying out some of the themes and tropes with which he would later deal in more...

(1589–1591)

First official record: Francis Meres

Francis Meres

Francis 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...

' Palladis Tamia

Palladis Tamia

Palladis Tamia, subtitled "Wits Treasury", is a 1598 book written by the minister Francis Meres. Meres calls it "A Comparative Discourse of our English Poets, with the Greek, Latin, and Italian Poets", and is important in English literary history as the first critical account of the poems and early...

(1598)

First published: First Folio (1623)

First recorded performance: adaptation by Benjamin Victor

Benjamin Victor

Benjamin Matthew Victor is an American sculptor and Artist-in-Residence at Northern State University, South Dakota. He is best known for his sculpture of Sarah Winnemucca in the National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol...

 performed at David Garrick

David Garrick

David Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...

's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...

 in 1762. Earliest known performance of straight Shakespearean text at Royal Opera House

Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...

 in 1784, although because of the inclusion of the play in Palladis Tamia, we know it was definitely performed in Shakespeare's day.

Evidence: The play contains passages which seem to borrow from John Lyly

John Lyly

John Lyly was an English writer, best known for his books Euphues,The Anatomy of Wit and Euphues and His England. Lyly's linguistic style, originating in his first books, is known as Euphuism.-Biography:John Lyly was born in Kent, England, in 1553/1554...

's Midas

Midas (play)

Midas is an Elizabethan era stage play, a comedy written by John Lyly. It is arguably the most overtly and extensively allegorical of Lyly's allegorical plays.-Performance and Production:...

(1589), meaning it could not have been written prior to 1589. Additionally, Stanley Wells argues that the scenes involving more than four characters, "betray an uncertainty of technique suggestive of inexperience." As such, the play is considered to be one of the first Shakespeare composed upon arriving in London (Roger Warren, following E.A.J. Honigmann, suggests he may have written it prior to his arrival) and, as such, he lacked theatrical experience. This places the date of composition as most likely somewhere between 1589 and 1591.

The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...

(1590–1591)

First official record: possible version of play entered into Stationers' Register on 2 May 1594. First record of play as it exists today found in the First Folio (1623)

First published: possible version of play published in 1594 as A Pleasant Conceited Historie, called the taming of a Shrew. Play as it exists today first published in the First Folio (1623)

First recorded performance: probably performed at Newington Butts Theatre

Newington Butts

Newington Butts is a former village, now an area of the London Borough of Southwark, that gives its name to a segment of the A3 road running south-west from the Elephant and Castle junction...

, 13 June 1594, as The Tamynge of A Shrowe.

Evidence: Scholars continue to debate the relationship between the 1594 A Shrew and the 1623 The Shrew. Some theorise that A Shrew is a reported text, meaning The Shrew must have been written prior to 2 May 1594; others, that A Shrew is an early draft, meaning The Shrew must have been completed sometime after 2 May 1594. Other critics argue that A Shrew could have been a source for The Shrew, or they could be two completely unrelated plays based on the same (now lost) source, or A Shrew could be an adaptation of The Shrew. Critics remain divided on this issue, and as such, dating the play is extremely difficult.

Henry VI, Part 2

Henry VI, part 2

Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...

(1590–1591)

First official record: version of the play entered into the Stationers' Register on 12 March 1594

First published: version of the play published in quarto in 1594 as The First part of the Contention betwixt the two famous Houses of Yorke and Lancaster, with the death of the good Duke Humphrey: And the banishment and death of the Duke of Suffolke, and the Tragicall end of the proud Cardinal of Winchester, with the notable Rebellion of Jack Cade: and the Duke of Yorke's first claim unto the Crowne. Play as it exists today first published in the First Folio (1623) as The second Part of Henry the Sixt, with the death of the Good Duke Humfrey

First recorded performance: a performance directed by James Anderson was staged at the Surrey Theatre

Surrey Theatre

The Surrey Theatre began life in 1782 as the Royal Circus and Equestrian Philharmonic Academy, one of the many circuses that provided contemporary London entertainment of both horsemanship and drama...

 on 23 April, 1864.

Evidence: It is known that 3 Henry VI was on stage by early 1592, and it is also known that 3 Henry VI was definitely a sequel to 2 Henry VI, meaning 2 Henry VI must have been on stage by early 1592 as well. This places the likely date of composition as 1590–1591.

Henry VI, Part 3

Henry VI, part 3

Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...

(1590–1591)

First official record: version of the play entered into the Stationers Register in 1595

First published: version of the play published in octavo

Octavo

Octavo to is a technical term describing the format of a book.Octavo may also refer to:* Octavo is a grimoire in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett...

 in 1595 as The True Tragedie of Richard Duke of Yorke, and the death of good King Henrie the Sixt, with the Whole Contention betweene the two Houses Lancaster and Yorke. Play as it exists today first published in the First Folio (1623) as The thid Part of Henry the Sixt, with the death of the Duke of Yorke

First recorded performance: adaptations dominated the stage for many years. The earliest known performance of the straight Shakespearean text was in 1906, when F.R. Benson directed a production at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre

Royal Shakespeare Theatre

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre is a 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the British playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It is located in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon - Shakespeare's birthplace - in the English Midlands, beside the River Avon...

.

Evidence: It is known that the play was on stage by early 1592 as in A Groatsworth of Wit, Bought with a Million of Repentance

Greene's Groats-Worth of Wit

Greenes, Groats-worth of Witte, bought with a million of Repentance is a tract published as the work of the recently deceased playwright Robert Greene...

, Robert Greene mocked Shakespeare by parodying a line from 3 Henry VI. Groatsworth was registered in the Stationers' Register in September 1592, meaning True Tragedy/3 Henry VI must have been on stage prior to 23 June 1592 as that was when the government shut the London theatres due to an outbreak of plague. To have been on stage by June 1592, the play was most likely written some time in 1590 or 1591.

Henry VI, Part 1

Henry VI, part 1

Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...

(1592)

First official record: possibly in Philip Henslowe

Philip Henslowe

Philip Henslowe was an Elizabethan theatrical entrepreneur and impresario. Henslowe's modern reputation rests on the survival of his diary, a primary source for information about the theatrical world of Renaissance London...

's Diary, 3 March 1592. Henslowe reports seeing a new play entitled Harey Vj (i.e. Henry VI) which could be a reference to 1 Henry VI. Additionally, an entry is found in the Stationers' Register in September, 1598 which refers to "The first and Second parte of Henry VJ". Most critics however feel this probably refers to what we today call 2 Henry VI and 3 Henry VI, not 1 Henry VI. The first definite record of the play was not until the First Folio in 1623, as the Henry VI trilogy was not included in Meres' Palladis Tamia.

First published: First Folio (1623) as The first Part of Henry the Sixt

First recorded performance: possibly on 3 March 1592 at The Rose

The Rose (theatre)

The Rose was an Elizabethan theatre. It was the fourth of the public theatres to be built, after The Theatre , the Curtain , and the theatre at Newington Butts The Rose was an Elizabethan theatre. It was the fourth of the public theatres to be built, after The Theatre (1576), the Curtain (1577),...

 in Southwark

Southwark

Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...

