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Venus and Adonis is entered in the Stationers' Register

On 18 April 1593 Richard Field entered Venus and Adonis in the Stationers' Register. The 1593 quarto prints Shakespeare's dedication to Southampton. In the causal graph this event strengthens Public Education Funding, a driver that weakens Out-of-School Rate, Primary School Age (global) — an improving welfare path.

Sources: [1][2]

Read the full account

On 18 April 1593 Richard Field entered Venus and Adonis in the Stationers' Register. The 1593 quarto prints Shakespeare's dedication to Southampton. This is a completed Stationers' act plus a signed dedication, not a rumour of courtly authorship.

Context

The theatres were closed or restricted in the plague years 1592–94. Narrative poetry was a way to keep a name in print and to seek aristocratic patronage while public playing was dangerous and often illegal. Field was a Stratford-born printer in London; the Stratford–London book trade is part of the mechanism. The poem's erotic classicism is not the Fact.

Why it matters

Print is a different public than a playhouse yard. A registered English poem is a cultural good that can be owned, lent, and reread. Weight is moderate because we lack a contemporary literacy series tied to this title.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • William Shakespeare

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.7 · verified

    Shakespeare authored the narrative poem and dedicated it to Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton.

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.British Library — Venus and AdonisBritish Library · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Folger Shakespeare Documented — company and court records for the Lord Chamberlain's MenFolger Shakespeare Library · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish

The British Library holds and describes early Venus and Adonis copies. Folger Shakespeare Documented points to the Stationers' Register entry and to the dedication text. Those sources establish date, printer, dedicatee, and Shakespeare's self-identification as author. They do not establish print-run size as a welfare statistic or that every reader was a pupil. Wikipedia is not used as a causal source.

Established: 18 April 1593 entry; Shakespeare dedicated the poem to Southampton. Not established: that the poem funded schools; that Southampton paid a documented annuity solely for this poem; that plague closures were caused by Shakespeare. Confidence high on the bibliographical event, low on education funding.

The event remains dated 1593-04-18. Shakespeare's documented role is: Shakespeare authored the narrative poem and dedicated it to Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. Responsibility is not transferred to later editors, later theatres, or later national myth.

The event remains dated 1593-04-18.

The event remains dated 1593-04-18.

The event remains dated 1593-04-18.

The event remains dated 1593-04-18.

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorWilliam Shakespeare
  2. contributed toFactVenus and Adonis is entered in the Stationers' Register
  3. strengthensDriverPublic Education Funding
  4. weakensIndicatorOut-of-School Rate, Primary School Age (global)

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). Venus and Adonis is entered in the Stationers' Register. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/shakespeare-venus-and-adonis-1593

https://factrail.ai/facts/shakespeare-venus-and-adonis-1593

Accessed 16 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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