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
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.
Quiz: The songs in Shakespeare's plays
Shakespeare and Beyond
Quiz: The songs in Shakespeare's plays
Shakespeare’s plays are filled with music. Using some context clues, match these songs to the plays in which they appear.
Three Hamlets and a hip-hop Romeo and Juliet: What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in July
Shakespeare and Beyond
Three Hamlets and a hip-hop Romeo and Juliet: What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in July
Every month, we share a snapshot of Shakespeare in performance around America. Summertime is high time for free outdoor performances of the classics.
The Q Brothers take on the star-crossed lovers
Shakespeare and Beyond
The Q Brothers take on the star-crossed lovers
The Q Brothers are back at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival this summer with I Heart Juliet, a hip-hop adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.
A night at Hamlet's castle, followed by a debut novel
Shakespeare and Beyond
A night at Hamlet's castle, followed by a debut novel
This debut novel by M.L. Rio takes place at a fiercely competitive school where the acting students only perform Shakespeare.
Shakespeare and the American Revolution
Shakespeare and Beyond
Shakespeare and the American Revolution
By the time the first battles of the American Revolution took place in 1775, Shakespeare had been imported from England on stage and page to the New World.
A Falstaff feast
Shakespeare and Beyond
A Falstaff feast
Find Falstaff at Nebraska Shakespeare, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Shakespeare Dallas.
The Book of Will: An imagined backstory for the Shakespeare First Folio
Shakespeare and Beyond
The Book of Will: An imagined backstory for the Shakespeare First Folio
The Book of Will, a new play by Lauren Gunderson, explores the back-story of how Shakespeare’s friends assembled his plays into the book we know today as the First Folio, without which we might have forever lost plays such as…
What's my line? Exploring promptbooks for Othello
Shakespeare and Beyond
What's my line? Exploring promptbooks for Othello
Promptbooks let us peer into the minds of some of history’s greatest theater-makers and see how they imagined Shakespeare’s plays.
Dig into the Folger's vault for #MuseumWeek
Shakespeare and Beyond
Dig into the Folger's vault for #MuseumWeek
It’s #MuseumWeek, and the Folger is sharing recipes from Shakespeare’s time, stories of swords and duels, and a little bit of tennis.
A tale of three playbills: The Lighthouse, The Frozen Deep, and The Merry Wives of Windsor
Shakespeare and Beyond
A tale of three playbills: The Lighthouse, The Frozen Deep, and The Merry Wives of Windsor
See playbills from the Folger collection of amateur (and fundraising) performances by Charles Dickens, from Wilkie Collins to Shakespeare.
Robert Sean Leonard as Richard II: What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in June
Shakespeare and Beyond
Robert Sean Leonard as Richard II: What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in June
Experience a snapshot of Shakespeare in performance around America, from a female Hamlet in Colorado to Robert Sean Leonard as Richard II in San Diego.
Quiz: Match the painting to the Shakespeare play
Shakespeare and Beyond
Quiz: Match the painting to the Shakespeare play
Which Shakespeare play is depicted in each of these paintings from the Folger collection? Take the quiz.