Shakespeare & Beyond

While doing research in the Folger collection, Dennis Duncan encountered hundreds of indexes created by early modern readers. In this excerpt from his newly published book, "Index, A History of the," Duncan describes the fascinating variety of reader indexes he discovered, including one from an early 17th-century tract against alcohol.

Take a look at what the Folger's theater partners have on stage this March, including a long-awaited 'Hamlet' in Cincinnati, 'Much Ado About Nothing' in Atlanta, and 'The Merchant of Venice,' with John Douglas Thompson, coming to Washington, DC.

A Polish acting troupe outwits the Nazis using Shakespeare codes and theatrical smarts in Ernst Lubitsch’s 1942 film "To Be or Not to Be," an audacious comedy filmed as Hitler was devastating Europe. Almost the definition of a joke told too soon, the movie succeeds — and is still vital, 80 years later — by finding the tonal sweet spot between fanciful comedy and grim reality, and by presenting Shakespeare as the ultimate plea for humanity.

Recipes for plague-curing potions like "Doctor Burges’s remedy" are often found in household recipe books of Shakespeare's time. Folger fellow Yann Ryan writes about the circulation of information and misinformation through these recipes.

Take the quiz to see if you can identify some of the Shakespeare characters who share names with characters in other plays.

As anyone who has read Shakespeare's plays can attest, their content is not always very appropriate for children: brutal murders, bawdy jokes, incest, etc. Editions of Shakespeare's plays that have been designed specifically for children often omit or smooth over things that parents might find objectionable. In the 19th century, access to Shakespeare was restricted not just for children but also for young women, as Molly Yarn explores in this excerpt from 'Shakespeare's Lady Editors'.

Austin Tichenor makes the case for why we should say “Shakespeare is for anyone who wants him" instead of "Shakespeare is for everyone."

While working on "The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry that Forged the Medieval World," Shelley Puhak stumbled across a connection between her subjects and Shakespeare. Her book is a dual biography of Brunhild and Fredegund, two queens who, as long-term regents for their underage male relatives, ruled over most of sixth-century Western Europe. Fredegund was born a slave; Brunhild was a Visigoth princess. Despite their vastly different backgrounds, they ended up as sisters-in-law and political rivals who negotiated with emperors and popes, revitalized cities, revamped tax policy, and conducted a decades-long civil war—against each other. Echoes of one conflict in that war, the 593 Battle of Droizy, have been preserved in Macbeth’s final act, when Birnam Wood arrives at Dunsinane.

Folger fellow Peter Radford explores the history of picturing women athletes from ancient Greece to early modern Europe, how these images can be hard to find and interpret, but also why they’re so valuable and compelling.

Keith Hamilton Cobb reflects on his play American Moor and how the questions he received in response to it led to the development of the Untitled Othello Project, a deeply scrutinizing exploration of Shakespeare's text.

A Folger fellow and former Olympian shares images and stories of 18th-century women athletes in England who competed in races, fights, cricket matches, and more.

There's nothing intuitive about a month with 28 (sometimes 29) days and an unpredictable number of Rs in its name. But once you see what the Folger's theater partners have onstage this month, seeing a show at a theater near you will be a no-brainer.