Shakespeare & Beyond

Shakespeare overflows with sea poetry. Steve Mentz of St. John’s University shares his favorite Shakespeare quotes about the ocean.

Austin Tichenor explores how Barbie and Oppenheimer wrestle with Shakespearean themes of identity, hubris, and redemption.

We ask a few of our favorite Shakespeareans what you should keep an eye out for when you watch Twelfth Night.

The loon appears just once in Shakespeare’s plays, in a line from Macbeth.

Who said it: Hamlet or Polonius? Test your knowledge of these well-known lines from Hamlet.

Read four poems from a newly published collection that marks the 400th anniversary of the death of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s wife.

The editors of a new collection of poetry about Anne Hathaway share their take on her life and why she deserves a book of her own.

Austin Tichenor reflects on the Shakespeare allusions and storytelling world in Gabrielle Zevin’s bestselling novel.

Read a few favorite quotes from actors who have  joined us on our Shakespeare Unlimited podcast. Lolita Chakrabarti, the late Glenda Jackson, Sir Derek Jacobi, Paterson Joseph, Adrian Lester, Sir Ian McKellen, Patrick Page, the late Antony Sher, Harriet Walter, and Stephan Wolfert offer their insights on everything from backstory to the famous bits to the question no actor should ask.

Learn more about authorship and influence among the playwrights of Shakespeare’s day in this excerpt from a recent book by Darren Freebury-Jones.

The word “gull” is used twelve times in Shakespeare’s plays, appearing the most in Twelfth Night, a play full of pranks and hijinks.

“He exits, pursued by a bear.” Take our quiz to match stage directions like this one with the Shakespeare plays in which they appear.