, as seen by Philip Henslowe; earliest definite performance was on 13 March 1738 at Covent Garden

Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...

.

Evidence: On 3 March 1592, Philip Henslow saw a new play entitled Harey Vj, but gives no further information. In August, Thomas Nashe

Thomas Nashe

Thomas Nashe was an English Elizabethan pamphleteer, playwright, poet and satirist. He was the son of the minister William Nashe and his wife Margaret .-Early life:...

 published Piers Penniless his Supplication to the Devil, in which he refers to a play he had recently seen featuring a rousing depiction of Lord Talbot

John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury

John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and 1st Earl of Waterford KG , known as "Old Talbot" was an important English military commander during the Hundred Years' War, as well as the only Lancastrian Constable of France.-Origins:He was descended from Richard Talbot, a tenant in 1086 of Walter Giffard...

, a major character in 1 Henry VI. Most critics take Nashe's reference to Talbot as proof that the play Henslow saw was 1 Henry VI. As such, to have been a new play in March 1592, it must have been written some time in 1591. Furthermore, many critics consider 1 Henry VI to have been a prequel to the successful two-part play The Contention and True Tragedy.

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, and possibly George Peele, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy, and is often seen as his attempt to emulate the violent and bloody revenge plays of his contemporaries, which were...

(1592)

First official record: Philip Henslowe's Diary, 23 January 1594.

First published: version of the play published in quarto in February 1594 as The Most Lamentable Romaine Tragedy of Titus Andronicus. There are only minor differences between the 1594 and subsequent 1623 texts (i.e. the 1594 text is not considered a bad quarto). The Folio text appeared under the title The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus

First recorded performance: 23 January 1594 at the Rose Theatre in Southwark.

Evidence: Obviously, to have been on stage by January 1594, the play must have been written some time prior to that. According to the title page of the 1594 quarto, the play had been performed by Pembroke's Men

Pembroke's Men

The Earl of Pembroke's Men was an Elizabethan era playing company, or troupe of actors, in English Renaissance theatre. They functioned under the patronage of Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. Early and equivocal mentions of a Pembroke's company reach as far back as 1575; but the company is...

, a company which ceased performing in September 1593. As such, the play must have been composed some time prior to September. Additionally, it is unlikely to have been written later than June 1592, as that was when the London theatres were closed due to an outbreak of plague. The theatres would remain shut for the better part of two years, not fully reopening until March 1594 and Shakespeare concentrated most of his energies during this period on poetry. As such, the play was most likely composed sometime between late-1591 and early 1592.

Richard III

Richard III (play)

Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...

(1592-1593)

First official record: version of the play entered into the Stationers' Register on 20 October 1597

First published: version of the play published in quarto in December 1597 as The tragedy of King Richard the third. Containing, his treacherous plots against his brother Clarence: the pittiefull murther of his innocent nephewes: his tyrannicall usurpation: with the whole course of his detested life, and most deserved death. Folio text appears under the title The Tragedy of Richard the Third, with the Landing of Earle Richmond, and the Battell at Bosworth Field

First recorded performance: in 1602, John Manningham

John Manningham

John Manningham was an English lawyer and diarist, a contemporary source for Elizabethan and Jacobean life and the London dramatic world, including William Shakespeare.-Life:...

 mentions seeing Richard Burbage

Richard Burbage

Richard Burbage was an English actor and theatre owner. He was the younger brother of Cuthbert Burbage. They were both actors in drama....

 playing the role of Richard III in Shakespeare's play, but he offers no further information. The play was definitely performed at St James's Palace on November 16 and/or 17, 1633 by 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...

.

Evidence: It is known that Richard III was definitely a sequel to 3 Henry VI, which was on-stage by 23 June 1592, hence Richard III must have been written later than early 1592. Additionally, the play has been argued to contain evidence that it was originally written for Strange's Men

Lord Strange's Men

Lord Strange's Men was an Elizabethan playing company, comprising retainers of the household of Ferdinando Stanley, Lord Strange . They are best known in their final phase of activity in the late 1580s and early 1590s...

, but then rewritten for Pembroke's Men, a company which formed in mid-1592. Also, with the closure of the theatres due to an outbreak of plague in June 1592, the play was unlikely to have been written any later than that, all of which suggests a date of composition as sometime in early-1592.

Edward III

Edward III (play)

The Reign of King Edward the Third is an Elizabethan play printed anonymously in 1596. It has frequently been claimed that it was at least partly written by William Shakespeare, a view that Shakespeare scholars have increasingly endorsed. The rest of the play was probably written by Thomas Kyd...

(1594)

First official record: entered into the Stationers' Register on 1 December 1595

First published: published in quarto in 1596 as The Raigne of King Edward the third

First recorded performance: 6 March 1911 at the Little Theatre

Haymarket Theatre

The Theatre Royal Haymarket is a West End theatre in the Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use...

 in London, under the title The King and the Countess, directed by Gertrude Kingston

Gertrude Kingston

Gertrude Kingston was an actress, an actor-manager and an artist.-Early life:...

 and William Poel

William Poel

William Poel was an English actor, theatrical manager and dramatist best known for his presentations of Shakespeare.-Life and career:...

.

Evidence: Obviously, the play was written by December 1595. According to the title page of the quarto, the play had recently been performed, but no company information is provided. This could mean that the company that performed the play had disbanded during the closure of the theatres from June 1592 to March 1594. Furthermore, internal evidence suggests that the play may have been specifically written for Pembroke's Men, who ceased performing in September 1593. This places the date of composition as somewhere between early 1592 and September 1593.

The Comedy of Errors

The Comedy of Errors

The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. The Comedy of Errors is one of only two of Shakespeare's...

(1594)

First official record: if this is the same as the play titled "The Night of Errors", it was performed on 28 December 1594 at Gray's Inn

Gray's Inn

The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...

.

First published: First Folio (1623)

First recorded performance: 28 December 1594 at Gray's Inn, performed by the Lord Chamberlain's Men

Lord Chamberlain's Men

The Lord Chamberlain's Men was a playing company for whom Shakespeare worked for most of his career. Formed at the end of a period of flux in the theatrical world of London, it had become, by 1603, one of the two leading companies of the city and was subsequently patronised by James I.It was...

.

Evidence: Probably the "errors" referred to in Meres' Palladia Tamia.

Love's Labour's Lost

Love's Labour's Lost

Love's Labour's Lost is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s, and first published in 1598.-Title:...

(1594–1595)

First official record: version of the play published in 1598 (this play was never entered into the Stationers' Register)

First published: version of the play published in quarto in 1598 as A Pleasant Conceited Comedie called Loves labors lost

First recorded performance: according to the quarto title page, the play was performed at court for Queen Elizabeth

Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...

 sometime over Christmas 1597.

