Shakespeare & Beyond

King Lear, III, 2. Johann Heinrich Ramberg. 19th century. Folger Shakespeare Library. Well-known Shakespeare characters such as King Lear and Hamlet suffer (or appear to suffer) from madness — and early American psychiatrists took note. Observations drawn from literature began…

Shakespeare’s plays are full of references to food and cookery, but they’re not always very appetizing. In Hamlet, the ghost of elder Hamlet describes the effect of the poison that Claudius pours into his ears, how it winds its way…

Valentine’s Day is coming soon! Take the quiz to find out which of our illustrated Shakespeare quotes is the right one for your special someone.

A few of favorite quotes from some of the directors we’ve had on the Folger’s Shakespeare Unlimited podcast since 2014.

“Write what you know” is the age-old wisdom young writers are always given, and though he never wrote a backstage comedy (or, for that matter, a backstage history, tragedy, or romance), William Shakespeare filled his plays with the tricks of…

Peer with me into the books left behind by women readers in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. What kind of books were they reading? What sort of notes did they write in them? What can we learn about their lives?

On Saturday, January 25, the Lunar New Year will mark the beginning of the Year of the Rat. According to legend, the Jade Emperor held a race for the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac to determine their order. The…

The cast of The Merry Wives of Windsor with a 1970s twist at Folger Theatre. The Brady Bunch-inspired scenic design is by Tony Cisek. (Cameron Whitman Photography) Shakespeare’s influence can be found in many aspects of American culture, from film…

We reached out to our theater partners across the US to see what Shakespeare plays they have onstage at the dawn of a new decade.

This manuscript book of poems by Anne Finch is part of the Folger Shakespeare Library collection. N.b.3. (Photo: Brittany Diliberto, Bee Two Sweet) The Folger’s outstanding collection is usually associated with Shakespeare and his contemporaries, but scholars who focus on…

Coriolanus at the Lyceum / Cyrus C. Cuneo. 1901. Folger ART Box C972 no.1 (size XL)In 1608, famine plagued England. Preachers responded with sermons begging the gentry to show compassion for the poor, King James I responded with royal proclamations…

A common New Year’s resolution is to save more money, and there are numerous personal-finance books and websites that offer step-by-step plans for spending less, whether out of present necessity or in the hope of reaching a future financial goal.…