UVM Libraries Research Guides: Theatre: Shakespeare

Literary Criticism - Shakespeare

World Shakespeare Bibliography Online This link opens in a new window
This resource provides annotated entries for all important books, articles, book reviews, dissertations, film and theatrical productions published or produced worldwide from 1960 to the present; reviews of productions; audiovisual materials; and other scholarly and popular materials related to Shakespeare.

Articles (databases for finding articles, etc. on all aspects of Shakespeare and his plays)

Shakespearean Criticism : Excerpts from the Criticism of William Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry, from the First Published Appraisals to Current Evaluations
Call Number: REF PR 2965 .S43 (multivolume)
Selected criticism in these volumes are also found full-text in Literature Resource Center.

Reference Sources

Oxford Companion to Shakespeare
Provides a guide to Shakespeare’s plays and poems, and their interpretation around the world over the last four centuries. For each play, there is an act-by-act synopsis, critical and stage histories, and a list of film adaptations.
A-Z Guide to Shakespeare
Includes entries on the plays and the major characters, on Shakespeare's life and his contemporaries, on actors from Richard Burbage to Judi Dench, on theatres and directors, plus comments on Shakespeare by later authors such as Jane Austen, Dr Johnson, and Bernard Levin.
Oxford Dictionary of Original Shakespearean Pronunciation
Description of Shakespearean original pronunciation (OP). It includes all the words in the First Folio and provides sound files as an additional aid to pronunciation. It details the main pronunciation evidence in the texts, notably all spelling variants and rhymes.

Note: In Row 11 of the Reference Collection (main/1st floor) browse for additional reference books about Shakespeare: biography, plays, characters, language, literary criticism, etc.

Plays of Shakespeare: a thematic guide
Call Number: REF PR 2987 .C28 2001
William Shakespeare : a documentary volume
Call Number: REF PR 2893 .W55 2002
William Shakespeare: his world, his work, his influence
Call Number: REF PR 2976 .W5354 1985 (3 vols)
Covers all aspects of Shakespearean studies with one volume on his era, one on critical analysis of his work and one on his influence on 20th-century actors, writers, directors and musicians.
Essential Shakespeare Handbook by Leslie Dunton-Downer; Alan Riding
Call Number: REF PR 2976 .D73 2013
This is a user-friendly, illustrated guide to every play in the Shakespearean canon, as well as a portrait of Shakespeare's life.
Shakespeare's Theatre : a dictionary of his stage context
Call Number: REF PR 3095 .R534 2004
Reviews current knowledge of the character and operation of theatres in Shakespeare's time, with an explanation of their origins. Coverage includes the practices of Elizabethan actors and script writers: methods of characterization; gesture, blocking and choreography, including music, dance and fighting; actors' rhetorical interaction with audiences; and use of costumes, stage props, and make-up.

Selected Books

Note: Shakespeare resources are located primarily in the call number range PR 2750-PR 3112 in the regular and Quarto circulating stacks (3rd floor) and in the Reference Collection (main/1st floor).

Library Catalog (CatQuest) search: shakespeare william
add additional words to the search box (e.g., criticism, play title, etc.) to narrow the search.

Also see:

The Cambridge Guide to the Worlds of Shakespeare
Call Number: QUARTO PR 2976 .C295 2016 (2 vols) [3rd floor]
click on hyperlinked title to view the catalog record and the contents of both volumes.
The Actor's Guide to Performing Shakespeare : for Film, Television and Theatre by Madd Harold
Call Number: PR 3091 .H38 2002 [3rd floor]

Oxford Handbooks Online
The titles in this multidisciplinary series offer authoritative introductions to topics and a critical survey of the current state of scholarship. Handbook articles review the key issues and current debates on a given topic. Note: Several titles in this series provide information about various topics related to Shakespeare.
This title is online:

The Oxford handbook of Shakespeare [electronic resource] by Arthur F. Kinney.

The others are in print format on the 3rd floor (Circulating Collection):

Oxford Handbooks - Shakespeare

Important Journals for Research on Shakespeare

You may find the following journals useful (click the link to see online and print holdings for each journal):

Streaming Video Collections with Shakespeare Productions

Digital Theatre Plus This link opens in a new window
This resource is a British-based collection of high-definition streaming videos which captures live full-length professional theatre productions from leading theatre companies primarily in Great Britain. It also includes text- and video-based study guides; teaching aids; videos of filmed interviews with actors, etc., associated with the productions; full-text of the Manga Shakespeare series.

Shakespeare Productions

World Shakespeare Bibliography Online This link opens in a new window
This resource provides annotated entries for all important books, articles, book reviews, dissertations, film and theatrical productions published or produced worldwide from 1960 to the present; reviews of productions; audiovisual materials; and other scholarly and popular materials related to Shakespeare.

Shakespeare in Performance From Internet Shakespeare Editions website. This database features materials from 1000+ film and stage productions related to Shakespeare's works. View director's notes, images of stage and costume design, performance stills, posters, information about a particular company or festival and the actors involved in Shakespeare performance, and cast and crew listings.

Shakespeare: a hundred years on film Guide to films of Shakespeare's plays, as well as filmed stage performances and films based on or inspired by his works.
Call Number: REF PR 3093 .S26 2004
A Directory of Shakespeare in Performance, 1970-2005 v. 1. Great Britain, 1970-2005 -- v. 2. Canada and USA, 1970-1990 -- v. 3. Canada and USA, since 1991
Call Number: REF PR 3100 .D57 2007 (3 vols)
Shakespeare in the Theatre, 1701-1800 : A Record of Performances in London v. 1. London, 1701-1750.--v. 2. A record of performance in London,1751-1800. Use vol 2 to identify individual productions and then search (London) Times Digital Archive (goes back to 1785) to see if you can find a review or article about that production.
Call Number: REF PR 3097 .H63 1957 (2 vols)
Shakespeare on Screen: an international filmography and videography Covers @400 feature-length films, documentaries, educational films, and excerpts of Shakespeare's plays. A full entry is provided for each major film, including cast, credits, and critical commentary. There are also sections on film and videos on Shakespeare's life and times.
Call Number: REF PR 3093 .R68 1990