Why Read Shakespeare?
Full article and more videos at: http://www.openculture.com/2019/12/why-should-we-read-william-shakespeare.html.
Shakespeare's Language
- PRATTLEPlay PRATTLE, a word game from the Folger Shakespeare Library. Similar to WORDLE, this online game uses words from Shakespeare's works, and as a bonus, shows the context in his works!
The Oxford Dictionary of Original Shakespearean Pronunciation by Call Number: 822.33 CRYISBN: 9780199668427Publication Date: 2016-06-01
- "The 422 Words . . . " Shakespeare's Neologisms
Howl, dwindle, quarrelsome, vulnerable . . . "How many words did Shakespeare invent? What kind of words? And which words are those exactly? Rather than just listing all the words Shakespeare invented, this post digs deeper into the how and the why (or “wherefore”) of Shakespeare’s literary creations."
~ LitCharts [SparkNotes]
Regarding Coinages
Note: the Oxford English Dictionary is the source for first usage attributions, but this does not mean that a word was not already in use when Shakespeare used it in a play, only that the OED researcher found it first published in his works. See Merriam-Webster blog: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/words-shakespeare-didnt-invent
Shakespearean sallies, sullies, and slanders; insults for all occasions by Call Number: 822.33 S
A Dictionary of Quotations from Shakespeare by Call Number: R822 .33 SHAISBN: 0525934510Publication Date: 1992-09-01
- Shakespeare's Language
"The early modern English language was less than 100 years old in 1590 when Shakespeare was writing." ~ Royal Shakespeare Company website
Clues to Acting Shakespeare by Call Number: 822.3 VANISBN: 9781581154641Publication Date: 2006-10-01
;%20(function()%20{%20var%20wl=document.createElement(%27script%27);wl.type=%27text/javascript%27;wl.src=%27https://ltfl.librarything.com/syndeticsunbound/connector/initiator.php?client=galip&x=3&context=infra%27;document.getElementsByTagName(%27head%27)[0].appendChild(wl);%20})();%20//&client=galip&upc=&oclc=)
Librarian
On Shakespeare's Works
Search the library catalog by title
Browse the shelves! Did you know Shakespeare is the only topic to have a dewey decimal number all to itself? 822.33
References:
Browse the shelves! Did you know Shakespeare is the only topic to have a dewey decimal number all to itself? 822.33
References:
Shakespeare's Characters for Students by Call Number: R822.33 SISBN: 0787613002Publication Date: 1997-04-01
A Dictionary of Who, What, and Where in Shakespeare by Call Number: 822.33 DICISBN: 0844257575Publication Date: 1997-01-11
- GALE LITERARY SOURCESIncluded in NC Live's databases, search by "Shakespeare," or by the title of the play or poem.
Life in Shakespeare's England
- Shakespeare Uncovered [pbs.org]
A timeline of the few facts known about William Shakespeare's life. Check out the DVD at the library!
- Globe Theater
"Early in 1599 Shakespeare, who had been acting with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men since 1594, paid into the coffers of the company a sum of money amounting to 12.5 percent of the cost of building the Globe. He did so as a chief shareholder in the company, and by doing so he helped to establish a uniquely successful form of commercial operation for the actors of the time." [Encyclopedia Brittanica]
Shakespeare's Globe 360 (free app): Explore a virtual version of the iconic theatre:
[available from the Apple Store https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/shakespeares-globe-360/id959985371]
"If you prick us, do we not bleed?" -- Shylock in The Merchant of Venice
Jewish History: Elizabethan Era
Oxford Jewish Heritage labels 1290-1655 the period of Exclusion (when Jews were not allowed in England,) and discusses the many exceptions to this rule, and the perils of falling afoul of 16th century attitudes and politics. Note the mention of "a Sephardic Jew, Rodrigo Lopez, often quoted as the inspiration for Shylock, (in "The Merchant of Venice,") [who] served as the court physician to Queen Elizabeth."
- London Plagues [Bubonic] 1348 -1665 (.pdf download)
A Pocket History from the Museum of London: "Many people have heard of the Black Death of 1348 and the Great Plague of 1665: both terrible outbreaks of a disease which killed thousands of Londoners. However, it is less well-known that these famous outbreaks are only two of nearly 40 that London suffered between 1348 and 1665." [image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_doctor_costume]
- Shakespeare Resource CenterIncludes a transcript of Will's will!
Costumes and Settings for Staging Historical Plays by Call Number: 391 CASISBN: 0823802310Publication Date: 1979-06-01
Shakespeare's London on 5 Groats a Day by Call Number: 942.1 TAMISBN: 9780500287934Publication Date: 2009-06-01
- Life in Elizabethan England: A Compendium of Knowledge 1558 - 1603A series of articles on aspects of 16th - 17th century life, including some occupations.
- Daily Life in the Elizabethan Erafrom GALE World History in Context includes a summary of poor laws and clothing laws.
- Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe[Wake Forest University] "This is a public history project researched and created by students in Professor Stephanie Koscak's 2020 course, "HST 311. Wives, Writers, and Witches: Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe." Manuscript recipe books, which include recipes for cookery, food preservation, health cures, medicines, household goods, and cosmetics, are a remarkable source that offer a unique window into early modern society and culture." The timeline covered is somewhat longer than the Elizabethan Era, but still highly relevant.
A Dictionary of Old Trades, Titles and Occupations by Call Number: INTERNETISBN: 9781846748844Publication Date: 2005-03-07... the world of work has changed enormously and some of the once familiar names and terms have fallen into disuse only to be understood with the help of a dictionary. For instance, who now know what buddle boys, claquers, dobbers, hokey pokey men, rogue spotters and sperviters are?
Shakespeare's Songbook by Call Number: 782.42 DUFISBN: 0393058891Publication Date: 2004-04-17Known history and context of the songs in Shakespeare's plays. Includes CDs.
Uppity Women of Shakespearean Times by Call Number: 305.4 LEOISBN: 1567313736Publication Date: 2000-05-01
- The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Can't get to a library to check out a play? MIT has it online. All plays/poems are in the public domain.
