Shakespeare & Beyond

“Beware the Ideas of March!” But what are the Ides of March? And how did Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar help cement them in the popular imagination?

As You Like It is one of Shakespeare’s festive comedies, but there are also heavier themes in the play. We asked Folger Director Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper for her take on Shakespeare’s beloved comedy.

Explore collection items about early 20th-century performances outdoors by the Ben Greet Players, who played college campuses across the US—and eventually the front lawn of the White House, along with designs from the Folger’s 2026 production.

Henry Irving and Ellen Terry were beloved for their Shakespeare performances, whether at London’s Lyceum Theater or on tour. New additions to the Folger collection show the acclaimed artists at work and play in Victorian England.

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.

In 1936, Britain’s first feature-length Shakespeare “talkie” premiered: As You Like It featuring Elisabeth Bergner and Laurence Olivier in his first Shakespeare role on screen. Explore the film’s press kits and study guides.

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.

Shakespeare as the creator of heroes is explored in Wonder Man, the newest entry in the vast Marvel Cinematic Universe. Austin Tichenor explores the series’ interest in the power of theater and storytelling over super-powered beings fighting evil.

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?

From the early 1800s to today, the vast story of Black Shakespeareans—actors, directors, and other creators—is packed with remarkable achievements. Take our quiz about some of the many figures who have made history, then and now.

19th-century American Actor Ira Aldridge is remembered as a pioneering performer who refused to let racism prevent him from pursuing his passion for performing Shakespeare, first in New York and then abroad. Explore his story.