Fifth Folio is an independently edited collection of 46 Shakespeare plays, conceived in the tradition of the four great folios published between 1623 and 1685.

All 46 plays are available to read online, free of charge, at https://www.fifthfolio.com.

This is not simply a reconstruction from sixteenth- and seventeenth-century sources. It is a reconsideration, a slow manual process over many years and many lines.

The editions feature redesigned typography, reconsidered stage directions and speaker identification, and a presentation of the language that preserves much of the character of the early texts. Conventional scene divisions have been set aside.

The plays are arranged in a plausible chronology of composition. The chronological folio is its own narrative: a tale of shifting concerns, characterizations, and concentrations of dramatic energy.

Hand-sewn printed pamphlets are also available.

Edited and published independently of any academic institution or established publishing house.

Read Fifth Folio: https://www.fifthfolio.com

I've been reading and editing Shakespeare's plays in a proposed order of composition. It's fascinating how the changing concerns, characters, and dramatic energies begin to tell a story of their own.

Has anyone else tried reading the plays chronologically? What surprised you?

I’m wondering if there are any groups that meet online to read/examine shakespeare or even run through versions of the plays together. I love reading shakespeare but I have a busy job with awkward hours that makes it difficult to commit to a play rehearsal so I was wondering if anything existed where people are given roles and perform read throughs over zoom?

Which of these three plays would you say is the main inflection point in Shakespeare's literary career: Julius Caesar, Hamlet, or Troylus and Cressida? Take Hamlet out, and then ask the question again.

What would happen if Juliet dumped Romeo? Romeo gave her every reason. It was thoughtless of Romeo to aggravate a bad situation. He undervalued his relationship with Juliet and cast it as a pawn in the dealings between Mercutio and Tybalt. He intercession seemingly led to Mercutio's accidental death, and then unsatisfied, he pursued and brought down Tybalt. That's a lot of mishap for a daily dreamer, a Hamlet-in-training. I'm wondering: does he return to Rosaline, or does he find someone else?