Evidence:

Love's Labour's Won

Love's Labour's Won

Love's Labour's Won is the name of a play written by William Shakespeare before 1598. The play appears to have been published by 1603, but no copies are known to have survived. One theory holds that it is a lost work, possibly a sequel to Love's Labour's Lost...

(1595-1596)

First official record: Francis Meres' Palladis Tamia (1598)

First published: the play has never been published

First recorded performance: there are no recorded performances of the play

Evidence: The play is mentioned in a booklist by Christopher Hunt

Christopher Hunt

Christopher Hunt was an Exeter bookseller and stationer.-Life:He was the son of Walter Hunt, a cordwainer of Blandford in Dorset. On 12 January 1585 he apprenticed himself to Thomas Man, a London stationer for a period of eight years, beginning the previous Christmas day...

 in August 1603. Aside from this, and the mention in Meres, there is no other evidence for the existence of the play (although the title suggests it was a sequel to Love's Labour's Lost, hence its position in the Oxford chronology). Whether or not this play ever existed is open to debate. The inclusion in Meres has been explained by some critics as a reference to a play we now know as another name. As neither The Taming of the Shrew nor Much Ado About Nothing were included in Meres, these two plays are often cited as possibilities. All's Well That Ends Well has also been suggested.

Richard II

Richard II (play)

King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...

(1595)

First official record: version of the play entered into the Stationers' Register on 29 August 1597

First published: version of the play published in quarto in 1597 as The Tragedie of King Richard the second. 1623 Folio text appeared under the title The life and death of King Richard the Second

First recorded performance: possible performance on 9 December 1595 at Sir Edward Hoby

Edward Hoby

Sir Edward Hoby was a diplomat, Member of Parliament, scholar, and soldier in England during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I...

's house in Canon Row, watched by Sir Robert Cecil

Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury

Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, KG, PC was an English administrator and politician.-Life:He was the son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and Mildred Cooke...

; earliest definite recorded performance at the Globe Theatre

Globe Theatre

The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613...

 on 7 February 7 1601.

Evidence:

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...

(1595)

First official record: version of the play published in 1597 (this play was never entered into the Stationers' Register)

First published: version of the play published in quarto in 1597 as An excellent conceited tragedie of Romeo and Juliet

First recorded performance: 1 March 1662 at Lincoln's Inn Fields

Lincoln's Inn Fields

Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London, UK. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in developing London", as Sir Nikolaus Pevsner observes...

, directed by William Davenant

William Davenant

Sir William Davenant , also spelled D'Avenant, was an English poet and playwright. Along with Thomas Killigrew, Davenant was one of the rare figures in English Renaissance theatre whose career spanned both the Caroline and Restoration eras and who was active both before and after the English Civil...

.

Evidence:

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...

(1595)

First official record: Francis Meres' Palladis Tamia (1598)

First published: in quarto in November or December 1600

First recorded performance:

Evidence:

The Life and Death of King John (1596)

First official record: Francis Meres' Palladis Tamia (1598)

First published: First Folio (1623)

First recorded performance: although there are several references to the play having been performed during the seventeenth century, none of them offer any specific details, and the first definite performance was on 26 February 1737 at Covent Garden.

Evidence:

The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...

(1596)

First official record: version of the play entered into the Stationers' Register on 22 July 1598

First published: version of the play published in quarto in 1598 as The most excellent historie of the merchant of Venice. With the extreame crueltie of Shylocke the Jewe towards the sayd merchant, in cutting a just pound of his flesh: and the obtayning of Portia by the choyse of three chests

First recorded performance: the play was performed at court for King James

James I of England

James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...

 on 10 February 1605.

Evidence: The play was obviously in existence by 1598, however, other evidence places its date of composition as earlier, probably 1596. Shakespeare's source for the casket subplot is believed to have been Richard Robinson

Richard Robinson (17th-century actor)

Richard Robinson was an actor in English Renaissance theatre and a member of Shakespeare's company the King's Men.Robinson started out as a boy player with the company; in 1611 he played the Lady in their production of The Second Maiden's Tragedy. He was cast in their production of Ben Jonson's...

's translation of the Gesta romanorum

Gesta Romanorum

Gesta Romanorum, a Latin collection of anecdotes and tales, was probably compiled about the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th...

, which wasn't published until late 1595. In addition, Salarino's reference to "my wealthy Andrew docked in sand" is thought to refer to the San Andréas, a Spanish merchant vessel

Merchant vessel

A merchant vessel is a ship that transports cargo or passengers. The closely related term commercial vessel is defined by the United States Coast Guard as any vessel engaged in commercial trade or that carries passengers for hire...

 that ran aground in Essex in June 1596. It is also thought by scholars that the play was written to capitalise on the enormous success of Christopher Marlowe

Christopher Marlowe

Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...

's The Jew of Malta

The Jew of Malta

The Jew of Malta is a play by Christopher Marlowe, probably written in 1589 or 1590. Its plot is an original story of religious conflict, intrigue, and revenge, set against a backdrop of the struggle for supremacy between Spain and the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean that takes place on the...

, which was first performed in 1596.

Henry IV, Part 1

Henry IV, Part 1

Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...

(1596-1597)

First official record: version of the play entered into the Stationers' Register on 25 February 1598

First published: version of the play published in quarto in 1598 as The History of Henrie the Fourth, with the battell at Shrewsburie between the King and Lord Henry Percy, surnamed Hotspur of the North, with the humorous conceits of Sir John Falstaffe 1623 Folio text appeared under the title The First Part of Henry the Fourth, with the Life and Death of Henry Sirnamed Hot-spurre

First recorded performance: the play was probably performed at court for an Ambassador from Burgundy on 6 March 1600.

Evidence:

Henry IV, Part 2

Henry IV, Part 2

Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...

(1596–1597)

First official record: version of the play entered into the Stationers' Register on 23 August 1600

First published: version of the play published in quarto in 1600 as The second part of Henrie the fourth, continuing to his death, and coronation of Henrie the fift. With the humours of Sir John Falstaffe, and swaggering Pistoll 1623 Folio text appeared under the title The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, Containing his Death and the Coronation of King Henry the Fift

First recorded performance: a play entitled Sir John Falstaffe was performed at Whitehall over the Christmas period of 1612 which is believed to be 2 Henry IV.

Evidence: The play could not have been written any earlier than January 1596, as it contains an allusion to the Sultanate of Mehmed III

Mehmed III

Mehmed III Adli was sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1595 until his death.-Biography:...

, who didn't become sultan

Sultan

Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...

 until that date.

The Merry Wives of Windsor

The Merry Wives of Windsor

The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare, first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597. It features the fat knight Sir John Falstaff, and is Shakespeare's only play to deal exclusively with contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life...

(1597-1598)

First official record: version of the play entered into the Stationers' Register on 18 January 1602

First published: version of the play published in quarto in 1602 as A most pleasaunt and excellent conceited comedie, of Sir John Falstaffe, and the merrie wives of Windsor. Entermixed with sundrie variable and pleasing humors, of Sir Hugh the Welch knight, Justice Shallow, and his wise cousin M. Slender. With the swaggering vaine of Auncient Pistoll, and Corporall Nym

First recorded performance: 4 November 1604 at Whitehall Palace

Palace of Whitehall

The Palace of Whitehall was the main residence of the English monarchs in London from 1530 until 1698 when all except Inigo Jones's 1622 Banqueting House was destroyed by fire...

