University News Last updated 16 April
Whether you’re a long-time Shakespeare fan or you’ve never seen one of his plays before, there’s something for you in our e-resources collection. Not sure where to start? In this article, we’ll take you through a selection of resources related to Shakespeare’s greatest plays to give you an idea of what is available to you here at BCU.
Watch
Along with essays and guides on Shakespeare’s plays, Drama Online has a rich variety of productions for you to watch. For example, check out and compare Maxine Peake and Paapa Essiedu’s performances as the iconic tragic hero, Hamlet.
How does Hamlet and Ophelia being played by women bring new interpretations to their relationship? How does this compare with Essiedu’s production, where the play is performed by a mostly Black cast and set in an African state instead?
Other databases with video content: Digital Theatre +, Box of Broadcasts, BBC Shakespeare Archive, Kanopy
Listen
Shakespeare’s plays have inspired centuries of musicians, and Naxos Music Library is a fantastic place to listen to these works. Not only can you check out Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet in all its glory, you can also find the album booklet, a podcast episode, and watch an interview with the world-renowned conductor Marin Alsop, who has broken down so many barriers for women in music.
Despite its name, Naxos Music Library also features radio plays and performances. For instance, you can listen to the historic 1944 production of Othello, featuring Paul Robeson - the first African American to be cast as Othello in a major production in the United States. The production ran for 296 performances, breaking the record which it still holds for the longest-running Shakespeare play on Broadway.
Other databases of interest: Naxos Video Library, nkoda, Met Opera on Demand, Royal Ballet and Opera Stream
Read
Want to read the original texts for yourself? On Cambridge Shakespeare, you can access every single Shakespeare play!
The text features explanatory notes, textual variants and performance notes to help you understand and analyse the text. Each play also has its own introductory guide, including a plot summary, historical context and thematic analysis.
And for those curious about the world Shakespeare lived and wrote in, Cambridge Shakespeare also features a multimedia introduction to the stages where his works were first performed, and an in-depth guide to the historical period 1500-1660.
Other databases with literary criticism: Cambridge Companions to Literature and Classics, Cambridge Shakespeare Survey, Oxford Handbooks Literature, Gale Literature
For more information, please visit our subject guides.
Win a £10 Amazon voucher
To celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday (April 23rd), we’re offering you the chance to win a £10 Amazon voucher by answering the question below.
Question
On which database can you read all of Shakespeare’s plays?
Answers
- Cambridge Companions to Literature and Classics
- Cambridge Shakespeare
- Oxford Handbooks Literature
Closing date: Friday 9th May, 5pm
Image from Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Royal Shakespeare Company, 2016 The Royal Shakespeare Company - Drama Online, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc