Saturday was the 395th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare. (Some believe it is also the 447th anniversary of his birth.) Shakespeare is, arguably, the world’s greatest playwright. He is certainly the most produced and most translated one. For those who think he’s overrated, fine. But some national literatures, like Poland’s, grew out of the effort of translating Shakespeare into the native language.
Unsurprisingly, the fastest-growing technology, the social Web, has mostly kept pace with the playwright. So here is a short list of ways online to either discover Shakespeare, rediscover him or just compare and contrast. There is an aesthetic, after all, to the intersection of technology and art. Dig.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. MIT’s online resource for all the texts of Shakespeare’s work for free.
Open Source Shakespeare. Download and print any of Shakespeare’s work.
The Folios. Facsimiles of the first four printed folios.
Shakespeare Authorship. If you find working class people objectionable, or perhaps believe that 9/11 was an “inside job,” you’ll probably find the “authorship question” to your liking. You may not like this site, however, as it seems to demand scholarship from Antistratfordians that Antistratfordians do not demand of themselves.
Shakespearean Insult Generator. Enjoy, thou surly dizzy-eyed puttock! You don’t like it? Then perhaps you’ll enjoy the Shakespearean Insulter, thou spongy brazen-faced scullian.
Shakespearean Festivals and Theatres. See the plays in their original context, on the boards.
Folger Podcasts. Podcasts from the American home of Shakespeare resources, the Folger Library in DC.
Royal Shakespeare Company on YouTube. The RSC‘s main page would not open for us. (Come on, guys. Seriously?) But their YouTube channel shows a great deal of this world leader’s work.
Stratford Festival. Canada’s Stratford Festival is one of the world’s largest and they have done better than average in using social media to connect with fans. (The average, to be clear, is unbelievably low.)
Apps. Developers have created applications for both the Android and the iPhone. The problem is, most of the Android apps are just text-based and most of the iPhone offerings are just…trailers.
One thing I’ve had some grief finding is a central source for MP3s of Shakespeare plays, poems and essays. If you have a source you like, as well as other resources, including podcasts and blogs, please drop them in the comments.
Chandos portrait via Wikipedia
