Shakespeare & Beyond

In Shakespeare’s Scholars, Sean Keilen explores one of the more comic parts from Hamlet, Polonius’ advice to his son Laertes, and why audiences, from Shakespeare’s time until quite recently, took the words of guidance quite seriously.

A round-up of gift ideas for graduation, weddings, or just because from our online Folger Shop. Books, jewelry and apparel, stationery, home, and more, perfect for lovers of Shakespeare and literature.

He’s quoted Shakespeare in numerous speeches, from his first as king to his most recent at the White House during his state visit at the end of April. But Charles III’s interest in Shakespeare goes all the way back to his school days.

A roundup of Shakespeare stories, including discoveries about his only London real estate purchase and family papers; all Shakespeare’s plays ranked as well as video games Shakespeare would love; and actors sharing Shakespeare.

Richard II opens Shakespeare’s Henriad tetralogy of English history plays and is one of his most eloquent. Explore some of the play’s most well-known lines, in order of their appearance.

We’re celebrating the start of spring with some of our favorite Shakespeare quotes about the season, a time of renewal, rebirth, and new beginnings.

In his groundbreaking documentary, We Were Here, Folger Fellow Fred Kuwornu shares the diverse African presence in Renaissance Europe—princes, ambassadors, saints, artists, scholars, and knights—all revealed through art from the period.

Shakespeare’s beloved pastoral comedy overflows with wit and poetry, including the memorable Seven Ages of Man speech which begins “All the world’s a stage.” Explore some of the play’s most well-known lines, in order of their appearance.

Recently, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Sir Ian McKellen shared a monologue that some believe Shakespeare may have written. We look at the speech, known as The Strangers’ Case, from Sir Thomas More.

Shakespeare’s plays are well stocked with merchants of Venice and gentlemen of Verona, with one-third of his plays based in Italy. But what did Shakespeare—and his audiences—really know about such distant places and people?

We’re sharing some of the Shakespeare stories in the news in December 2025 and January 2026, from Hamnet to Bridgerton, The Beatles and King Lear, imagining Richard III’s voice, and remembering theater legend Tina Packer.

This late romance combines tragedy and comedy in an improbable tale filled with powerful emotions and one of the finest songs in all of Shakespeare, “Fear no more the heat o’ th’ sun.” Explore some of the most well-known quotes, in order of their appearance in the play.