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Shakespeare & Beyond

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.

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

What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in October

Posted
Author
Ben Lauer

Every month, we check in with our theater partners across the United States to see what’s onstage. Here’s a look at Shakespeare in October.

Shakespeare Festival St. Louis's "Such Sweet Thunder" is a multi-disciplinary mash-up
Shakespeare and Beyond

Shakespeare Festival St. Louis's "Such Sweet Thunder" is a multi-disciplinary mash-up

Posted
Author
Ben Lauer

Shakespeare Festival St. Louis brings together dancers, actors, and a 15-piece jazz band for a performance of Duke Ellington’s “Such Sweet Thunder.”

Desdemona and Emilia: The testament of female friendship in Othello
Desdemona and Emilia
Shakespeare and Beyond

Desdemona and Emilia: The testament of female friendship in Othello

Posted
Author
Elise Walter

Desdemona and Emilia’s friendship inspires resistance and the courage to speak the truth, resulting in Iago’s exposure and Desdemona’s exoneration.

Utah Shakespeare Festival re-examines Hamlet and Ophelia
Hamlet and Ophelia embrace in the Utah Shakespeare Festival production of Hamlet.
Shakespeare and Beyond

Utah Shakespeare Festival re-examines Hamlet and Ophelia

Posted
Author
Ben Lauer

The Utah Shakespeare Festival has a fresh take on Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship, inspired by Artistic Collaborator Jerry Murdock.

Verdi's Macbeth: "The opera without a love affair!"
Title page with Macbeth and witches
Shakespeare and Beyond

Verdi's Macbeth: "The opera without a love affair!"

Posted
Author
Effie Papanikolaou

Macbeth posta in musica da Giuseppe Verdi e per grata memoria dedicato al suo amatissimo suocero Antonio Barezzi Riduzione per Pianoforte solo de E. Muzio. . 1847. FOLGER 266549“L’opera senza amore!” That was the Italians’ reaction to Verdi’s Macbeth when…

Shakespeare's muses: The magic in his method
Shakespeare and Beyond

Shakespeare's muses: The magic in his method

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Author
Austin Tichenor

Shakspere / . 1832. Folger ART Box R167 no.1 (size L)It’s a tantalizing mystery: What was Shakespeare’s inspiration? What was the source of his talent? How on earth did he do what he did? Were his abilities and success the…

Lady Percy and Lady Mortimer in Henry IV, Part 1
Lady Percy and Hotspur
Shakespeare and Beyond

Lady Percy and Lady Mortimer in Henry IV, Part 1

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Author
Georgianna Ziegler

In Henry IV, Part 1, Shakespeare created Lady Percy and Lady Mortimer out of the fragments of history, giving them voices that appeal freshly to us today.

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

What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in September

Posted
Author
Ben Lauer

Every month, we check in with our theater partners to find out what’s onstage. Here’s what’s happening at Shakespeare theaters in September.

Fat rogue, pampered glutton: Two Falstaffian context clues
From Q0 of 1 Henry IV.
Shakespeare and Beyond

Fat rogue, pampered glutton: Two Falstaffian context clues

Posted
Author
emma poltrack

Early versions of Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1 show its immense popularity and point to Falstaff’s origins as the real-life figure Sir John Oldcastle.

Chimes at Midnight: Orson Welles is Falstaff
Orson Welles as Falstaff in Chimes at Midnight
Shakespeare and Beyond

Chimes at Midnight: Orson Welles is Falstaff

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Author
Michael Anderegg

Chimes at Midnight, the 1966 film directed by and starring Orson Welles, constructs a rich, complex, and moving portrait of the larger-than-life Sir John Falstaff, who appears in three of Shakespeare’s plays and is among the best-known characters in all…

Mistress Quickly: From Hostess in 'Henry IV Part 1' to Fairy Queen in 'The Merry Wives of Windsor'
Falstaff and Mistress Quickly
Shakespeare and Beyond

Mistress Quickly: From Hostess in 'Henry IV Part 1' to Fairy Queen in 'The Merry Wives of Windsor'

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Author
Georgianna Ziegler

The Hostess seems to have been a favorite character from the beginning, ruling the tavern where Prince Hal hangs out with Falstaff. Evidently aware of her popularity with audiences, Shakespeare developed her character further in later plays, where she evolves…

The Miniature Mystery of the Maybe Barbie Book
A tiny blue dollhouse book, titled Shakespeare's Plays, sitting in a person's hand.
Shakespeare and Beyond

The Miniature Mystery of the Maybe Barbie Book

Posted
Author
Ben Lauer

Does this dollhouse copy of Shakespeare’s plays belong to Barbie?

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