Shakespeare & Beyond

Explore fireworks in our collection, which include illustrations from extravagant public spectacles and technical manuals with instructions for making your own.

See what’s playing at our Shakespeare Theater Partners around the country this July.

We’re celebrating the solstice with Shakespeare quotes about summer, which is mentioned 86 times in the plays and poems, more than any other season.

We’re celebrating Pride Month by sharing some of our Shakespeare Unlimited podcast interviews and blog posts with acclaimed artists, actors, directors, scholars, and writers about queer Shakespeare over the centuries.

Viola aka Cesario is stunned to realize that she is in the middle of a love triangle, after Olivia sends a ring. Order the lines of her Twelfth Night speech as she puts it all together in our quiz.

In an excerpt from The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear, author Nan Z. Da looks at the role of the Fool in Shakespeare’s King Lear and the Chou in Peking Opera.

In an excerpt from Straight Acting, Will Tosh tells the story of Richard Barnfield’s meteoric rise in literary London in the 1590s and how his groundbreaking poetry influenced Shakespeare’s sonnets.

Matthew Steggle’s findings about a letter addressed to “Good Mrs Shakspaire” show the couple might have lived together in London at the time that Shakespeare was writing Hamlet and Othello, dispelling certain myths about their marriage.

What is Shakespeare’s role in a genre of literature—science fiction—that flourished centuries after his plays first took the stage? Scholar Sarah Annes Brown explores the influence of Shakespeare the man and his writing.

Shakespeare’s comedy is filled with memorable lines, including its very first one. Explore some of the most well-known quotes, in order of their appearance in the play.

Summer’s a great time for reading, whether it’s at the beach or in your backyard. Explore our list of fiction and non-fiction titles about Shakespeare and his world featured on Folger blogs, podcast interviews, and our book club.

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