Shakespeare in the world

Reference Associate Erika Giddens, who manages the Folger’s Ask a Librarian service, takes us behind the scenes to share some of the most asked questions about Shakespeare and how she answers them.

We’re sharing some of the Shakespeare stories in the news in December 2025 and January 2026, from Hamnet to Bridgerton, The Beatles and King Lear, imagining Richard III’s voice, and remembering theater legend Tina Packer.

What did people eat in Shakespeare’s England? In Much Ado About Cooking, food historian Sam Bilton uncovers the surprising world of early modern cuisine, a delicious world shaped by global trade, humoral medicine, and delight in spectacle.

Austin Tichenor takes a look at Chloé Zhao’s film adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel Hamnet, writing that Jessie Buckley’s performance as Agnes is the fiercest and most fully-rounded onscreen portrait of Shakespeare’s wife ever seen.

Shakespeare stories in the news this fall, from the Hamnet film to a new discovery in Shakespeare Quarterly about Shakespeare’s father. Plus a surprising connection between the middle school phrase “6-7” and Richard II.

Director Les Kurbas’s 1920 Macbeth was the first production of a Shakespeare play in Ukraine. Scholar Irena Makaryk talks about his work and the role that Shakespeare and theater played in Ukrainian culture, the Russian Empire, and the early Soviet Union.

The first track on Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl, is “The Fate of Ophelia.” Refresh your memory about Hamlet’s ingenue and why we can’t stop writing, painting, and singing about her.

A round-up of stories about Shakespeare in the news this month—a September issue of our own—with discoveries about miniature portraits, Emma Smith’s webinar series, reading recs for kids, and ad parodies from Improvised Shakespeare.

A round-up of stories about Shakespeare in the news this summer from theater, film, and science.

There’s a new Superman with more than a few Shakespearean echoes. Austin Tichenor writes that it’s no surprise given director James Gunn got his start on a B movie adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.

Can reading King Lear help us rethink economic policy? Can Measure for Measure shape how we talk about justice? Professors Laurette Dubé and Paul Yachnin explore how Shakespeare can help us imagine more humane systems for our world.

On display: A letter from Abigail Adams and other extraordinary American items help celebrate the Fourth of July.