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.
Shakespeare & Beyond
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Shakespeare & Beyond also explores the topics that shape our experience of Shakespeare today: trends in performance, the latest discoveries and scholarship, news stories, pop culture, interesting books, new movies, the rich context of theater and literary history, and more. As the word “beyond” suggests, from time to time Shakespeare & Beyond also covers topics that are not directly linked to Shakespeare.
Questions or comments? You can reach us at shakespeareandbeyond@folger.edu.
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Recipes to remember: Coriander, gallyngale, and the legacies of the lost
The Receipt Book of Margaret Baker, compiled in 1675, contains a recipe for a memory-potion called “Confect of Coriander Seed.”
![The Lost King Man wearing a crown and dressed in a royal robe sitting on a bench next to a woman dressed in modern clothing](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/03/The-Lost-King-film.jpg?fit=10%2C10)
“They do me wrong”: Reputation, Richard III, and The Lost King
Shakespeare’s play Richard III turns real people into fictional villains, as does a new movie about the search for Richard III’s remains, writes Austin Tichenor.
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Q&A: "Our Verse in Time to Come" playwrights Malik Work and Karen Ann Daniels
Playwrights Malik Work and Karen Ann Daniels share more the creation of Our Verse in Time to Come and spring boarding off Shakespeare.
![White People in Shakespeare The Arden Shakespeare. White People in Shakespeare. Essays on Race, Culture and the Elite. Edited by Arthur L. Little Jr.](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/03/white-people-in-shx-book-cover.jpg?fit=10%2C10)
Excerpt: "White People in Shakespeare"
White People in Shakespeare examines what part Shakespeare played in the construction of a “white people” and how his work has been enlisted to define and bolster a white cultural and racial identity.
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We know you think Julius Caesar is boring
We ask theater artists across the country to tell us why it isn’t.
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Birds of Shakespeare: The European robin
According to Renaissance folklore, robins were kind and adored humans so deeply that if one came upon a person who had passed away, it would place flowers on the body.
![Tom Hanks as Colonel Parker Tom Hanks looking mean and holding a cigar](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/02/tom-hanks-elvis.jpg?fit=10%2C10)
Proving a villain: Problematic Shakespearean mentors
Austin Tichenor writes about the problematic protagonists of the Oscar-nominated films Elvis and Tár, who evoke Shakespeare’s Richard III as they seek to control their respective narratives.
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Birds of Shakespeare: The turtle dove
The turtle dove as a symbol of love appears in Shakespeare’s romances, tragedies, and comedies.
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Shakespeare’s Best and Worst Couples
As Valentine’s Day approaches, we polled our theater partners to determine who Shakespeare’s best and worst couples are and what their relationships teach us about love.
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“I do love nothing in the world so well as you”: 6 Shakespeare quotes for Valentine’s Day
Looking for a way to say “I love you” this Valentine’s Day? Say it with Shakespeare! We’ve got six new Shakespearean Valentines for you to send to that special someone.
![The White Lotus Two female characters in a scene from The White Lotus](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/02/whitelotus2.jpg?fit=10%2C10)
“Wanton boys": Shakespeare and The White Lotus Season 2
Austin Tichenor writes a blog post about how, like many of Shakespeare’s plays, the HBO series The White Lotus explores power among the privileged and the people who attend them.
![Lark painting detail A detail of the painting showing a lark, a toad, and a piece of red cloth](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/02/Lark-painting-detail.jpg?fit=10%2C10)
Birds of Shakespeare: The lark
Shakespeare mainly employs the lark as a beloved symbol for the morning, the herald of the dawn. Most of the lark’s 27 appearances in Shakespeare’s works feature it welcoming the start of each day with a sweet song.