False folio

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Shakespeare researchers and book scholars use the term False Folio or Pavier's Quarto to describe a series of works that were unauthorizedly printed by William Jaggard in 1619 and edited by Thomas Pavier . There are eight plays by Shakespeare and two plays wrongly ascribed to him.

The names of the forgeries

The term "False Folio" later introduced by researchers for the unauthorized edition of 1619 is based on the established name for the first edition of Shakespeare's plays, the First Folio from 1623. The term " Folio " for the edition from 1619 is not entirely correct, as the pieces appeared in a four-high format that was slightly larger than usual. In 1909 the results of a first investigation with modern bibliographic methods by Alfred W. Pollard , WW Greg and William J. Neidig appeared.

Scope and type of forgery

In 1619 William Jaggard printed ten dramas, presumably in order to sell them preferably as an anthology. Depending on demand, individual editions should also be possible. Since Jaggard did not always have the rights to the works, he sometimes printed them with incorrect dates and the names of the stationers who were originally responsible. In this way he feigned reprints of the earlier prints. The following works are sorted according to the year of publication of the first edition:

  • The Whole Contention Between the Two Famous Houses, Lancaster and York. The information on the title page reads: "Printed at L ONDON , for TP" (printed in L ONDON , for TP [Thomas Pavier]). The publisher's information is correct, the date of printing is not given.
This print is an innovation. Jaggard combined two works originally printed as separate editions into one volume. The First Part of the Contention Betwixt the Two Famous Houses of York and Lancaster is the title of the first edition of Henry VI, Part 2 . The work was published by Thomas Millington in 1594 and 1600. The printers were Thomas Creed (1594) and Valentine Simmes (1600). The True Tragedy of Richard Duke of York is the title of the first edition of Henry VI, Part 3 . It was published by Millington in 1595 and 1600.
  • The Merchant of Venice . The title page reads: "Printed by J. Roberts , 1600." (Printed by J. Roberts , 1600). The correct information should be: "Printed by W. Jaggard, 1619." As a result, the printer name and date are incorrect. Jaggard had no rights to this piece. The copyright belonged to the stationer Laurence Hayes.
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream . The title page reads: "Printed by Iames Roberts, 1600." (Printed by Iames Roberts, 1600). The correct information should be: "Printed by W. Jaggard, 1619." As a result, the printer name and date are incorrect. The editor of the first quarto of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" from 1600 was Thomas Fisher, the printer was probably Richard Bradock.
  • Henry V . The information on the title page reads: "Printed for TP 1608" (Printed for TP [Thomas Pavier] 1608). The correct information should be: "Printed for TP 1619". So the date of the print was forged. The publisher's correct, because Pavier had the rights to Henry V .
  • Sir John Oldcastle . The information on the title page reads: "London printed for TP 1600." ([In] London printed for TP [Thomas Pavier] 1600.). The correct information should be: "Printed for TP 1619". So the date is wrong, the publisher's name is correct, because Pavier owned the rights to the piece. The printer of the first edition was Valentine Simmes. Shakespeare's name has been added as the author, which is a fake. The original print was anonymous.
  • The Merry Wives of Windsor . The title page reads: “Printed for Arthur Johnson , 1619.” (Printed for Arthur Johnson, 1619). The correct information should be: "Printed for Thomas Pavier, 1619". So the publisher's name is fake. Johnson was the editor of Quarto 1 for Merry Wives of Windsor in 1602.
  • King Lear . The information on the front page reads: “Printed for Nathaniel Butter . 1608. ”(Printed for Nathaniel Butter. 1608). The correct information should be: "Printed for Thomas Pavier, 1619". So the date and name of the publisher were forged. Butter was the editor of Lear's Quarto 1in 1608.
  • A Yorkshire Tragedy . The information on the title page reads: “Printed for TP 1619.” (printed for Thomas Pavier 1619). Both statements are correct. The work first appeared in 1608. The editor of both editions was Thomas Pavier. It was probably written by Thomas Middleton and both quarto editions ascribed to Shakespeare, and therefore added to the third edition of the First Folio of 1663 along with Pericles and five other Shakespeare apocrypha.
  • Pericles, Prince of Tire . The information on the title page reads: “Printed for TP 1619.” (Printed for TP [Thomas Pavier] 1619). In this case the information is correct. However, in a new edition in the same year, the printing date was "corrected" to 1609.

Regarding the order of the printed editions, based on the signature of the sheet, it is assumed that Pericles was printed after The Whole Contention . The pieces were tied together in no specific order.

Reasons for fake

Since Jaggard had no rights to Merchant of Venice (which belonged to Hayes), he probably also had no rights to Lear (rights holder Butters) and Merry Wives (rights holder Johnson). The reasons for Jaggard's action are unknown. Jaggard had loose ties to Shakespeare's works. He incorrectly printed The Passionate Pilgrim under Shakespeare's name in 1599 and 1612. Some scholars have raised the question of why the King's Men hired Jaggard to print the First Folio, even though he had only been noticed a few years earlier when he tried to forge a work edition. It is believed that this was done out of sheer necessity, probably only Jaggard had the technical means to print such an extensive work. Pavier's role in the project is also controversial. Since his name appears in about half of the printed works on the title page, some researchers consider his role to be so important that they speak of "Pavier-Quartos" rather than a "False Folio". Since Pollard was heavily involved with text piracy in Shakespeare's canon, this phenomenon also shapes his attitude to the "False Folio". Later researchers, on the other hand, no longer see Jaggard and Pavier's approach primarily as a villain.

Comparative compilation of originals and forgeries

  • King Henry VI, 2nd original (1594).

  • King Henry VI, 3rd original (1595).

  • King Henry VI parts 2 and 3. Forgery (1619).

  • Merchant of Venice , Original (1600)

  • Merchant of Venice , forgery (1619).

  • Midsummer's Night Dream , Original (1600).

  • Midsummer's Night Dream , forgery (1619).

  • Henry V , original (1600).

  • Henry V , forgery (1619).

  • Sir John Oldcastle , original (1600)

  • Sir John Oldcastle , forgery (1619)

  • Merry Wives of Windsor Original (1602)

  • Merry Wives of Windsor fake (1619)

  • King Lear , original (1608).

  • King Lear , forgery (1619).

  • Yorkshire Tragedy , original (1608).

  • Pericles , original (1609).

  • Pericles , Forgery (1619), first edition.

  • Pericles , Forgery (1619), second edition.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Alfred W. Pollard: Shakespeare Folios and Quartos. A Study in the Bibliography of Shakespeare's Plays 1594–1685. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1909 ( digitized from HathiTrust [accessed from the USA]), pp. 81-107.
  2. ^ Oxford Companion. P. 145.
  3. ^ Peter M. Blayney: Compositor B and the Pavier Quartos. In: The Library. 5th series. Vol. 27, Issue 3, pp. 179-206; William S. Kable: The Pavier Quartos and the First Folio of Shakespeare. WC Brown, Dubuque, IA 1970.
  4. ^ Alfred W. Pollard: Shakespeare's Fight with the Pirates and the Problems of the Transmission of His Text. A. Moring, London 1917.
  5. ^ Sonia Massai: Shakespeare and the Rise of the Editor. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2007.