.

Evidence: Textual evidence and certain topical allusions suggest the play was composed as a specially commissioned piece for a Garter Feast (an annual meeting of the Order of the Garter

Order of the Garter

The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...

), possibly the Feast on 23 April 1597. It is theorised that Shakespeare interrupted his composition of 2 Henry IV somewhere around Act 3-Act 4, so as to concentrate on writing Merry Wives.

Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....

(1598-1599)

First official record: version of the play published in 1600 (this play was never entered into the Stationers' Register)

First published: Much adoe about Nothing was published in quarto in 1600

First recorded performance: 14 February 1613, performed at court as part of the festivities to celebrate the marriage of Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia

Elizabeth of Bohemia

Elizabeth of Bohemia was the eldest daughter of King James VI and I, King of Scotland, England, Ireland, and Anne of Denmark. As the wife of Frederick V, Elector Palatine, she was Electress Palatine and briefly Queen of Bohemia...

 and Frederick V, Elector Palatine

Frederick V, Elector Palatine

Frederick V was Elector Palatine , and, as Frederick I , King of Bohemia ....

Evidence: The play was not included in Francis Meres' Palladis Tamia, which was registered on 7 September 1598, suggesting it hadn't been performed prior to that date. Furthermore, evidence in the quarto text suggests that Shakespeare originally wrote the role of Dogberry

Dogberry

Dogberry is a self-satisfied night constable in Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing.In the play, Dogberry is the chief of the citizen-police in Messina. As is usual in Shakespearean comedy, and Renaissance comedy generally, he is a figure of comic incompetence...

 for William Kempe

William Kempe

William Kempe , also spelt Kemp, was an English actor and dancer specializing in comic roles and best known for having been one of the original players in early dramas by William Shakespeare...

, however, records indicate that Kempe left the Lord Chamberlain's Men sometime in late 1598, so the play must have been written before then. As such, it was most likely composed sometime in the latter half of 1598 and was certainly completed before the new year.

Henry V

Henry V (play)

Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...

(1598-1599)

First official record: version of the play entered into the Stationers' Register on 14 August 1600

First published: version of the play published in quarto in 1600 as The cronicle history of Henry the fift, with his battell fought at Agin Court in France. Togither with Auntient Pistoll. 1623 Folio text appeared under the title The Life of Henry the Fift

First recorded performance: 7 January 1605 at the Globe Theatre, performed by the Lord Chamberlain's Men.

Evidence: Of all Shakespeare's plays, Henry V is one of the easiest to date. A reference by the Chorus to the Earl of Essex

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG was an English nobleman and a favourite of Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599...

's Irish expedition of 1599 means the play was most likely written sometime between March 1599 (when Essex left for Ireland) and September 1599 (when he returned).

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar (play)

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...

(1599)

First official record: Thomas Platter the Younger

Thomas Platter the Younger

Thomas Platter the Younger was a Swiss-born physician, traveller and diarist, the son of the humanist Thomas Platter the Elder....

's Diary, 21 September 1599

First published: First Folio (1623) as The Tragedie of Julius Caesar

First recorded performance: 21 September 1599 at the newly opened Globe Theatre

Evidence: Obviously, the play was completed by September 1599, and may have been composed specifically as the opening play for the new theatre. In addition, because the play is not mentioned in Meres' Palladis Tamia, registered in September 1598, it was unlikely to have been performed prior to then. This places the date of composition as somewhere between September 1598 and September 1599. Additionally, textual analysis has connected the play to Henry V, which was almost certainly written in 1599, suggesting so too was Julius Caesar.

As You Like It

As You Like It

As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...

(1599-1600)

First official record: on 4 August 1600 a staying order was entered in the Stationers' Register for As y^o like yt

First published: First Folio (1623)

First recorded performance: possibly on 2 December 1603 at Wilton House

Wilton House

Wilton House is an English country house situated at Wilton near Salisbury in Wiltshire. It has been the country seat of the Earls of Pembroke for over 400 years....

 in Wiltshire

Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

, where a play was performed for James I; earliest definite performance on 20 December 1740, at Drury Lane.

Evidence:

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...

(1599–1601)

First official record: version of the play entered into the Stationers' Register on 26 July 1602. Folio text appeared under the title The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke

First published: version of the play published in quarto in 1603 as The tragicall historie of Hamlet Prince of Denmarke

First recorded performance: the entry in the Stationers' Register in July 1602 states that the play was "latelie Acted by the Lo: Chamberleyne his servantes", however, it offers no further information. The first definite performance took place on a ship anchored off the coast of Africa in September 1607, the Red Dragon. The play was performed by the crew.

Evidence: Because the versions of Hamlet which appeared in 1603, in 1604 (again in quarto) and in the First Folio of 1623 differ so much from one another, dating the play is exceptionally difficult. There is also the problem of the Ur-Hamlet

Ur-Hamlet

The Ur-Hamlet is the name given to a play mentioned as early as 1589, a decade before most scholars believe Shakespeare composed Hamlet...

, a possible source used by Shakespeare and which is now lost. Others however, feel that Ur-Hamlet (if it ever existed) was most likely an early draft. Obviously, the play was written sometime between September 1598 (as it was not included in Meres' Palladis Tamia) and July 1602 (when it was registered in the Stationers Register). Furthermore, internal references to Julius Caesar would indicate the play could not have been written any earlier than September 1599. Additionally, in his 1598 copy of an edition of Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...

's works, Gabriel Harvey

Gabriel Harvey

Gabriel Harvey was an English writer. Harvey was a notable scholar, though his reputation suffered from his quarrel with Thomas Nashe...

 has written that Shakespeare's "Lucrece

The Rape of Lucrece

The Rape of Lucrece is a narrative poem by William Shakespeare about the legendary Lucretia. In his previous narrative poem, Venus and Adonis , Shakespeare had included a dedicatory letter to his patron, the Earl of Southampton, in which he promised to write a "graver work"...

 & his tragedie of Hamlet, prince of Denmarke, have it in them, to please the wiser sort". Harvey also mentions the Earl of Essex as still alive, which would suggest he wrote the note prior to 25 February 1601, when Essex was executed. This would seem to narrow the date of composition to between September 1599 and February 1601, however not all scholars accept the veracity of Harvey's note. Internal evidence in the play has also been cited, usually as illustrative of a date of composition of 1600 or 1601. As such, many scholars interpret the available evidence as suggestive of a date of initial composition sometime in 1600, with subsequent revisions. This dating, however, is far from universally accepted.

