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	Shakespeare's Characters
A comprehensive list of every Shakespeare character and the play in which he or she appears, including a spelled pronunciation guide.

	Daily Quick Quote
Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York. *- Richard III* (1.1), Gloucester, later to become King Richard** The opening lines of the play are a reference to Edward's battle with the Lancastrians at Mortimer's Cross on February 2, 1461. As Edward's Yorkist forces reached Mortimer's Cross, three suns appeared in the sky (an illusion known as a parhelion). Edward proclaimed that the suns were a sign from God -- a manifestation of the blessed Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Find out more...

	Shakespeare's Biography
Our detailed biography of Shakespeare covering his ancestry, parents, childhood in Stratford, siblings, marriage, children, career as an actor, contemporaries, and much more!

	Sonnet 73
An analysis of Shakespeare's inspired sonnet, hailed as one of the best in the Western canon. Included is a paraphrase of the poem in contemporary English.

	Why Study Shakespeare?
Ben Jonson anticipated Shakespeare�s dazzling future when he declared, "He was not of an age, but for all time!" in the preface to the First Folio. While most people know that Shakespeare is the most popular dramatist and poet the world has ever produced, students new to his work often wonder why this is so. The following are the top reasons why Shakespeare has stood the test of time.

Elizabethan Fashion Faux Pas
We have the Elizabethans to thank for many of the jewels of Western literature. But they were also responsible for some of the worst fashion disasters the world has ever seen. With ruffs so large that ladies had to eat soup with a two foot spoon and men's hose so stuffed with bran that they popped and spilled onto the floor, the Elizabethans showed no fashion shame. Find out more about Clothing in Elizabethan England.

	Themes in Romeo and Juliet
Our examination of the pervasive themes of light, time, and destiny in William Shakespeare's beloved tale of "star-cross'd lovers."

·	Julius Caesar Study Guide
·	Shakespeare's Audience
·	Guide to Sonnet 130
·	Shakespeare's Globe
·	King Lear Study Guide
·	Hamlet Character Analysis
·	Essays on A Midsummer Night's Dream
·	Othello as Tragic Hero
·	Shakespeare's Blank Verse

·	A Guide to the Witches' Chants
·	Macbeth Study Quiz
·	Shakespeare's Boss
·	First Folio Facts
·	Macbeth Character Analysis
·	Shakespeare's Death
·	Violence in Shakespeare
·	Portraits of the Bard
·	Shakespeare's Birth

Even More...

·	All About Et tu, Brute?
·	Shakespeare's Lost Years
·	The Revenge Plot of Hamlet
·	Play Chronology
·	King John: Plot Summary
·	Entertainment in Shakespeare's England
·	Top 10 Shakespeare Plays

·	Shakespeare on Fate
·	Going to a Play in Shakespeare's London
·	Shakespeare's Contemporaries
·	Romeo and Juliet: Teacher's Notes
·	Shakespeare's Kings and Queens
·	What makes Henry V a great ruler?
·	Plutarch and Shakespeare

Word of the Day: yew
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Silver'd in the moon's eclipse,
Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips,
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.
(Macbeth, 4.1), Third Witch

The yew tree was planted frequently in graveyards and the wood is poisonous; thus it has a twofold association with death. Read on...

More Macbeth Resources

What Did Shakespeare Drink?

Ale (beer made with a top fermenting yeast) was the drink of choice in Shakespeare's day. Everyone from the poorest farmer to the Queen herself drank the brew made from malt, and a mini brewery was an essential part of every household. Shakespeare's own father was an official ale taster in Stratford. Read on...

featured this week
·	How to Analyze a Sonnet
·	The second best bed: Shakespeare's Last Will and Testament
·	Was Shakespeare Italian?
·	Shakespeare's Famous Similes
·	Shakespeare's Insults
·	Heebie-Jeebies: The Curse of Macbeth
·	Elizabethan Use of Mummified Flesh
·	Shakespeare's Inspirations
·	Shakespeare's Impact on Other Writers
·	Shakespeare's Greatest Love Poem
today's question
·	What is an example of a great metaphor?
essentials
·	Top Questions About Shakespeare
·	Shakespeare's Children
·	Hamlet's Soliloquies Explained
·	Macbeth's Soliloquies Explained
·	Detailed Shakespeare Timeline
·	Shakespeare Quotations, By Play and Theme
·	How to Study Shakespeare
·	Annotations for The Balcony Scene (2.2) from Romeo and Juliet
favorites
·	Hamlet Study Quiz (with detailed answers)
·	Deception in Hamlet
·	Forgiveness in The Tempest
·	Top Shakespearean Villains
·	Shakespeare Wedding Readings
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