Welcome to the Folger
Enjoy great stories | Explore what makes you curious | Share the best in art, history, and literature with friends and family at the world’s largest Shakespeare collection.
The Folger is open! New exhibition galleries, gardens, and shop
What’s on
Join us for in-person and virtual events: theater, poetry, music, and more.

Twelfth Night

How to Be a Power Player: Tudor Edition

DC, I Love You: First Dates

A Midsummer Night's Dream in May

Queer Dramaturgy with Alexa Alice Joubin

Folger Book Club: 'Queen B' by Juno Dawson

Folger Salon with Maria Canon, Amy Cooper, and Carrington OBrion

DC, I Love You: Ready or Not

DIY at the Folger: The Tudor Ruff
About us
How did the world’s largest Shakespeare collection end up one block from the US Capitol? Explore the Folger’s origin story.

The latest from our blogs and podcast

King Lear and Mao’s China, with Nan Z. Da
What can King Lear teach us about power today? In this episode, scholar Nan Z. Da shares how Shakespeare’s play echoes her family’s experience in Maoist China. Drawing from her book The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear, Da explores how Shakespeare anticipates authoritarianism and why Lear may be Shakespeare’s most “Chinese” play.

Charlotte Cushman and Twelfth Night
19th-century audiences adored Charlotte Cushman in Shakespeare, including Hamlet and Romeo but also Viola (and Cesario). Check out these Twelfth Night finds in our collection.

Quiz: Advice and advisers in Shakespeare's plays
In this season of graduation ceremonies and speeches, try our quiz about advice and advisers (good, bad, or indifferent!) in Shakespeare’s plays.

Fashion in the Tudor court
Learn the power of style in Tudor England and how the right ruff could help ambitious courtiers distinguish themselves in a competitive court.

About 'Queen B'
Introductory information on the June 2025 Folger Book Club selection, Queen B by Juno Dawson.

The secrets of the conclave
What were papal conclaves like in Shakespeare’s time? Scholar John M. Hunt shares what’s changed from the early modern period and what remains the same.
Our collection

The First Folio
The Folger has the world’s largest collection of First Folios. Learn more about the book that gave us Shakespeare.

A majestic portrait
The Folger collection includes about 200 paintings. This portrait of Queen Elizabeth I by George Gower is dated 1579, making it the oldest painting in our collection. Two years after he completed this portrait, Gower became Serjeant Painter to the Queen, making him the most important artist in England.
Our other Elizabeth I holdings include hand-signed letters, books, and even New Year’s gift rolls detailing her holiday gifts. It is the largest collection of Elizabeth I materials in North America.

Shakespeare’s works
View the full list of plays and poems to read, search, and download our bestselling editions of Shakespeare’s works.
Shakespeare’s most popular plays
Explore

What was Shakespeare's theater like?
Learn about the Globe and other London playhouses where Shakespeare’s company performed. What was it like to be an actor there, or an audience member?
Teach

How can Shakespeare help 21st-century students be stronger readers?
Our Folger Method is revolutionizing how not just Shakespeare but all literature is taught using strategies that allow all students to own – and enjoy – complex texts.
Research

If we are what we eat, what can recipes from the past tell us?
Projects like Before ‘Farm to Table’ unite scholars and practitioners in investigations into the past to shed light on what matters to us today.

Support the things you love
Your gifts make access to our collection, learning opportunities, and exciting experiences happen.