Twelfth Night (1601)

First official record: John Manningham mentions in his Diary having seen the play performed in February 1602

First published: First Folio (1623) as Twelfe Night, Or what you will

First recorded performance: John Manningham saw the play performed at the Middle Temple on Candlemas

Presentation of Jesus at the Temple

The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, which falls on 2 February, celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus. In the Eastern Orthodox Church and some Eastern Catholic Churches, it is one of the twelve Great Feasts, and is sometimes called Hypapante...

 1602, which fell on 2 February.

Evidence:

Troilus and Cressida

Troilus and Cressida

Troilus and Cressida is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1602. It was also described by Frederick S. Boas as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The play ends on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus...

(1602)

First official record: version of the play entered into the Stationers' Register on 7 February 1603

First published: version of the play published in quarto in 1609 as The historie of Troylus and Cresseida. 1623 Folio text appeared under the title The Tragedie of Troilus and Cressida

First recorded performance: an adaptation of the play by John Dryden

John Dryden

John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.Walter Scott called him "Glorious John." He was made Poet...

 was staged in 1679.

Evidence:

Measure for Measure

Measure for Measure

Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was classified as comedy, but its mood defies those expectations. As a result and for a variety of reasons, some critics have labelled it as one of Shakespeare's problem plays...

(1603–1604)

First official record: revels accounts

Revels

Revels is a contemporary series of American seasonal stage performances, initially given at Christmas time as the Christmas Revels at Town Hall in New York City in 1957, which involve singing, dancing, recitals, theatrics , and usually some audience participation, all appropriate to the season...

 for Christmas 1604–1605 state the play was performed over the holidays

First published: First Folio (1623)

First recorded performance: Revels accounts for Christmas 1604–1605 indicate the play was performed at Whitehall on St. Stephen's Day

St. Stephen's Day

St. Stephen's Day, or the Feast of St. Stephen, is a Christian saint's day celebrated on 26 December in the Western Church and 27 December in the Eastern Church. Many Eastern Orthodox churches adhere to the Julian calendar and mark St. Stephen's Day on 27 December according to that calendar, which...

 1604.

Evidence: This play is notoriously difficult to date specifically partly due to a lack of solid evidence and partly due to the theory that the text which appeared in the First Folio was not Shakespeare's original text. Obviously the play was written (in some form) prior to December 1604. The only other evidence are possible topical references within the play itself which would seem to indicate a date most likely in 1602,, however this is not universally accepted by all scholars. Furthermore, there is a theory that Thomas Middleton

Thomas Middleton

Thomas Middleton was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. Middleton stands with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson as among the most successful and prolific of playwrights who wrote their best plays during the Jacobean period. He was one of the few Renaissance dramatists to achieve equal success in...

 rewrote the play after Shakespeare's death, possibly in 1621, which throws further doubt on the exact date of initial composition.

Othello

Othello

The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...

(1603–1604)

First official record: revels accounts refer to the play having been performed in November 1604

First published: version of the play published in quarto in 1622 as The Tragedy of Othello, the Moore of Venice

First recorded performance: revels accounts indicate the play was performed at Whitehall on 1 November 1604.

Evidence:

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...

(1605–1606)

First official record: version of the play entered into the Stationers' Register on 26 November 1607 as A booke called. M^r William Shakespeare his historye of Kinge Lear

First published: version of the play published in quarto in 1608 as The true chronicle historie of the life and death of King Lear and his three daughters. With the unfortunate life of Edgar, sonne and heire to the Earle of Gloster, and his sullen and assumed humor of Tom of Bedlam

First recorded performance: according to the Stationers' Register, the play was performed at Whitehall on 26 December 1606

Evidence: the play must have been written by late 1606. Additionally, most scholars agree that it couldn't have been written any earlier than 1603, as it seems to be partially indebted to Samuel Harsnett

Samuel Harsnett

Samuel Harsnett , born Samuel Halsnoth, was an English writer on religion and Archbishop of York from 1629.- Early life :...

's Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures (entered into the Stationers' Register on 16 March 1603). This would place the date of composition as somewhere between March 1603 and December 1606. A further possible source for the play has evoked some disagreement however. Whilst many scholars feel that Shakespeare used the anonymous play The True Chronicle History of King Leir (entered into the Stationers' Register on 8 May 1605), and hence must have been written between May 1605 and December 1606, others argue that the relationship between the two plays has been inverted, and The True Chronicle History of King Leir was actually written to capitalise on the success of Shakespeare's play, which was probably written in 1603 or 1604. No real critical consensus has been reached regarding this disagreement.

Timon of Athens

Timon of Athens

The Life of Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare about the fortunes of an Athenian named Timon , generally regarded as one of his most obscure and difficult works...

(1605–1606)

First official record: entered into the Stationers' Register on 8 May 1623

First published: First Folio (1623) as The Life of Timon of Athens

First recorded performance: in 1674, Thomas Shadwell

Thomas Shadwell

Thomas Shadwell was an English poet and playwright who was appointed poet laureate in 1689.-Life:Shadwell was born at Stanton Hall, Norfolk, and educated at Bury St Edmunds School, and at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, which he entered in 1656. He left the university without a degree, and...

 wrote an adaptation of the play under the title Timon of Athens: Or, The Man-hater

Evidence: This play is another which is extremely difficult to date precisely, not the least cause of which is the claim that Shakespeare may only have written part of it, with the play being subsequently edited by Thomas Middleton. It has also been argued that the play could not have been staged at the Globe, and hence, Shakespeare's involvement may be minimal. There is no reference to the play whatsoever prior to 1623, and as such, evidence for its date of composition must come from within the play itself.

Macbeth

Macbeth

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...

(1606)

First official record: possibly by Simon Forman

Simon Forman

Simon Forman was arguably the most popular Elizabethan astrologer, occultist and herbalist active in London during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and James I of England. His reputation, however, was severely tarnished after his death when he was implicated in the plot to kill Sir Thomas Overbury...

, who records seeing the play in April 1611. However, there is considerable debate amongst scholars as to whether Forman's account is genuine

First published: First Folio (1623) as The Tragedie of Macbeth

First recorded performance: possibly in April 1611, recorded by Simon Forman

Evidence: A reference to 'dire combustion' seems to allude to the Gunpowder Plot

Gunpowder Plot

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...

 of 1605. Most scholars place the date of composition as somewhere between 1603 and 1607, and efforts to narrow that date have proved inconclusive. In 1790, Edward Malone dated the play 1606, and most scholars agree with this date, however they acknowledge that there is little solid evidence, and instead, the date simply seems correct in the context of Shakespeare's other work of the period. One piece of evidence cited as suggestive of a date in late 1606 is the sisters "sev'n-nights, nine times nine" chant. It has been suggested that this alludes to a real ship which was lost in a tempest in December 1604, before rejoining the fleet and eventually returning to harbour in June 1606 after 567 days at sea. 7x9x9 is 567, which some believe is a reference to the voyage. Furthermore, the name of the ship was Tiger's Whelp, and the Weird Sisters do allude in the play to a ship called the Tiger. If this is correct, the play could not have been written any earlier than July 1606.

Antony and Cleopatra

Antony and Cleopatra

Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...

