Shakespeare

From the birthplace of the Bard to a seemingly ordinary stone on a London Street, Shakespeare’s influence on history and culture can be found in unexpected places.

Every birthday counts when you just have one life.

Though cats only live once, the idea that the animals have nine lives has been around for a long time.

Where did this bizarre word come from, and how has it changed over the centuries?

No wild geese were harmed in the making of this idiom.

These theories about The Bard’s works range from the almost believable to the the utterly outlandish.

We can thank Shakespeare for popularizing it, sort of.

Contrary to popular belief, Shakespeare wasn’t the one who invented this common idiom. But trying to unravel its origins will land you in a bit of a tricky situation.

We have Shakespeare to thank for a whole bunch of words.

Shakespeare is often given credit with coining more than a thousand words. How many of them do you know?

Macbeth and the three witches in Shakespeare's possibly cursed play.

The superstition that saying “Macbeth” will bring bad luck has been around since Shakespeare’s play debuted.

Shakespeare is the source of a lot of words.

Shakespeare is the first known citation for over a thousand words and even more meanings—but new research occasionally shows that Shakespeare actually didn't originate some phrases, a trend that will likely continue over time.

Illustration of William Shakespeare Reciting Hamlet to His Family

A fascinating new discovery has emerged about a pamphlet found in the rafters of William Shakespeare’s childhood home.

There are a lot of people who don’t think Shakespeare was actually Shakespeare.

Discover the controversial conspiracy theories that challenge Shakespeare’s authorship, from the Baconian Theory to the Alien Theory and beyond.

From doubt over Shakespeare’s existence to Lincoln’s assassination, conspiracy theories have been around for centuries.

Here’s how to pepper your next argument with Shakespearean insults.

Weird but fascinating facts about everything from the guy who dragged cars with his nipples to frogs shedding (and eating!) their own skin.

Do you know which author invented ‘factoid’—or what it really means? But more importantly, can you find it in this word search?

Officially titled 'Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies,' the more than 900-page tome collected together 36 of the Renaissance writer’s plays for the first time.

Add "like an boar in a frank" to the list of Shakespearisms you should be using more.

Not all of Shakespeare’s snappiest phrases and expressions caught on.

One of Shakespeare's First Folios (not this one) was stolen from a cathedral in England in 1998.

A number of valuable, important, or rare manuscripts have been swiped from authors or the individuals or institutions tasked with taking care of them. Here’s a sampling of them.

How do I tell if thee is a sonnet? Let me count the lines.

Plenty of poems are love poems. Why aren’t all of them considered sonnets? In short, rhyme scheme, length, and structure.

No, William Shakespeare probably wasn't secretly the Earl of Oxford.

Even devout bibliophiles might believe some of these misconceptions about Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway, and William Shakespeare.

Miranda is an important character in Shakespeare's The Tempest, but she's not the titular role.

The definition of ‘eponymous’ has changed over time, and ‘titular’ has more than one. Here’s how to use each word correctly.

It's not a myth: William Shakespeare really did write 'King Lear' during the plague. From Edvard Munch to Isaac Newton, here are a few more people who made the most of being isolated.

If you win, you’ll get a Michelin-star meal, a personal butler, and the chance to reenact the famous 'Romeo and Juliet' scene from Juliet’s balcony.

John Adams: Hulton Archive/Stringer/Getty Images. Thomas Jefferson: Print Collector/Getty Images

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson chipped off a piece of wood from Shakespeare's chair in the 18th century—but only because everyone else was doing it.

15 Places You Can Visit to Celebrate William Shakespeare

Why Do We Say Cats Have Nine Lives?

The Long, Strange History of the Word ‘Weird’

What Exactly Is a ‘Wild Goose Chase’?

10 Interpretations of Shakespeare’s Works

Why Do We Say ‘In a Pickle’?

Quiz: Can You Guess the Word Coined by Shakespeare?

The Scottish Play: Why Actors Won’t Call ‘Macbeth’ by Its Title

21 Words Created by Shakespeare (And 4 That Weren’t)

William Shakespeare’s Sister, Joan, Emerges in Long-Lost Writings

8 Shakespeare Conspiracy Theories

12 Historical Conspiracy Theories

You Bull’s Pizzle! Breaking Down 10 Iconic Shakespeare Insults

100 Facts That Will Make You Go “WTF”

This Word Search Features 12 Terms Coined by Authors—How Fast Can You Spot Them?

11 Facts About Shakespeare’s First Folio

10 Little-Used Shakespearisms

7 Times Literary Works Were Stolen

Poem vs. Sonnet: What’s the Difference?

6 Misconceptions About Famous Books and Authors

Titular vs. Eponymous: What’s the Difference?

5 People Who Were Amazingly Productive In Quarantine

Write a Letter to Shakespeare’s Juliet for a Chance to Spend Valentine’s Day in Her Romantic Verona Home

When John Adams and Thomas Jefferson Stole a Piece of Shakespeare's Chair