On December 14, 2023 the Folger’s virtual book club continues with a discussion of The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown. To prepare for the discussion, we have pulled together a list of resources related to families in Shakespeare’s work and the Folger collection.
EXPLORE early modern family dynamics
- Aphorism therapy, or, How to cope with dishonest relatives
- Wooing and Wedding: Courtship and Marriage in Early Modern England
LEARN more about how family history can be traced
- Folger copy 54: The First Folio as family scrapbook
- Where do family trees come from?
- Symbols of Honor: Heraldry and Family History in Shakespeare’s England (Folger Exhibition)
LISTEN to related podcast episodes, including on Shakespeare’s own family relationships
- Episode 60: Shakespeare and Girlhood
- Episode 105: Imagining Shakespeare’s Wife
- Episode 150: Maggie O’Farrell on Hamnet
- Episode 180: Lena Cowen Orlin on The Private Life of William Shakespeare
TEST your knowledge of families in Shakespeare plays
We would like to thank the following organization for its generous support of this program
Join us for a future event
"Songs from a Medieval Winter" with Muco
"Songs from a Medieval Winter" with Muco
Experience renditions of ballads and verse around the theme of winter with Muco. Following a presentation, Muco will perform Middle-English secular lyrics and Old-English verse accompanied by the inanga, a zither from East Africa.
Wed, Nov 12, 2025 at 7pm ET
On View: Missy Dunaway
On View: Missy Dunaway
In this small solo exhibition, artist Missy Dunaway investigates the connections between art, literature, history, and the natural world with her paintings of birds mentioned in Shakespeare's plays.
Fri, Nov 14, 2025 – Sun, Jan 4, 2026
How to Survive Teaching Act 5
How to Survive Teaching Act 5
This professional development session for teachers focuses on strategies for reading the final act of a Shakespeare play, from using Folger Essential Practices to exploring epilogues through paired texts.
Wed, Nov 19, 2025, 8pm ET
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