Shakespeare & Beyond

The playwright and dramaturg who worked on translating ‘The Merchant of Venice’ share insights into the play and the translation process.

This excerpt from Ayanna Thompson’s book explores Peter Sellars’s “uniquely American take on William Shakespeare” and his 1980 production of King Lear.

We revisit an essay about Shakespeare and Shaw from the 1994 Folger exhibition “Roasting the Swan of Avon: Shakespeare’s Redoubtable Enemies and Dubious Friends.”

Playwright Caridad Svich writes how ‘Henry VIII’ oscillates between characters’ desire for power, on the one hand, and forgiveness, on the other.

Stephen Greenblatt discusses and reads short excerpts from his new book, “Tyrant,” which looks at how Shakespeare portrayed political leaders in his plays.

Timon of Athens was the pilot play for Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Play on! project. Kenneth Cavander reflects on the translation process.

Forty-five years ago on Shakespeare’s birthday, the Folger announced that Laetitia Yeandle, then curator of manuscripts, had “rediscovered” a long-lost diary entry marking the first recorded purchase of Shakespeare’s first publication, Venus and Adonis.

Every month, we share a snapshot of Shakespeare in performance around America. What plays are onstage this month? We check in with our theater partners

Read an excerpt from ‘Macbeth’, Norwegian detective crime novelist Jo Nesbø’s retelling of Shakespeare’s play, from the Hogarth Shakespeare series.

Read an excerpt from actor Paterson Joseph’s book about playing the role of Brutus in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s acclaimed 2012 production of Julius Caesar.

What’s it like to play the role of Lear onstage? In this excerpt from Year of the Mad King: The Lear Diaries, actor Antony Sher gives us a window into the rehearsal process for the Royal Shakespeare Company production of King…

Every month, we share a snapshot of Shakespeare in performance around America. What plays are onstage this month? We check in with our theater partners.