About Shakespeare
Evergreen guides to Shakespeare's life, works, and world — written for modern readers.
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Who Was William Shakespeare?
William Shakespeare's biography and key facts: his birth in Stratford, marriage, the lost years, the Globe, his death in 1616, and the First Folio.
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A Guide to Shakespeare's Plays
An overview of Shakespeare's comedies, tragedies, and histories — and how to approach them.
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Shakespeare's Language — A Beginner's Guide
Early Modern English explained — thee, thou, and why 'wherefore art thou' means 'why', not 'where'. Tips for modern readers.
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The First Folio — The Book That Saved Shakespeare
The 1623 book that preserved 18 of Shakespeare's plays. What it is, who made it, how many copies survive, and where you can see one.
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Shakespeare's Famous Soliloquies
Four of Shakespeare's greatest soliloquies explained — To be or not to be, All the world's a stage, Tomorrow and tomorrow, Now is the winter of our discontent.
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Shakespeare's Sources — Where Did He Get His Stories?
Shakespeare rarely invented plots from scratch. Here is where the histories, comedies and tragedies actually came from.
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Shakespeare's Vocabulary — Words He Gave Us
How many words did Shakespeare coin? Somewhere between 700 and 1,700 — here is why the number is disputed and which everyday words he first put on the page.