Shakespeare

How can we not love a writer who comes up with insults like these? "Truly thou art damned, like an ill-roasted egg, all on one side." "Thou vicious mole of nature!" "You are as rheumatic as two dry toasts." "Sell your face for five pence and 'tis dear."

Shakespeare, master of insults and many other kinds of phrases, provides a wealth of opportunities for research. Unlike other topics, your problem in researching Shakespeare will be the sheer amount of information available, not the lack of it. This guide will help you get started and help you through the process.

The McCulloch Library owns hundreds of books by or about Shakespeare, so your first stop could be the [|catalog]. Search for Shakespeare or the title of a play as a subject, or search for keywords, like "Globe Theatre" or "Renaissance." To get really specific, do a search for several key words at once. You could also browse through our selection; most works about Shakespeare will be located at 822.33.
 * Books**

We also have several Reference sets on Shakespeare that you should browse through. Check out Shakespeare for Students [|REF 822.33 SHA] Shakespeare's World and Work [|REF 822.33 SHA] All Things Shakespeare [|REF 822.33 OLS] Shakespearean Criticism [|REF 822.33 SHA] 52 volumes of Shakespearean goodness: criticism on all the plays and sonnets.

Your first stop should be [|Gale Literature Resource Center]. Thousands of search results come up if you do the most basic keyword search on Shakespeare, so we suggest that you narrow your search initially; at the very least, select "Person--By or About." Even better, choose "Advanced Search," and type in multiple search terms. See Ms. Voss or Ms. Williamson if you need help selecting the best terms.
 * Databases**

You may also want to try searching [|JSTOR]. JSTOR is a database for more advanced research, and it contains lots of scholarly articles. If you are already familiar with JSTOR in college, your professors will be impressed. Try using the advanced search here, too; narrow your search by searching only within abstract or article title.

[|Shakespeare Searched] Know there's a reference to light in Othello, but can't find the actual part in the play? Look no further. This website functions as a [|Concordance] to Shakespeare, identifying where certain words appear in every single play. A tool that allows you to be very thorough in your search for themes in the text.
 * Websites**

[|William Shakespeare in Quarto] The British Library's site allows you to compare two versions of the same text in their collection. Also has great background material and a timeline.

[|Internet Shakespeare] A fantastic site containing a wealth of information; includes the entire text of plays, multimedia presentations on daily life in Shakespeare's time, and links to other Shakespeare sites.

[|Folger Shakespeare Library] Home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare materials. Includes biographical, cultural, and literary information.

[|Shakespearean Insulter] "Insult me again!" Find out limitless ways to insult your friends and enemies Shakespearean-style.