Shakespeare & Beyond

Discover books, costume sketches, and theatrical props for Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in the Folger collection along with items from Folger Theatre’s production of Al Letson’s Julius X: A Re-envisioning of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. 

A century after Shakespeare’s death, the Shakespeare Ladies Club ensured his original plays were not forgotten. The quarter discussed his plays, convinced theaters to produce them, and even campaigned for his statue in Westminster Abbey.

Challenge yourself with this new quiz about Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar.

Check out what’s playing at our Shakespeare theater partners this September.

Scholar Simon Smith explores Twelfth Night’s rich history on indoor and outdoor stages, asking how different spaces shape the play’s performance possibilities.

Explore First Folios owned by two 17th-century women, a prop dagger used by a leading actress of the late 19th century, and scripts and programs from a 20th-century women’s theater in Japan that’s still performing Shakespeare today.

In an excerpt from Siobhan Keenan’s new biography of actor Richard Burbage, we look at his rise to fame as Shakespeare’s Richard III.

Shakespeare mentions tennis in seven of his plays. But would he recognize the game we enjoy today? A Tudor history of the game with Shakespeare quotes about tennis.

Austin Tichenor rereads Robert B. Parker’s Spenser novels—“with an s like the English poet”—and discovers that the hard-boiled Boston detective’s literary roots go even deeper than remembered.

In an excerpt from scholar Graham Watson’s groundbreaking new book, we meet 19th-century Bronte biographer Elizabeth Gaskell as she discovers the real author of Jane Eyre.

A round-up of stories about Shakespeare in the news this summer from theater, film, and science.

Shakespeare’s tragedy is filled with memorable lines, including Mark Antony’s speech that begins “Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears.” Explore some of the play’s most well-known quotes.