(1606)

First official record: entered into the Stationers' Register on 20 May 1608

First published: First Folio (1623) as The Tragedie of Antony and Cleopatra

First recorded performance: according to the 1669 records for the Lord Chamberlain's Men, the play had recently been performed at Blackfriars, but no further information is given; earliest definite performance in 1759 when it was staged by David Garrick

David Garrick

David Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...

.

Evidence:

All's Well That Ends Well

All's Well That Ends Well

All's Well That Ends Well is a play by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1604 and 1605, and was originally published in the First Folio in 1623....

(1606–1607)

First official record: First Folio (1623)

First published: First Folio (1623)

First recorded performance: 1741 at Goodman's Fields Theatre

Goodman's Fields Theatre

Two 18th century theatres bearing the name Goodman's Fields Theatre were located on Ayliffe Street, Whitechapel, London. The first opened on 31 October 1727 in a small shop by Thomas Odell, deputy Licenser of Plays. The first play performed was George Farquhar's The Recruiting Officer. Henry...

, directed by Henry Giffard.

Evidence:

Pericles, Prince of Tyre

Pericles, Prince of Tyre

Pericles, Prince of Tyre is a Jacobean play written at least in part by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions over its authorship, as it was not included in the First Folio...

(1607)

First official record: version of the play entered into the Stationers' Register on 20 May 1608

First published: version of the play published in quarto in 1609 as The Late and much admired Play Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre, with the true Relation of the whole History, adventures, and fortunes of the sayd Prince: As also, the no lesse strange, and worthy accidents, in the Birth and Life, of his Daughter Mariana

First recorded performance: April 1607, seen by the Venetian ambassador to England, Zorzi Giustinian.

Evidence: Because the play was not included in the First Folio, there has always been doubt as to whether or not Shakespeare actually wrote it at all. The general theory today is that Shakespeare wrote an initial version of the play, which was then altered by George Wilkins

George Wilkins

George Wilkins was an English dramatist and pamphleteer best known for his probable collaboration with Shakespeare on the play Pericles, Prince of Tyre. By profession he was an inn-keeper, but he was also apparently involved in criminal activities.-Life:Wilkins was an inn-keeper in Cow-Cross,...

. In 1608, Wilkins published a prose narrative of Pericles which contains several lines that seem to recall specific lines in the play, leading to the conclusion that his editing of the play led him to the composition of the prose. This would place Wilkins' revision in 1607–1608. Furthermore, textual analysis of the play have led it to be placed as near contemporaneous with All's Well That Ends Well and Coriolanus, which would confirm a date of 1607–1608.

Coriolanus

Coriolanus

Gaius Marcius Coriolanus was a Roman general who is said to have lived in the 5th century BC. He received his toponymic cognomen "Coriolanus" because of his exceptional valor in a Roman siege of the Volscian city of Corioli. He was then promoted to a general...

(1608)

First official record: entered into the Stationers' Register on 8 November 1623

First published: First Folio (1623) as The Tragedy of Coriolanus

First recorded performance: an adaptation of the play by Nahum Tate

Nahum Tate

Nahum Tate was an Irish poet, hymnist, and lyricist, who became England's poet laureate in 1692.-Life:Nahum Teate came from a family of Puritan clergymen...

 was performed at Drury Lane in 1681, under the title The Ingratitude of a Common-Wealth

Evidence: Stylistic tests place the composition of the play after Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra, and the form of the verse and imagery fit well with Timon, Antony, and Pericles. Shakespeare's treatment of the grain riots is strikingly reminiscent of the Midlands corn riots

Midland Revolt

The Midland Revolt was a popular uprising which took place in the Midlands of England in 1607. Beginning in late April in Haselbech, Pytchley and Rushton in Northamptonshire, and spreading to Warwickshire and Leicestershire throughout May, riots took place as a protest against the enclosure of...

 of 1607. Though Menenius' fable of the belly was used in other contemporary works, the wording of Menenius's speech about the body politic is derived from William Camden

William Camden

William Camden was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and officer of arms. He wrote the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.- Early years :Camden was born in London...

's Remaines (1605). Two possible echoes of George Chapman

George Chapman

George Chapman was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar, and his work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets...

's Illiad (registered 14 November 1608) support a date of 1608-9. A reference to "the coal of fire upon ice" (1.1.170) is a possible allusion to the winter of 1607-08, when the frost was so severe that vendors set up booths on the frozen Thames river

River Thames frost fairs

River Thames frost fairs were held on the Tideway of the River Thames at London between the 15th and 19th centuries when the river froze over. During that time the British winter was more severe than now, and the river was wider and slower....

 and pans of coals were placed on the ice so that pedestrians could warm themselves. An allusion to the complaints about Hugh Middleton's project to bring water to London has also been detected in Martius' warning to the patricians (3.1.98-9). Wells and Taylor say that the cumulative internal evidence all points to a composition date of no earlier than spring of 1608, while others favor late 1608 to early 1609.

Several allusions in other works establish a terminal date of composition: Ben Jonson

Ben Jonson

Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...

's Epicoene, composed in late 1609, mocks a peculiar phrase in the play, and Phantasma (registered 6 February 1609), written by Robert Armin

Robert Armin

Robert Armin was an English actor, a member of the Lord Chamberlain's Men. He became the leading comedy actor with the troupe associated with William Shakespeare following the departure of Will Kempe around 1600...

, a member of the King's Men

King's Men

King's Men or Kingsmen may refer to:*The King's Men , Númenórean royalist faction in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings*The King's Men , English company of actors to whom William Shakespeare belonged*The Kingsmen, American rock group...

 from 1599 to 1610, contains a close literary parallel. Critics also suggest that the regular act intervals indicate that it could have been written for the indoor Blackfriars Theatre

Blackfriars Theatre

Blackfriars Theatre was the name of a theatre in the Blackfriars district of the City of London during the Renaissance. The theatre began as a venue for child actors associated with the Queen's chapel choirs; in this function, the theatre hosted some of the most innovative drama of Elizabeth and...

, which Shakespeare's company acquired in 1608.

The Winter's Tale

The Winter's Tale

The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...

(1609–1610)

First official record: Simon Forman saw the play at the Globe on 15 May 1611; it was performed at Court 11 November 1611

First published: First Folio (1623)

Evidence: The dance of twelve satyrs is similar to the dance of satyrs in Ben Jonson's masque Oberon

Oberon, the Faery Prince

Oberon, the Faery Prince was a masque written by Ben Jonson, with costumes, sets and stage effects designed by Inigo Jones, and music by Alfonso Ferrabosco and Robert Johnson...

 performed at Court on 1 January 1611, but Wells and Taylor believe it is a later interpolation. It shares some of the same source material as Cymbeline, and stylistically it is in Shakespeare's late period. Most critics agree that it should be paired with Cymbeline.

Cymbeline

Cymbeline

Cymbeline , also known as Cymbeline, King of Britain or The Tragedy of Cymbeline, is a play by William Shakespeare, based on legends concerning the early Celtic British King Cunobelinus. Although listed as a tragedy in the First Folio, modern critics often classify Cymbeline as a romance...

