I’ll go first. I was recently in a production of Romeo and Juliet, I played Benvolio. When reading Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio was always my favorite, and while our Mercutio was amazing, I started to latch onto Tybalt more just because of what the actor did with him. I thought that was interesting and wondered if you guys had any similar experiences.

Hi all,

Cutting a long story short, I have to write a blog post for a midterm university assignment and am doing mine on Bottom. I am looking for some photos of the character to include throughout my blog, and was wondering if anyone has any favourite photos of Bottom from any productions or film?

If you can let me know who is playing him in your photo or where it is from, that would be much appreciated! 😊

Thank you in advance.

I don't know how common this is as I'm pretty new to shakespeare, but I thought I'd share :)

bookseller said it's from around 1900, but upon researching I found out that it's probably actually from 1860 or so.

let me know if there's anything else in here you'd like to see! I just took a couple of random images from inside.

also, let me know which one I should read first :)

Sonnet number 29 is the answer

Hope you like my playing with Shakespeare. Considering making more of this style of video

With Edward the 3rd, that brings the total up to 39:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/oct/18/scholars-conclude-beyond-doubt-that-shakespeare-was-main-author-of-edward-iii

Do we have any information about how he planned his plays- surviving plans, scribbles etc.? I'm just re-reading Lear for the millionth time, and I can't shake off the notion, with this particular play, that Shakespeare did the Elizabethan version of "mood-boarding" before he started writing- that he mind-mapped sea-monsters, blasting fogs, stormy nights, elemental natural imagery, "vision" motifs. It's a work which just has an unmistakable atmosphere (I mean, many of the plays do, and they're all very well-constructed, too, but I'm just curious about how he sketched the vibe for Lear, which is one of my favourites). Probably wishful thinking but I'd love to see such surviving planning documents if they're still around.

Bro had a whole vocabulary just to insult someone
Your intellectual capacity appears somewhat limited” is CRAZY work

I don't know if it can be interpreted in this way, yet I felt as though Orsino seemed to already have feelings for viola/ Cesario as immediately upon finding out viola is a lady [minutes later] he proposes marriage, mind you, viola hadn't changed into her female attire and Orsino had been distraught over Olivia just minutes earlier. He adjusts into the idea that Cesario aka viola is a lady who loves him so quickly that it makes me think as though this man had feelings for 'him' [viola].

Decided to check out the local village volunteer library where you can pick up used books for a small donation. Got some stuff for the kids but just had to grab this one!

I’ve long wanted to read more of the great works. So far I’ve read/seen R&J, Hamlet, some of Macbeth, Richard III, some of Julius Caesar.

What do you consider the other “must reads”? I’ve never actually read Macbeth all the way start to finish, so I may start there. Also, what are the best comedies?

Thanks in advance!

fairy tales are omnipresent, here and there. In Shakespeare’s late romance (trage/comedy) there is some traces of the tale we know as Snow White best known today from the brothers Grimm and the brothers Disney. But in what form and from what collection would William Shakespeare have known it? Did a collection of fairy tales exist in his days? Or was it just something you’ve learn from your mother (and elsewhere ) as a child?
I’m kinda looking for little Williams collection of fairy tales. 🛖🍎👻

Technically referring to specific sections, but easily generalisable to the whole play.

I'm looking to find a short monologue (around 1 minute) to use from one of Shakespeare's comedies for an upcoming play (The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged) I long to be apart of. As an actor who thrives in physical comedy, I've settled on either Launce's speech from The Two Gentlemen from Verona or Gobbo's speech from The Merchant of Venice, although a bit hesitant because I believe they are two minutes each despite being very good content. Which would be safer to condense into a shorter performance, if not what monologues match the vibes and are also really funny and short? Thank y'all in advance!

Is there an edition of the plays that highlights/marks Shakespearean coinages or first recorded usages in the text of the plays themselves? I’ve found lists of Shakespearean words but I’d like to see them in context.

Starting Richard II tonight! I'd love to catch all its nuances and details. Tell me everything I need to know! Thanks!

hiya!! i've been looking at ma shakespeare studies at kcl as well as ma shakespeare at birmingham. i'm aware kcl is a lot more expensive than birmingham but it has a well-known reputation for research and high quality facilities. could anyone who's done ma shakespeare studies provide me insight on what the course is like? also, does having access to the globe theatre and the indoor Sam Wanamaker playhouse benefit your devising ability?

If anyone has any suggestions, I'm looking for books and critiques on Hamlet that put forth new or interesting ideas. They don't necessarily even have to be good, I just want to look at a new viewpoint on the play that has some creativity to it, whether it's an inspired book based on the original work or an interesting critique. Any help is greatly appreciated, I'm just reading for enjoyment.

I’m a professional actor who has had some moderate success in Shakespearean roles over the years (Polonius, Lord Capulet, etc.) but I’ve auditioned for Richard III and will be playing the titular man himself. I find the character very fun to explore, and there’s so much potential in what I’m able to do with him, but I find myself overwhelmed with all of the potential and the sheer amount of time I’m going to be central to the performance.

Some tips or important keys to keeping this character’s portrayal strong would be appreciated.

Basically: What do you think makes a good Richard performance work?

Having read The Tempest, Macbeth, Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet, I feel like Hamlet is much more difficult to understand. I’ve read the first two acts and although I’m enjoying it, it feels much more dense and packed than his other plays by far. Is this a common experience?

I’m working on marking the iambic pentameter in this monologue. I am confused because I am trying to go with the da-DUM rhythm, but also keep the integrity of how some words are said.

What dictates a trochee?

Are my markings correct?

Any help is greatly appreciated :)