Inside Shakespeare's plays
Lady Percy and Lady Mortimer in Henry IV, Part 1
In Henry IV, Part 1, Shakespeare created Lady Percy and Lady Mortimer out of the fragments of history, giving them voices that appeal freshly to us today.
Mistress Quickly: From Hostess in 'Henry IV Part 1' to Fairy Queen in 'The Merry Wives of Windsor'
The Hostess seems to have been a favorite character from the beginning, ruling the tavern where Prince Hal hangs out with Falstaff. Evidently aware of her popularity with audiences, Shakespeare developed her character further in later plays, where she evolves…
Influences for Love's Labor's Lost: Contemporary texts and historical figures
Love’s Labor’s Lost is one of three Shakespeare plays without a primary source (the others being A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest), but that doesn’t mean it was created in a vacuum. Using four items from the Folger collection,…
Toil and trouble: Recipes and the witches in 'Macbeth'
Shakespeare’s witches, like nearly all witches of Shakespeare’s time, have their roots in the kitchen more than in the study.
Shakespeare's patriotic empathy
Austin Tichenor writes about Shakespeare’s history plays, the political considerations of the day, and patriotic portrayals centuries later.
Questionable parenting: Shakespeare and the father portrayals in his plays
What kind of father was Shakespeare? The fathers he portrays in his plays don’t always come off looking so good, but he also explores parental regret.
Play on! Q&A: Caridad Svich on translating ‘Henry VIII’
Playwright Caridad Svich writes how ‘Henry VIII’ oscillates between characters’ desire for power, on the one hand, and forgiveness, on the other.
Shakespeare and marriage, in his plays and in his own life
What did William Shakespeare think of marriage, based on how he wrote about it in his plays and what we know about his union with Anne Hathaway?
‘The Winter’s Tale’ and the problem of the Bohemia seacoast
A key plot point of Shakespeare’s ‘The Winter’s Tale’ relies on the country of Bohemia having a seacoast, which poses a geographical dilemma.
Imagining Shakespeare: What's your favorite "statue scene" from "The Winter's Tale?"
We asked our followers on social media to share their favorite stagings of the “statue scene” from “The Winter’s Tale” with the hashtag #ImaginingShakespeare.
Imagining Shakespeare: What happens in the statue scene from "The Winter’s Tale?”
Spoiler alert: something magical happens in the last scene of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale.” We dug into the Folger collection to explore.
Folger Director Michael Witmore on his favorite Shakespeare play: The Winter's Tale
What makes “The Winter’s Tale” so compelling? Folger Director Michael Witmore shares spoiler-free insights about this Shakespeare play in three short videos.