Excerpt from A New Variorum Edition of Shakespeare, Vol. 11: The Winter's Tale Inasmuch as each volume of this edition is independent of the others, it is proper, for the convenience of the reader, that the general plan of the work should be briefly set forth. In Textual Notes will be found the various readings of the Folios and of modern critical editions, together with such conjectural emendations as have come under the Editor's notice. A feature of this edition, - wherein it stands alone, - is that, after each reading recorded in the Textual Notes the names follow of those editors who have adopted that reading; the student can thus estimate, at a glance, the weight of authority. In the Commentary are set forth explanations and criticisms; some of them antiquated; but useful, - at least, the Editor has so deemed them, - as marking the history of Shakespearian criticism. In the Appendix are given various discussions, such as The Source of the plot, The Date of the Play, etc., together with Criticisms too long or too general to be inserted in the Commentary. The Text here given is again that of the Editio Princeps, the Folio of 1623. At this late hour, when the language of even Chaucer is becoming familiar, it is hardly reasonable to insist that the language of Shakespeare, in an edition for students like the present, shall be divested of the few trifling differences, chiefly in spelling, which distinguish it from the language of to-day; where words are obsolete, it is not due to the spelling in the First Folio; they will need explanation howsoever they be spelled; and where the meaning of a phrase is obscure, notes are required whatsoever the text. The Winter's Tale was published first in the Folio. There is no Quarto edition of it; a Quarto edition whereof the mere title appeared a hundred and fifty years ago, in a list of plays, has never been seen, and its existence has been justly discredited. In this play, more than in any other, the construction of the sentence is involved, and the meaning condensed. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.