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The Father of English literature. Billy the Bard. Mr. “90% of My Writing Is Just Thinly Veiled Sexual Innuendo.” No matter what you call him, you can’t dispute that William Shakespeare is the most renowned and prolific writer who ever lived. If you’ve taken a high school or college English class, there’s a good chance that you’ve read one of his plays, and if you have, you’re probably familiar with our Shakespeare study guides, \u00a0<\/a>which have everything from text translations to scene summaries to quotes and themes.<\/p>\n What you may not be familiar with is our brand new \u00a0Shakespeare’s Life and Times<\/strong><\/a> \u00a0section, which features more than 30 new essays that examine Shakespeare’s works in the context of his life and the world in which he lived. We’ve created a special video<\/a> \u00a0to help introduce you to this new resource.<\/p>\n The Life and Times<\/a><\/strong> essays were tailor-made to enhance your understanding of Shakespeare’s plays and to provide valuable insights that will help you with all of your Shakespeare assignments. Here are a few examples of the fantastic content you’ll find:<\/p>\n -Detailed biographical information<\/strong> about his \u00a0early life<\/a>, the closure of London’s theaters<\/a>, the personal tragedies that had a profound effect on his work, <\/a>and much more<\/p>\n -A thorough exploration of social context<\/strong>, including the restrictions on women in Elizabethan England<\/a>, sexuality in Shakespeare’s plays<\/a>, and the prejudicial treatment of Jews during the time the late 16th century<\/a><\/p>\n -Historical context<\/strong> ranging from the Reformation<\/a> to censorship<\/a> to Shakespeare’s contemporaries<\/a> and influences. \u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Below, you’ll find a list of even more of the great (and free!) resources we offer for Shakespeare’s works, as well as 4 new videos that explore everything from an English teacher’s tips for studying Shakespeare to who’s to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.<\/p>\n Resources \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Videos<\/b><\/p>\n Shakespeare’s Life & Works<\/strong>\n
\nIn spite of the fact that he’s been dead for over 400 years, we know more about the life of William Shakespeare than you might realize. This video describes key events in the Bard’s life and how historians and critics believe those events could have influenced the plays we’re still reading today.<\/p>\n