Seattle Shakespeare fans got to celebrate in the run-up to the Bard’s birthday (or deathday, if you’re the glass-half-empty sort) with the arrival of the First Folio at the Central Library.
An impressive gilt-edged tome of nine hundred pages, the first compilation of Shakespeare’s plays was opened to Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” soliloquy. Continue Reading ›
April is a fabulous month for all sorts of reasons: the sun is brighter, the temperature is higher, the flowers are blooming… And this month has a lot to do with Shakespeare. If you haven’t already noticed, we at the ‘Notes are big fans of the Bard, and April gives us even more excuses to talk about him than usual. Not only was our main man born on April 26th (1564), but he died on April 23rd (1616)—that’s two days this month that we get to think all about Shakespeare! And if that isn’t reason enough (and it usually is), this particular year is a special one as it marks Shakespeare’s 400th death-aversary. While the prospect of celebrating someone’s death may strike you as grim, we choose not to think of it that way and rather consider the fact that even four hundred years after his death, the modern world still looks to Shakespeare’s work both for entertainment and as a classic guide to writing, and that’s pretty astounding. Continue Reading ›
We asked you why you think William Shakespeare is still relevant, even 400 years after his death, and we are excited to share the winners below! Runners-up will receive 50 eNotes credits (to use on academic Q&A, essay review, and live tutoring) and the grand prize winner will receive $400 cash, a 1-year eNotes subscription, and 100 eNotes credits. We were so excited to hear of the many ways the Bard still inspires you, and even came to some fresh appreciations based on all the various answers—and answerers that—submitted.
Don’t miss out on another contest: Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and/or sign up for an eNotes account, to get notified of all the giveaways, contests, and more! Continue Reading ›
William Shakespeare remains, hands down, one of the most well-known and influential writers in recent history. Throughout his career, he published a truly impressive library of sonnets, poems, verses, plays, and tales. Among these works, Shakespeare is credited with the writing of four major tragedies: Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and, of course, Macbeth. Continue Reading ›
For one often hailed as the Bard of love stories, Shakespeare sure has a weird way of showing/telling it. Even his most famous tale of romance, Romeo and Juliet, is a little…off…in the love department, at least for modern times.
Romeo and Juliet isn’t the only Shakespeare work that is little bit strange; in fact a pretty large number of his works depict love in ways that are off-putting. Even the most dedicated Shakespeare fan has to acknowledge that the fairy shenanigans in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the sheer wickedness of Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew are a little less than appealing to one who loves love. Continue Reading ›
William Shakespeare turns 451 today (happy birthday, ol’ Willy!).
To commemorate, we’re opening up the eNotes vaults to share some original artwork that brings to life the Bard’s works. We partnered with Yumi Sakugawa, a published author and artist, to recreate some of your favorite, iconic Shakespearean scenes. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, as we pick Yumi’s brain about her work and artistic process.
If you want to learn more about a quote’s context within its scene, click on each image for an in-depth analysis. Be sure to let us know your favorite(s) in the comments! Continue Reading ›
At the intersection of English Renaissance playwriting and surrealist painting we have a fantastic collection of Shakespearean sketches by Salvador Dalí. It is known that Dalí was a passionate fan of the Bard, and thus combined his dreamlike artistry with the dramatic scenes. Below are some of our favorites.
Read more about Shakespeare on eNotes here, and click on the photos to learn more about each Shakespearean work.
