Printer Friendly VersionShakespeare Research Guide
The works of William Shakespeare are among the most studied literary works in the world. Each year hundreds of essays, books, articles and dissertations
on his plays and poems appear in many languages. This handout will help you
locate sources of criticism and editions. Ask a Reference Librarian for
assistance in finding and using these sources.
Table of Contents
Reference Works
Bibliographies
Indexes and Abstracts
Editions
Film, Video, and Audio Recordings
Production History and Reviews of Productions
Reference Works: Use these sources to identify themes and browse for
topics.
Dutton, Richard, and Jean E. Howard, eds. A Companion to Shakespeare's Works. 4 vols. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2003.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR2976 .C572 2003]
A four volume companion to the plays and poems. Includes essays on performance history and film versions.
Shaheen, Naseeb. Biblical References in Shakespeare's Plays. London: AUP, 1999.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR3012 .S53 1999]
A detailed reference work that identifies biblical and literary allusions in Shakespeare's plays. Provides detailed examples of textual arguments.
Grendler, Paul F, ed. Encyclopedia of the Renaissance. 6 vols. New York: Scribner's, 1999.
[Carrier Library - Reference - CB361 .E52 1999]
This six volume set provides historical and cultural information about Shakespeare's era. See the detailed entry on the Bard in volume 6.
Dobson, Michael, and Stanley Wells, eds. Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2001.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR2892.O94 2001]
Provides sources, synopsis, and brief stage history of the plays.
Quennell, Peter, and Hamish Johnson. Who's Who in Shakespeare. London: Routledge, 1995.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR2989 .Q4 1995]
Identifies characters from the plays and provides brief analyses.
Palmer, Alan. Who's Who in Shakespeare's England. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR2910 .P3 1999]
Brief biographical entries on 700 historical figures contemporary to Shakespeare's time. /p>
Bibliographies: Use these sources to identify criticism on specific plays.
Champion, Larry. The Essential Shakespeare: An Annotated Bibliography of Major Modern Studies. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1993.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR2894 .C475 1993]
A selective list of Shakespeare criticism in the twentieth century. This bibliography is an excellent place to start a search for criticism of a specific play.
McManaway, James, and Jeanne Addison Roberts. A Selective Bibliography of Shakespeare: Editions, Textual Studies, Commentary. Charlottesville: UP of Virginia, 1975.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR2894 .M343 1975]
Selective bibliography of works published between 1930 and 1970. Most works are in English though there are a few listings in other languages.
Wells, Stanley, ed. Shakespeare: Select Bibliographical Guides. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1973.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR2894.W43]
Not a comprehensive bibliography but a critical guide to reading in the vast literature on Shakespeare. Still a useful introduction to the standard literature.
Shakespeare Survey. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1948-.
[Carrier Library - Stacks - PR2888 .C3]
An annual publication which covers both literary criticism and analysis of Shakespeare productions. It also provides a review of the previous year's work in Shakespeare studies. Each issue addresses a broad subject area.
Shakespeare Studies. New York: Burt Franklin, 1965 -.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR2885 .S64]
Annual collection of essays and reviews of the previous years work in literary criticism only. Does not include reviews of productions.
Shakespeare Quarterly. 1950 -.
[Current and Bound Periodicals; Online Resource - Check Periodical Locator for current holdings]
This journal contains an annual supplement, the World Shakespeare bibliography. The goal of this bibliography is to list all important materials related to Shakespeare published during one year. It is issued annually, in the last issue of Shakespeare Quarterly. International in scope. Very thorough, this bibliography is essential for Shakespeare study.
Smith, Gordon Ross. A Classified Shakespeare Bibliography 1936-1958. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State UP, 1963.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR2894 S855 1963]
A classified bibliography which attempts to be comprehensive. There are no other indexes so one must understand the subject classification before using. Be sure to check under several headings. Useful for collecting literature from the mid-twentieth century.
Woodbridge, Linda. Shakespeare: A Selective Bibliography of Modern Criticism. West Cornwall, CT: Locust Hill Press, 1988.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR2976 .W66 1988]
A bibliography intended for students and teachers of Shakespeare. Generally covers 1980-1985.
Garland Shakespeare Bibliographies. New York: Garland, 1980 - .
