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Shakespeare & Beyond

The Shakespeare & Beyond blog features a wide range of Shakespeare-related topics: the early modern period in which he lived, the ways his plays have been interpreted and staged over the past four centuries, the enduring power of his characters and language, and more.

Foraging in the modern age
Shakespeare and Beyond

Foraging in the modern age

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Learn about the rich history of foraging and the many pleasures and benefits of gathering and eating plants like dandelion, elderberry, mushrooms, and many others.

Quiz: How well do you know Twelfth Night?
Shakespeare and Beyond

Quiz: How well do you know Twelfth Night?

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Author
Esther Ferington

It’s full of joy, love, music, and mistaken identities. Challenge yourself with our quiz about Twelfth Night!

What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in April
Shakespeare and Beyond

What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in April

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Shakespeare & Beyond

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

Folger Finds: A Shakespeare signboard
Shakespeare and Beyond

Folger Finds: A Shakespeare signboard

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Author
Shakespeare & Beyond

This signboard, probably created in the late 1600s to the early 1700s, is based on the popular “Chandos portrait”—the only portrait of Shakespeare that may have been painted from life.

Shakespeare quotes about fools
Shakespeare and Beyond

Shakespeare quotes about fools

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Shakespeare & Beyond

Shakespeare mentions the word “fool” more than 300 times. Here are seven quotes, often spoken by one of his wise—and witty—fools.

The Decrypted History of Mary, Queen of Scots
Shakespeare and Beyond

The Decrypted History of Mary, Queen of Scots

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Historian Jade Scott draws on hundreds of encrypted letters, including 57 recently unearthed letters in a French archive and decoded, to paint a vivid portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots in her new book, Captive Queen.

Folger Finds: Anne of Cleves' gift to Henry VIII
Shakespeare and Beyond

Folger Finds: Anne of Cleves' gift to Henry VIII

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Author
Shakespeare & Beyond

Explore a uniquely inscribed Book of Hours presented to Henry VIII by his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.

The Hamlet variations
Shakespeare and Beyond

The Hamlet variations

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Author
Austin Tichenor

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is having a moment—actually two, with A Room in the Castle and The Comedy of Hamlet! (a prequel) exploring Shakespeare’s characters before, during, and after the events of his greatest tragedy.

What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in March
Shakespeare and Beyond

What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in March

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Author
Shakespeare & Beyond

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

Quiz: The women in Hamlet
Shakespeare and Beyond

Quiz: The women in Hamlet

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Author
Esther Ferington

Try our quiz about the women in Hamlet, from Gertrude to Ophelia… and more.

Teaching the Dream, sweet and bitter
Shakespeare and Beyond

Teaching the Dream, sweet and bitter

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How can A Midsummer Night’s Dream speak to students today? Scholar Gail Kern Paster writes that the 400-year-old play connects to a wide range of contemporary issues that 21st-century audiences care about.

The Women Who Served the Queens of Henry VIII
Shakespeare and Beyond

The Women Who Served the Queens of Henry VIII

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Who were the ladies-in-waiting to each of Henry VIII’s six wives and what were their lives like? An excerpt from Nicola Clark’s The Waiting Game looks at these overlooked but influential figures.

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