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Abraham Lincoln

“Murder most foul”: How Shakespeare connects Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth
Shakespeare and Beyond

“Murder most foul”: How Shakespeare connects Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth

Posted
Author
Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor explores the deep connections the president and his murderer share with William Shakespeare.

Men of Letters: Shakespeare's Influence on Abraham Lincoln
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Men of Letters: Shakespeare's Influence on Abraham Lincoln

Learn more about Shakespeare’s enduring influence on Lincoln—and on Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth.

Up Close: Lady Macbeth, America, and the stain of slavery
Shakespeare and Beyond

Up Close: Lady Macbeth, America, and the stain of slavery

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Author
Esther French

In a famous scene from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the sleep-walking Lady Macbeth desperately attempts to scrub her hands clean of the (invisible) blood stains from the murders committed by her and her husband. “Out, damned spot, out, I say!” she says,…

Nora Titone shares highlights from the Folger's Booth collection
Edwin Booth's 100th Hamlet performance
Shakespeare and Beyond

Nora Titone shares highlights from the Folger's Booth collection

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Author
Shakespeare & Beyond

Nora Titone, author of a book on Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth, shares highlights from the Folger’s Booth collection.

Presidential Fools: Abraham Lincoln, Shakespeare, and comedy
Abraham Lincoln
Shakespeare and Beyond

Presidential Fools: Abraham Lincoln, Shakespeare, and comedy

Posted
Author
Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor writes about Abraham Lincoln, whose wit combined reflection with self-deprecation, and the role of a Fool in Shakespeare plays.

Lincoln & Macbeth: A Surprising Tale Told Through Primary Sources
Teaching Shakespeare

Lincoln & Macbeth: A Surprising Tale Told Through Primary Sources

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Martyr of Liberty Broadside. Folger Shakespeare Library. Last year, as part of the Wonder of Will exhibition extravaganza to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, the Folger presented America’s Shakespeare. This exhibition took a look at the Bard’s influence…

War and America's Shakespeare
American soldier in Vietnam
Shakespeare and Beyond

War and America's Shakespeare

Posted
Author
Esther French

“Extremity is the trier of spirits/ Common chances common men will bear.” Quoting from Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, Abigail Adams praised the courage of the militiamen at the Battle of Bunker Hill in a letter to her husband, John Adams, in 1775. From the…

Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln, and the president's assassination
Abraham Lincoln
Shakespeare and Beyond

Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln, and the president's assassination

Posted
Author
Esther French

Abraham Lincoln. Copyright 1894 by H.W. Fay. Folger Shakespeare Library. Growing up on the frontier, Abraham Lincoln had few books to read in his early days—but among them were the works of Shakespeare, which Lincoln cherished throughout his life. The…