Shakespeare & Beyond
A recipe for Twelfth Night cake
Park’s Shakspearean Twelfth-Night Characters. Handcolored print, ca. 1830. Folger Shakespeare Library. Twelfth Night is a Christian holiday typically celebrated on January 5 or 6, concluding the 12 days of Christmas and celebrating the visit of the Magi (the three kings). Twelfth…
The First Folio tour: How American communities celebrated Shakespeare in 2016
The First Folio tour in Hawaii (April 25 – May 25, 2016). Image courtesy of Kapi’olani Community College. Shakespeare’s stories have inspired creative works in almost every genre and medium: countless novels, poems, plays, movies, songs, comic books, paintings and…
12 contemporary YA novels that retell Shakespeare
Are you a fan of YA novels? Young adult literature is booming right now, from contemporary sob-fests like The Fault in Our Stars to action adventure series like The Maze Runner. And with Shakespeare a staple of the high school classroom, it makes…
9 Christmas gift ideas for Shakespeare fans
We’ve got nine Shakespeare-themed Christmas gift ideas for you, selected from the Folger shop and all under $20. Find something for your friend, your sibling, your favorite English teacher, or yourself! 1. A Shakespeare quotes mug Drink hot chocolate from a mug with…
Off the Shelf: A Shakespearean Botanical, The Battle of Agincourt, Year of the Fat Knight, and more
Here’s a round-up of Shakespeare-related books, fiction and nonfiction, that are on our must-read list. Ira’s Shakespeare Dream Glenda Armand (author), Floyd Cooper (illustrator) This story of famed African-American actor Ira Aldridge, who believed he could be a great Shakespearean…
See what caught Prince Charles's attention when he visited the Folger Shakespeare Library
(l-r) Gail Kern Paster, Prince Charles, Camilla, Georgianna Ziegler. 2005. By Esther Ferington Charles, Prince of Wales, celebrates his birthday on November 14. To mark the occasion, we’ve been recalling his visit to the Folger Shakespeare Library in 2005, with…
A mulberry tree and other Shakespeare bindings
By Esther Ferington Among the curious items in the Will & Jane exhibition is a 19th-century edition of Shakespeare’s works in an unusual binding. A small frame in the binding’s front cover encloses a piece of wood, described in an…
VIP visitors and rare works: Salman Rushdie, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and more
Georgianna Ziegler. Photo by Chris Hartlove. By Esther Ferington A vital role that the Folger Shakespeare Library plays is to bring people together with materials from Shakespeare’s world, whether through exhibitions, digital content, or special tours. As you’ll see, some…
Measure for Measure + Dido and Aeneas: A Shakespeare-opera mash-up from 1699 takes the stage
Sometimes characterized as a “problem play,” Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure was first performed in the early 1600’s and was printed in the 1623 First Folio where it is listed as a comedy. During the Restoration, many of Shakespeare’s plays were adapted to suit the times, and…
Shakespeare Live: Staging the plays outdoors
Bree Murphy (left) as Mistress Quickly and Marco Antonio Vega as Bardolph in the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2016 production of Henry V. Photo by Karl Hugh. Copyright Utah Shakespeare Festival 2016. Whether they are produced under the stars, in the moonlight, by…
Reading ahead for "Will & Jane"
As you’ve seen on this blog already, the next Folger exhibition, Will & Jane: Shakespeare, Austen, and the Cult of Celebrity (August 6 to November 6), will be a fascinating look at the posthumous celebrities of William Shakespeare and Jane…
A perfect pairing: A recipe for almond jumballs and a podcast episode on "Recipes for Thought"
Early modern kitchens, food, and recipes offer an intriguing window on the world in which Shakespeare lived. Our new Shakespeare Unlimited podcast episode is a fascinating interview with Wendy Wall, who explores the role of food, kitchens, and other related subjects in…