LONDON, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- The British Library put online Shakespeare's plays in ancient versions thought to be the closest to what the Bard actually wrote, BBC reported Friday.
Digitized versions of 16th and 17th century pamphlets, called quatros, for 21 of Shakespeare's works have been placed on the British Library's Web site, offering viewers the opportunity to read a text near to what was originally written or performed.
"Given that Shakespeare left no manuscripts behind, the quartos are as close as we are able to get to what he actually wrote," said Moira Goff, head of British Collections 1501-1800 at the British Library.
The text predates the First Folio, published seven years after Shakespeare's death in 1616.
The 21 plays featured on the Web site include many of Shakespeare's best known works including "King Lear," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Hamlet," "Romeo and Juliet" and Othello."