(1610–1611)

First official record: Simon Forman saw it performed at the Globe in 1611

First published: First Folio (1623) as The Tragedie of Cymbeline

First recorded performance: In an undated entry, Simon Forman saw the play performed at the Globe in 1611

Evidence:

The Tempest

The Tempest

The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...

(1610–1611)

First official record: revels accounts refer to the play having been performed in November 1611

First published: First Folio (1623)

First recorded performance: 1 November 1611, at Whitehall for James I, performed by the King’s Men.

Evidence:

Cardenio (1612–1613)

First official record: entered into the Stationers' Register in 1653, attributed to William Shakespeare and John Fletcher

First published: an adaptation was published in 1727 by Lewis Theobald

Lewis Theobald

Lewis Theobald , British textual editor and author, was a landmark figure both in the history of Shakespearean editing and in literary satire...

 entitled , Double Falshood, or the Distrest Lovers

First recorded performance: 1613, performed at the Globe by the King's Company

Evidence: A lost play, published only in an adaptation by Lewis Theobald

Lewis Theobald

Lewis Theobald , British textual editor and author, was a landmark figure both in the history of Shakespearean editing and in literary satire...

 entitled Double Falshood (1728).

Henry VIII, or All is True

Henry VIII (play)

The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...

(1613)

First official record:

First published: First Folio (1623) as The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight

First recorded performance: 29 June 1613, the night the Globe burnt down.

Evidence: Probably written in collaboration with John Fletcher

The Two Noble Kinsmen

The Two Noble Kinsmen

The Two Noble Kinsmen is a Jacobean tragicomedy, first published in 1634 and attributed to John Fletcher and William Shakespeare. Its plot derives from "The Knight's Tale" in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales....

(1613)

First official record: entered into the Stationer' Register on 8 April 1634

First published: published in quarto in 1634

First recorded performance:

Evidence: Not included in the First Folio; written in collaboration with John Fletcher.

Sir John Oldcastle

Sir John Oldcastle

Sir John Oldcastle is an Elizabethan play about John Oldcastle, a controversial 14th-15th century rebel and Lollard who was seen by some of Shakespeare's contemporaries as a proto-Protestant martyr.-Publication:...

(1600)

First official record:

First published: 1600 (Q1), printed by Valentine Simmes

Valentine Simmes

Valentine Simmes was an Elizabethan era and Jacobean era printer; he did business in London, "on Adling Hill near Bainard's Castle at the sign of the White Swan." Simmes has a reputation as one of the better printers of his generation, and was responsible for several quartos of Shakespeare's plays...

 for the bookseller Thomas Pavier

Thomas Pavier

Thomas Pavier was a London publisher and bookseller of the early seventeenth century. His complex involvement in the publication of early editions of some of Shakespeare's plays, as well as plays of the Shakespeare Apocrypha, has left him with a "dubious reputation."-Life and work:Pavier came to...

.

First recorded performance:

Attribution to Shakespeare: 1619 (Q2), part of William Jaggard

William Jaggard

William Jaggard was an Elizabethan and Jacobean printer and publisher, best known for his connection with the texts of William Shakespeare, most notably the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays...

's so-called False Folio

False Folio

False Folio is the term that Shakespeare scholars and bibliographers have applied to William Jaggard's printing of ten Shakespearean and pseudo-Shakespearean plays together in 1619, the first attempt to collect Shakespeare's work in a single volume....

, carried an attribution to 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"...

. In 1664, the play was one of seven dramas added to the second impression of the Shakespeare Third Folio

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...

 by publisher Philip Chetwinde

Philip Chetwinde

Philip Chetwinde was a seventeenth-century London bookseller and publisher, noted for his publication of the Third Folio of Shakespeare's plays.-A rough start:Chetwinde was originally a clothworker...

.

Evidence: Philip Henslowe

Philip Henslowe

Philip Henslowe was an Elizabethan theatrical entrepreneur and impresario. Henslowe's modern reputation rests on the survival of his diary, a primary source for information about the theatrical world of Renaissance London...

's diary records it was actually written by Anthony Munday

Anthony Munday

Anthony Munday was an English dramatist and miscellaneous writer. The chief interest in Munday for the modern reader lies in his collaboration with Shakespeare and others on the play Sir Thomas More and his writings on Robin Hood.-Biography:He was once thought to have been born in 1553, because...

, Michael Drayton

Michael Drayton

Michael Drayton was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era.-Early life:He was born at Hartshill, near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. Almost nothing is known about his early life, beyond the fact that in 1580 he was in the service of Thomas Goodere of Collingham,...

, Richard Hathwaye

Richard Hathwaye

Richard Hathwaye , was an English dramatist. Little is known about Hathwaye's life. There is no evidence that he was related to his namesake Richard Hathaway, the father of Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway. Hathwaye is not heard of after 1603....

 and Robert Wilson

Robert Wilson (dramatist)

Robert Wilson , was an Elizabethan dramatist who worked primarily in the 1580s and 1590s. He is also believed to have been an actor who specialized in clown roles....

 in collaboration. (An entry in Henslowe's Diary records a later payment to Drayton for a second part to the play,which has not survived; because of this fact, the extant play has sometimes been called Sir John Oldcastle, Part I or 1 Sir John Oldcastle.)

Sir Thomas More

Sir Thomas More (play)

Sir Thomas More is a collaborative Elizabethan play by Anthony Munday and others depicting the life and death of Thomas More. It survives only in a single manuscript, now owned by the British Library...

(Shakespeare's involvement: 1603–1604)

First official record: 1728, MS owned by John Murray

John Murray (publisher)

John Murray is an English publisher, renowned for the authors it has published in its history, including Jane Austen, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lord Byron, Charles Lyell, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Herman Melville, and Charles Darwin...

First published: 1844 by the Shakespeare Society

First recorded performance: at the Nottingham Playhouse

Nottingham Playhouse

The Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in the 1950s when it operated from a former cinema. Directors during this period included Val May and Frank Dunlop.-The building:...

 in 1964, starring Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen

Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...

.

First attribution to Shakespeare: 1871-2, Shakespearean appearance of ms. additions to the play first noted by Richard Simpson

Richard Simpson (writer)

Richard Simpson was a British Roman Catholic writer and literary scholar. He was born at Beddington, Surrey, into an Anglican family, and was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and at Oriel College, Oxford. He obtained a BA degree on 9 February 1843...

, a prominent Shakespeare scholar, and by James Spedding

James Spedding

James Spedding was an English author, chiefly known as the editor of the works of Francis Bacon.-Life:He was born in Cumberland, the younger son of a country squire, and was educated at Bury St Edmunds and Trinity College, Cambridge; where he took a second class in the classical tripos, and was...

, editor of the works of Sir Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...

. 1916, paleographer

Palaeography

Palaeography, also spelt paleography is the study of ancient writing. Included in the discipline is the practice of deciphering, reading, and dating historical manuscripts, and the cultural context of writing, including the methods with which writing and books were produced, and the history of...

