The First Folio
John Heminges and Henry Condell, Shakespeare’s fellow actors, compiled Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies in 1623. Isaac Jaggard and Edward Blount published it. Eighteen of its 36 plays had not previously appeared in print and might otherwise have been lost.
Around 750 copies are thought to have been printed and roughly 235 survive. The volume includes the Droeshout engraving and Ben Jonson’s declaration that Shakespeare was “not of an age, but for all time”.
Garrick, tourism and “Bardolatry”
David Garrick’s Shakespeare Jubilee in Stratford in 1769 helped transform the town into a place of literary pilgrimage. The term “Bardolatry” later described the near-worshipful admiration surrounding Shakespeare’s reputation.
Translation and global performance
Shakespeare’s works have been translated into every major living language and are among the world’s most frequently performed plays. Translation is not merely substitution: rhythm, jokes, social rank and wordplay require creative decisions.
Adaptation on screen
Film has carried the plays from photographed stage performance to radical relocation and genre experiment. Adaptations may preserve Shakespeare’s language, translate it, cut it heavily or use only the narrative structure.
Shakespeare in education
School study has helped secure Shakespeare’s cultural position, but compulsory reading can make living drama feel remote. Reading aloud, performance choices and historical context often reveal what silent summary cannot.
The 23 April celebration
Shakespeare’s birthday is traditionally marked on 23 April, also St George’s Day and the date of his death. The birthday itself is not documented; the baptism on 26 April 1564 is secure.