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Shakespeare & Beyond

Shakespeare & Beyond

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.

Strange Shakespeare: Shakespeare in the flesh and the beginnings of the biopic
Shakespeare and Beyond

Strange Shakespeare: Shakespeare in the flesh and the beginnings of the biopic

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Author
David Taylor

Charles Somerset’s “Shakspeare’s Early Days” of 1829 was a prototype of the Shakespearean biopic and also a critique of the theatrical establishment.

What theater makers learned from 2020
King Lear
Shakespeare and Beyond

What theater makers learned from 2020

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Author
Ben Lauer

We asked some of our Shakespeare theater partners what the events of 2020 had illuminated for them about Shakespeare and theater.

Order It: The prologue to Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare and Beyond

Order It: The prologue to Romeo and Juliet

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Author
Shakespeare & Beyond

“Two households, both alike in dignity…” Take this quiz to see if you can correctly order the lines of the prologue to Romeo and Juliet.

Early modern sleep care: Recipes for restful sleep
Shakespeare and Beyond

Early modern sleep care: Recipes for restful sleep

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Author
Sasha Handley

Thomas Sheppey devoted several densely written pages of his 17th-century manuscript to the topic of sleep — how to trigger it, how to interrupt it, how to influence its depth and length, and even how to stop people talking in…

William Shakespeare: International man of mystery
Shakespeare and Beyond

William Shakespeare: International man of mystery

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Author
Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor writes about how the lack of biographical details about Shakespeare’s life leaves his audience always wanting more.

Excerpt: ‘Shakespeare and the Political Way’ by Elizabeth Frazer
Shakespeare and Beyond

Excerpt: ‘Shakespeare and the Political Way’ by Elizabeth Frazer

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Author
Shakespeare & Beyond

“Shakespeare’s dramas, in my interpretation, play with rival ideas of the nature of the political way,” writes Elizabeth Frazer. Read more in this excerpt from the introduction.

The turkey’s journey from the Atlantic to the early modern Islamic world
Shakespeare and Beyond

The turkey’s journey from the Atlantic to the early modern Islamic world

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Author
Neha Vermani

Follow the turkey on its fascinating journey from America to Europe to the Mughal and Ottoman empires, through early modern trade networks.

These Violent Delights: Retelling Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare and Beyond

These Violent Delights: Retelling Romeo and Juliet

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Author
Chloe Gong

Chloe Gong writes about adapting “Romeo and Juliet” into her debut novel, “These Violent Delights,” which focuses on the blood feud at the heart of Shakespeare’s play. The story is about two teen heirs of rival gangs in 1920s Shanghai.

The early modern precursor to turducken: Adapting an old recipe to make mini pies
Shakespeare and Beyond

The early modern precursor to turducken: Adapting an old recipe to make mini pies

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Author
Michael Walkden

Learn about the early modern precursor to turducken (a huge turkey pie with duck but no chicken) and make your own mini pies using this adapted recipe.

Strange Shakespeare: The anti-Shylock in the boxing ring
Shakespeare and Beyond

Strange Shakespeare: The anti-Shylock in the boxing ring

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Author
Daniel O’Quinn

Actor Edmund Kean’s more sympathetic portrayal of Shylock onstage in the early 19th century connected with the Jewish boxer Daniel Mendoza’s merciful defeat of an English champion.

Before the Thanksgiving turkey came the banquet peacock
Shakespeare and Beyond

Before the Thanksgiving turkey came the banquet peacock

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Author
Elisa Tersigni

Lavish dinners—and the cookbooks and instruction manuals for how to execute them—were popular during the Renaissance, and they emphasized the art of food, in addition to—and at times, over—its taste. Peacocks were thus an ideal banquet food because their colorful…

Where to watch Shakespeare in November
Shakespeare and Beyond

Where to watch Shakespeare in November

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Author
Ben Lauer

Shakespeare companies have lots of creative programs happening this month both online and in-person. Here’s what the Folger’s theater partners are up to this November.

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