ABSTRACT
THE FIRST QUARTO TEXT of this play was published in 1597, a second in 1598, a third in 1602, a fourth in 1605, and two others before the First Folio. Each was printed in the main from its immediate predecessor, but some show traces of slight correction, and Q5 was made up from Qq 3 and 4. The First Folio often deviates from the Quartos and the theory most in favour today is that initiated by Alexander Schmidt in 1880 and developed by E. K. Chambers, D. L. Patrick, and the late Sir W. W. Greg, that QI had some of the characteristics of a 'bad Quarto'. Patrick held that the 1597 text was an authorized publication constructed by the Chamberlain's men when, on a provincial tour, they found themselves without their prompt book. If so, theirs was a remarkable feat of memory, for it provides a better text than the pirated Quartos of other plays and contains over 3,400 lines as against 3,619 in FI. According to J. D. Wilson Fl was printed mainly from Q6 (1622) 'corrected and supplemented from the playhouse manuscript' and from Q3. J. K. Walton argues that it was taken throughout from Q3.1 That Qr was a memorial re" construction is now generally agreed. Some 200 lines were omitted either through forgetfulness or to shorten the piece. Other changes were for production purposes, and to sew the text together. Qr also has the 'Clock' passage in IV.2.I03-20, which Fr omitted. The Folio also omits some profanity perhaps to avoid transgressing the Statute of Abuses, 3 Jac. 21.
