You have an assignment to research a Shakespeare play and you need to focus on a particular theme!! What do you do? Who can help?
The Denver Public Library can help of course!
We have lots of options in our catalog - check out this link to browse through books, audio books, DVDs, etc.
We also have two great online databases - one that is a more obvious choice - Literature Resource Center - and one that may not be an obvious choice but that has some great resources for researching Shakespeare plays and poems - Gale Virtual Reference Library! Both of those resources are available from our Books & Literature resources page.
Gale Virtual Reference Library includes the following (library card required for remote access):
- Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry: Collection of essays by Shakespeare scholars that have been selected for students at the high school or undergraduate college level. Each entry includes an introduction; a plot synopsis; a character list; a discussion of the work's principal themes; information about the style and literary devices used; a conversation about the work's historical context; and a critical overview.
- William Shakespeare: Sonnets and Poems: Provides a critical overview and succinct explication of Shakespeare's sonnets and poems.
- William Shakespeare: His Life and Times: Provides an overview of the life of William Shakespeare and the culture and society of Shakespeare's England.
- Drama for Students: Provides critical overviews of the most-studied plays of all time periods, nations, and cultures. Includes discussions of themes, characters, critical reception, dramatic devices and traditions as well as cultural and historical context.
For some examples of what you'll find, check out the links below (no library card necessary):
- "Othello"Drama for Students. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. Vol. 20.
- "The Theater"William Shakespeare: His Life and Times. Dennis Kay.
- "A Midsummer Night's Dream"Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. 2nd ed. Vol. 2.
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