Provides a survey of Shakespeare studies from 1940 to the present. Some major works prior to 1940 would be included. Each compiler has organized the bibliography in their own way so reading the introduction for each is important. Materials in many languages are included. Below is list of the bibliographies the library currently owns. These items are shelved in the circulating collection, so remember to check LEO for availability.
Antony and Cleopatra - PR 2802 .Z235 1998
As You Like It - PR2803 .Z365 1985
Coriolanus - PR2805 .A2 L44 1989
Cymbeline - PR2806 .Z533 1982
Four Plays Ascribed to Shakespeare: The Reign of King Edward III, Sir Thomas More, The History of Cardenio, Two Noble Kinsmen - PR2875 .Z548 1982
Hamlet in the 1950s - PR2807.Z762 1984
Hamlet in the 1960s - PR2807 .D54 1002
Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 - PR2809 .G57 1994
Henry V - PR2812 .Z235 1983
Henry VI, Parts 1-3 - PR2813 .Z355 1984
Henry VIII - PR2817 .A8 M5 1988
King John - PR 2818 .A2 C87 1994
King Lear - PR2819 .Z332 1980
Love's Labors Lost - PR2822 .Z327 1984
Macbeth - PR2823 .W54 1990
Merchant of Venice - PR2825 .W48 1991
Midsummer Night's Dream - PR2827 .Z337 1986
Othello - PR2829 .M54 1990
Pericles - PR2830 .M5 1987
Richard II (2 vols) - PR2820 .A2 R63 1988
Richard III - PR2821 .Z466 1986
Timon of Athens - PR2834 .Z798 1986
Two Gentlemen of Verona - PR2838 .P42 1988
Indexes and Abstracts: Use these databases to identify current
articles.
Hinman, Charlton, ed. First Folio of Shakespeare. New York: Norton, 1996.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR2751 .A15 1996]
This facsimile edition is based on folios in the Folger Shakespeare Library collection.
Evans, G. Blakemore. Riverside Shakespeare. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR2754 .E9 1997]
An examination of original texts produced this authoritative edition. Besides the works, the volumes include: an introduction to Shakespeare's life, essays on the plays in performance, a time line showing contemporary events, and notes on the basis for the text used.
A New Variorum Edition of Shakespeare. Vols. 1-29. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1871-1980.
[Carrier Library - Reference - PR2753 .F5]
Extensively annotated volumes of the works of Shakespeare. Commentary by scholars is included directly under the pertinent passages.
LEO Library Catalog/p>
Search for the works of Shakespeare by author or title on LEO. There are, however, over 200 entries to be found under Shakespeare as an author. A title search provides a smaller number of entries but variations in the titles of the works may cause problems. For instance, valid entries are filed under both Henry V and Henry the Fifth. A better approach to locate copies of specific works is to do a WORD search using the author's name and the title of the work.
Film, Video, and Audio Recordings
The Media Resources department of Carrier Library owns several versions of filmed or videotaped productions. Individually titles can be searched in LEO, or you can browse collections. A significant collection is the BBC/Time-Life series. To see all the titles collected under this heading, conduct a title search for "Complete Dramatic Works Of William Shakespeare."
In addition to performances, Media Resources has two series on performing and producing Shakespeare.
1) Behind the Scenes at the RSC:
The Players, Costumes, and Makeup - Videotape no.7516
The Stage - Videotape no. 7517
2) Playing Shakespeare: An 11 part series on performing and producing Shakespeare's plays, presented by John Barton. Conduct a title search in LEO for Playing Shakespeare to see the individual descriptions. DVD 856 - DVD 866.
The library has ordered the new 98 CD set of the Arkangel Shakespeare, the first major aural anthology of the canon. 39 of the CDs are currently available in Media Resources in the Carrier Library (4/23/2007).
Production History and Reviews of Productions
Two very useful subject headings for locating books on production history are:
| Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Stage history | |
| Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Dramatic production |
In LEO and WorldCAT, these subject headings will retrieve books that specifically discuss the performance history of a play. (Hint: do a word search in LEO with the name of your play, such as Othello and (history or production) to limit results.) Cambridge University Press is undertaking a play by play production history--the series title of this in print/forthcoming set is Shakespeare in Production. These volumes are notable for their detailed notes on performance history and substantial bibliographies.
Created by Lynn Cameron and Rebecca Feind.
Maintained and Updated by Melissa S. Van Vuuren. April 23, 2007.
Questions? Contact the library reference desk.
