Shakespeare & Beyond
Sharing a love of Shakespeare with your family
Families share Shakespeare together in so many ways, such as watching his plays, quoting familiar lines, or throwing a Shakespeare birthday party.
Shakespeare onstage in November and December
Every month, we share a snapshot of Shakespeare in performance around America. Let’s check in with our theater partners with Shakespeare plays onstage in November and December.
How Shakespeare describes post-traumatic stress disorder
Shakespeare’s plays are full of battles dominated by men, but one of his most compelling speeches about the life of a soldier comes from a woman: Lady Percy in Henry IV, Part 1, speaking to her husband, Hotspur.
![Hamlet and ghost. J. Coghlan. [early 19th century?]. Folger Shakespeare Library.](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2017/10/011490-Hamlet-ghost.jpg?fit=10%2C10 "Hamlet and his father's ghost")
How Catholic and Protestant beliefs affect Hamlet's reaction to his father's ghost
When Hamlet first encounters his father’s ghost, the Danish prince’s reactions reflect Shakespeare’s understanding of the theological differences between early modern Catholics and Protestants regarding the spiritual realm, says David Scott Kastan.
Excerpt from Dunbar: Edward St. Aubyn retells King Lear
In “Dunbar,” a new novel by Edward St. Aubyn that retells the Shakespeare play “King Lear,” Henry Dunbar makes the mistake of handing over control of his global corporation to his eldest daughters, who bribe a doctor to declare him…
Rome’s encounter with Egypt in Antony and Cleopatra
In this excerpt from “Shakespeare’s Roman Trilogy,” Paul Cantor writes about the Romanization of Egypt and the Egyptization of Rome in “Antony and Cleopatra.”
Richard Burton, Shakespeare, and the search for the source of the Nile
When European explorers first began traveling into the interior of the African continent, they brought Shakespeare with them. This excerpt from Shakespeare in Swahililand, written by Edward Wilson-Lee, relates the expedition of Richard Francis Burton and his search for the…
An English Garden: Dancing tunes and lyric poetry in Elizabethan England
As the arts and culture flourished in Shakespeare’s England, musical life blossomed as well.
Salmon in pastry: A Renaissance recipe from Shakespeare's Kitchen by Francine Segan
Salmon, oysters, asparagus, and grapes are all ingredients in this unusual pie recipe from Francine Segan’s cookbook “Shakespeare’s Kitchen.”
Shakespeare, improvisation, and the art of rhetoric
Shakespeare characters like Viola and Iago are masters of improvisation, says Folger Director Michael Witmore in this excerpt from the 2017 Shakespeare’s Birthday Lecture.
Quiz: The songs in Shakespeare's plays
Hey nonny nonny! Shakespeare’s plays are filled with music. Using some context clues, can you match the songs to the plays in which they appear? Happy playing!
A night at Hamlet's castle, followed by a debut novel
This debut novel by M.L. Rio takes place at a fiercely competitive school where the acting students only perform Shakespeare.