Shakespeare & Beyond
Excerpt - Shakespeare’s Church and the Pilgrim Fathers: Commemorating Plymouth Rock in Stratford
Did you know that the Pilgrims have a presence in the church where William Shakespeare was baptized and buried? A stained glass window that bears the inscription, “The Gift of America to Shakespeare’s Church,” shows the Pilgrims landing on Plymouth…
Excerpt: Shakespeare and the Folktale
What are the connections between traditional folktales and Shakespeare’s plays? Charlotte Artese, an English professor at Agnes Scott College in Georgia, sets out to explore these folktale sources in a new anthology of stories, Shakespeare and the Folktale, published October…
Quiz: In Praise of Shakespeare
The Folger Shakespeare Library building is filled (inside and outside) with inscriptions of quotations by famous writers praising Shakespeare. See if you can successfully fill in the blanks for these quotes
Summer Shakespeare memories: Picnics, thunderstorms, and wildlife interruptions
We asked our Twitter followers to share their favorite stories from outdoor Shakespeare performances: incredible actors, unexpected animal visitors, dramatic weather events, and more. Tell us your story using #SummerShakesMemories. https://twitter.com/Zorrah/status/1144605770702442496 https://twitter.com/NateMetcalf/status/1154529272117071873 https://twitter.com/jaybaltz/status/1145838297803087872 https://twitter.com/ERLathrop/status/1143612005577822208 https://twitter.com/AlexJArmstrong/status/1146132142868578304 https://twitter.com/GoodTickleBrain/status/1146021764276871168 https://twitter.com/michaelmc_hugh/status/1144529821114019841 https://twitter.com/MysticCindi/status/1144474064397848581 https://twitter.com/xmacdonald/status/1152337120117366784
Richard III: Taffety Punk's Bootleg Shakespeare
Kimberly Gilbert as Richard III. Photo by Brittany Diliberto. Bootleg Shakespeare is not your typical night at the theater: The actors show up on the day of the performance with only their lines memorized; after a few hours of rehearsals,…
Caliban by the Yellow Sands: Shakespeare and immigrant communities in New York - Excerpt: Here in This Island We Arrived
Here in This Island We Arrived: Shakespeare and Belonging in Immigrant New York is a 2019 book from Elisabeth H. Kinsley that explores Shakespeare performance in late 19th- and early 20-century Manhattan during a time of profound demographic change, when…
Play on! Q&A: Aditi Kapil on translating 'Measure for Measure'
In choosing which Shakespeare play to translate for the Play on! project, playwright Aditi Brennan Kapil let herself be influenced by dramaturg Liz Engelman, who was attracted to the themes of Measure for Measure and their resonance in today’s world.…
Quiz: Shakespeare trivia
What is Shakespeare’s shortest play? Which female character has the most lines? Test your Shakespeare knowledge with this trivia quiz.
Emma Smith on Falstaff: An excerpt from 'This Is Shakespeare'
Shakespeare scholar Emma Smith takes 20 chapters to discuss 20 different Shakespeare plays in her new book This Is Shakespeare, offering insights on key characters, plot twists, and performance challenges. The excerpt below, which focuses on the character of Falstaff…
Excerpt - The Assassin of Verona by Benet Brandreth
In Benet Brandreth’s historical thriller “The Assassin of Verona,” William Shakespeare is disguised as a steward to the English ambassador in 1586 Venice.
Excerpt - Miranda in Milan by Katharine Duckett
What happens after “The Tempest” ends? “Miranda in Milan,” Katharine Duckett’s debut novel, picks up where Shakespeare’s play leaves off.
Play on! Octavio Solis on translating ‘Edward III’
“The whole construction of the story is supported by a single theme: the value of a man’s word,” Octavio Solis writes about “Edward III,” which he translated for the Play on! project.