 Sir Edward Maunde Thompson

Edward Maunde Thompson

Sir Edward Maunde Thompson, GCB was a British palaeographer and Principal Librarian and first Director of the British Museum. He is also noted for his study of William Shakespeare's handwriting in the manuscript of the play Sir Thomas More.-Biography:Thompson's father was Edward Thompson, Custos...

 judged the addition in Hand D to be in Shakespeare's handwriting. 1923, publication of Shakespeare's Hand in the Play of Sir Thomas More by a quintet of major scholars analyzed the play from multiple perspectives, all of which supported the Shakespearean attribution.

Evidence: The original play is believed to have been written in 1591–1592 by Anthony Munday

Anthony Munday

Anthony Munday was an English dramatist and miscellaneous writer. The chief interest in Munday for the modern reader lies in his collaboration with Shakespeare and others on the play Sir Thomas More and his writings on Robin Hood.-Biography:He was once thought to have been born in 1553, because...

 and Henry Chettle

Henry Chettle

Henry Chettle was an English dramatist and miscellaneous writer of the Elizabethan era.The son of Robert Chettle, a London dyer, he was apprenticed in 1577 and became a member of the Stationer's Company in 1584, traveling to Cambridge on their behalf in 1588. His career as a printer and author is...

. Due to censorship issues and problems staging the play because of an unusually large number of speaking parts, the play was substantially revised by Thomas Heywood

Thomas Heywood

Thomas Heywood was a prominent English playwright, actor, and author whose peak period of activity falls between late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre.-Early years:...

, Thomas Dekker and (possibly) William Shakespeare. When the revision took place is difficult to determine, as evidence places it at some time between 1593 and 1604, although the majority of critics seem to favour a later date of 1603–1604. Whether or not Shakespeare was involved with the writing of the play is still open to debate. The argument is that three pages of the MS are in his handwriting, but this is not universally accepted. Of the various editions of the complete works, only the Oxford 2nd edition of 2005 includes the play. However, Oxford have never issued a stand-alone scholarly edition of the play, neither have Cambridge, Norton or Penguin. A scholarly edition is available under the Revels Plays banner and in the Arden Shakespeare however.

The London Prodigal

The London Prodigal

The London Prodigal is a play in English Renaissance theatre, a city comedy set in London, in which a prodigal son learns the error of his ways. The play was published in quarto in 1605 by the stationer Nathaniel Butter, and printed by Thomas Cotes...

(1604)

First official record:

First published: 1605 by the stationer Nathaniel Butter

Nathaniel Butter

Nathaniel Butter was a London publisher of the early 17th century. The publisher of the first edition of Shakespeare's King Lear in 1608, he has also been regarded as one of the first publishers of a newspaper in English....

, and printed by Thomas Cotes.

First recorded performance:

First attribution to Shakespeare: 1605, on the title page of the first edition.

Evidence: Acted by Shakespeare's company and published under his name, but the style is not his. Individual scholars have attributed the play to Ben Jonson

Ben Jonson

Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...

, Thomas Dekker, John Marston

John Marston

John Marston was an English poet, playwright and satirist during the late Elizabethan and Jacobean periods...

, and Michael Drayton

Michael Drayton

Michael Drayton was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era.-Early life:He was born at Hartshill, near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. Almost nothing is known about his early life, beyond the fact that in 1580 he was in the service of Thomas Goodere of Collingham,...

; others have suggested Thomas Heywood

Thomas Heywood

Thomas Heywood was a prominent English playwright, actor, and author whose peak period of activity falls between late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre.-Early years:...

 and George Wilkins

George Wilkins

George Wilkins was an English dramatist and pamphleteer best known for his probable collaboration with Shakespeare on the play Pericles, Prince of Tyre. By profession he was an inn-keeper, but he was also apparently involved in criminal activities.-Life:Wilkins was an inn-keeper in Cow-Cross,...

. None of these attributions has been accepted by a significant proportion of the critical community.

A Yorkshire Tragedy

A Yorkshire Tragedy

A Yorkshire Tragedy is an early Jacobean era stage play, a domestic tragedy printed in 1608. The play was originally assigned to William Shakespeare, though the modern critical consensus rejects this attribution, favouring Thomas Middleton....

(1605)

First official record: May 2, 1608, entered into the Stationers' Register

Stationers' Register

The 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...

.

First published: 1608, in a quarto

Book size

The 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"...

 issued by bookseller Thomas Pavier

Thomas Pavier

Thomas Pavier was a London publisher and bookseller of the early seventeenth century. His complex involvement in the publication of early editions of some of Shakespeare's plays, as well as plays of the Shakespeare Apocrypha, has left him with a "dubious reputation."-Life and work:Pavier came to...

.

First recorded performance:

First attribution to Shakespeare: May 2, 1608, in the Stationers' Register entry; the attribution is repeated in the 1608 quarto, the 1619 reprint (part of William Jaggard

William Jaggard

William Jaggard was an Elizabethan and Jacobean printer and publisher, best known for his connection with the texts of William Shakespeare, most notably the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays...

's False Folio

False Folio

False Folio is the term that Shakespeare scholars and bibliographers have applied to William Jaggard's printing of ten Shakespearean and pseudo-Shakespearean plays together in 1619, the first attempt to collect Shakespeare's work in a single volume....

, and the 1664 inclusion among the seven plays Philip Chetwinde

Philip Chetwinde

Philip Chetwinde was a seventeenth-century London bookseller and publisher, noted for his publication of the Third Folio of Shakespeare's plays.-A rough start:Chetwinde was originally a clothworker...

 added to the second impression of the Shakespeare Third Folio

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...

.

Evidence: Acted by Shakespeare's company and published under his name, but the style is not his. While some early critics allowed the possibility of Shakespeare's authorship, most in the past two centuries, have doubted the attribution. The modern critical consensus favors Thomas Middleton

Thomas Middleton

Thomas Middleton was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. Middleton stands with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson as among the most successful and prolific of playwrights who wrote their best plays during the Jacobean period. He was one of the few Renaissance dramatists to achieve equal success in...

 as the author, citing internal evidence from the text of the play. Cases for the authorship of Thomas Heywood

Thomas Heywood

Thomas Heywood was a prominent English playwright, actor, and author whose peak period of activity falls between late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre.-Early years:...

 or George Wilkins

George Wilkins

George Wilkins was an English dramatist and pamphleteer best known for his probable collaboration with Shakespeare on the play Pericles, Prince of Tyre. By profession he was an inn-keeper, but he was also apparently involved in criminal activities.-Life:Wilkins was an inn-keeper in Cow-Cross,...

have been made, but have convinced few commentators.

External links

• Narrative and Dramatic Sources of all Shakespeare's works
• Shakespeare Internet Editions Resource Site
• The Collected Works of William Shakespeare Arranged Chronologically
• The Chronology of Shakespeare's Plays
• Shakespeare's Works: A Timeline