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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.

The five most popular #FolgerFinds in 2017
Call number 158- 133q
Shakespeare and Beyond

The five most popular #FolgerFinds in 2017

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Shakespeare & Beyond

Take a look at our five most popular #FolgerFinds posts on Instagram, from early modern eclipses to the first edition of Shakespeare’s “Richard III.”

Usury and 'The Merchant of Venice': An excerpt from 'London's Triumph' by Stephen Alford
London's Triumph by Stephen Alford
Shakespeare and Beyond

Usury and 'The Merchant of Venice': An excerpt from 'London's Triumph' by Stephen Alford

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Shakespeare & Beyond

This excerpt from “London’s Triumph” by Stephen Alford looks at the Elizabethan understanding of usury, seen through Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice.”

Playing Richard Burbage
Austin Tichenor as Richard Burbage
Shakespeare and Beyond

Playing Richard Burbage

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Austin Tichenor

Austin Tichenor of the Reduced Shakespeare Company shares what it’s like to play Richard Burbage onstage in Lauren Gunderson’s “The Book of Will.”

Barbara Mowat on editing Shakespeare
Barbara Mowat on editing Shakespeare
Shakespeare and Beyond

Barbara Mowat on editing Shakespeare

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Shakespeare & Beyond

Editing Shakespeare’s works is a complex process, explains Barbara Mowat, who with Paul Werstine edited the Folger Shakespeare Library editions.

Five Christmas gift ideas for Shakespeare fans
Sonnet 18 t-shirt
Shakespeare and Beyond

Five Christmas gift ideas for Shakespeare fans

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Shakespeare & Beyond

We’ve got five Shakespeare-themed Christmas gift ideas for you, selected from the Folger shop and all under $20, from games to artwork and more.

Sharing a love of Shakespeare with your family
Photo by Tracy Russo
Shakespeare and Beyond

Sharing a love of Shakespeare with your family

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Shakespeare & Beyond

Families share Shakespeare together in so many ways, such as watching his plays, quoting familiar lines, or throwing a Shakespeare birthday party.

Shakespeare onstage in November and December
Celebrated Stratford Festival performer Dion Johnstone portrays trailblazing African-American actor Ira Aldridge, whose Othello shocked nineteenth-century London, in Chicago Shakespeare’s Red Velvet, directed by Gary Griffin, in the Courtyard Theater, December 1, 2017–January 21, 2018. Photo by Jeff Sciortino.
Shakespeare and Beyond

Shakespeare onstage in November and December

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Shakespeare & Beyond

Every month, we share a snapshot of Shakespeare in performance around America. Let’s check in with our theater partners with Shakespeare plays onstage in November and December.

A pumpkin pie recipe from 17th-century England
Pumpkin pie
Shakespeare and Beyond

A pumpkin pie recipe from 17th-century England

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Amanda Herbert

In this pumpkin pie recipe from the late 1600s, you peel and slice the pumpkin into thin wedges, dipping them in egg before frying them. Apples, raisins, currants, and sherry also get added to the pie.

Etiquette in early modern England (part 2)
Folger Shakespeare Library V.a.311
Shakespeare and Beyond

Etiquette in early modern England (part 2)

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Karen Lyon

Books on manners became so popular during the Elizabethan period that it was only a matter of time before someone satirized them.

Etiquette in early modern England (part 1)
Folger Shakespeare Library. ART Vol. c91, no. 8c
Shakespeare and Beyond

Etiquette in early modern England (part 1)

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Karen Lyon

“Manners maketh man” was the motto of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England. Would your own table manners pass inspection?

How Shakespeare describes post-traumatic stress disorder
Lady Percy and Hotspur
Shakespeare and Beyond

How Shakespeare describes post-traumatic stress disorder

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Shakespeare & Beyond

Shakespeare’s plays are full of battles dominated by men, but one of his most compelling speeches about the life of a soldier comes from a woman: Lady Percy in Henry IV, Part 1, speaking to her husband, Hotspur.

How Catholic and Protestant beliefs affect Hamlet's reaction to his father's ghost
Hamlet and ghost. J. Coghlan. [early 19th century?]. Folger Shakespeare Library.
Shakespeare and Beyond

How Catholic and Protestant beliefs affect Hamlet's reaction to his father's ghost

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Shakespeare & Beyond

When Hamlet first encounters his father’s ghost, the Danish prince’s reactions reflect Shakespeare’s understanding of the theological differences between early modern Catholics and Protestants regarding the spiritual realm, says David Scott Kastan.

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