Use this notetaking sheet to keep track of your information and sources. It will help you know if you've answered all the questions or not and make citing your sources super easy!
Databases are collections of information on a particular topic. They contain journal articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles and more!
To Access the databases, click on the links below. Then find the database on the index page and click on it to access.
The Gale Literature Resource Center Database contains biographies, criticism and overviews on writers and specific works in all disciplines. Just enter your topic in the search bar at the top to get started! It will also create a citation for you - look in the upper right for the "Cite" link.
Constructing Alterity: Race, Gender and the Body in Shakespeare's Othello - Othello was written in a period of marked cultural and political change, at a time when many foreigners came to the British Isles. Though black peope had been in England since the invasion by Rome, by the time he wrote Othello, the issue of "otherness" had become an issue. This article goes into depth to show how the the text of the play reflects the cultural situation at the time.
The Encyclopedia Britannica School contains articles, videos, links to other websites, primary documents and more on just about any topic you can think of. It will also create a citation for you - look in the upper right for the "Cite" link.
The Gale Fine Arts Database contains articles on art history, music, drama, filmaking and related fields. Use the search bar at the top. It will also create a citation for you - look in the upper right for the "Cite" link.
The Ghost of Shakespeare - Interested in the question of whether or not there was a William Shakespeare who wrote all these plays? This article contains several theories of who the author REALLY was!
Shakespeare in Cinema: a film directors' symposium - interested in Shakespeare in Pop Culture? This article contains the comments of many directors who made movies based on Shakespeare's work and the considerations involved in adapting the plays to the screen.
The Bard of Rome? Shakespeare and the Catholic Question - Was Shakespeare a Catholic, a Protestant or an Atheist? Does it matter? It mattered to Shakespeare since, at the time, atheism was equated with immorality, Catholicism was the same as treason, and Jews were exiled from England! Read about how the question of religion comes up in Shakespeare's work!
The Gale Pop Culture Database contains articles on popular culture analysis and more. You'll find modern commentary on Shakespeare's works as well as how the work is reflected in modern art and culture. Looking for modern day movies, plays, or merch based on Shakespeare's plays and sonnets? You'll find them here!
10 Things you don't know about Shakespeare - this article contains interesting facts and questions about Shakespeare that might raise a question you'd like to answer!
The Gale Gender Studies Database contains articles on gender studies, family/marital issues, health, and more. If you're interested in the role of women or how women were portrayed in Shakespear's work, you'll find interesting information here!
Alias Shakespeare - an article in the Gender Studies database makes the argument that Edward DeVere, the Earl of Oxford, is the actual author of the plays and sonnets, and that the question of his sexual orientation is partly why the truth of who authored the works has remained secret.
Cross Dressing and love, Shakespeare style - many of Shakespeare's plays involve a woman dressing as a man to hide from danger or to achieve something she couldn't do as a woman. As you can imagine, things get complicated!
The Boston Public Library (BPL) has many Shakespeare resources in it's collection which you can access via the search bar at the top of the page. Here are directions for searching the BPL Catalogue - try using a Key Word search on your topic. When you find a book, audio book or video, you can get a library card to check them out. Read on for directions to get an ecard from BPL.
Boston Public Library eCard - Fill in a simple form to get a library card to access ebooks, audiobooks, music and more! Once you have a card you can search the catalogue to find books on your topic and then check them out.
Click here to sign up online. Only the fields with an * are required. You can use the school address and email. DO NOT provide your phone number, it is not required to get an e-card.
Official site for Shakespeare’s Globe in London. There are resources available here, as well as information from the Exhibition (the museum at the theater).
Official site for the Royal Shakespeare Company, based in Stratford. Check the “about Shakespeare” and “Education” tabs for more info.
Official site of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the organization that runs museums and tours of Shakespeare’s various homes in Stratford. Info on the buildings as well as the man.
Official site of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC, one of the largest collections of Shakespearean texts, research, and performance documents in the world.
Here's a cool podcast they have on Medicine in Shakespeare's time!
Shakespeare and the Four Humours
The four humours: Blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm, are the basis for a powerful theory of disease during Shakespeare's time. Find more information on this research guide from Wayne State University.
13 Shakespeare Inspired Movies
Did you know The Lion King is based on Hamlet, by Shakespeare? Check this article to find many more popular movies based on Shakespeare's plays. Many of them are available on popular streaming services or for check out from the Boston Public Library (see above to learn how to check them out).