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90 Top Shakespeare Research Topics For Every Student

Looking at Shakespeare’s work, one can only but marvel at his style of writing. How he meticulously blends words into an oasis of refreshing waters is another story to tell. But why do many English literature students fumble when it comes to crafting top-notch topics for such a paper? Let’s explore some expert ideas on how to crack this puzzle of writing Shakespeare research topics:

Understand the type of work : Shakespeare has written history plays, comedies, poems, and a collection of Sonnets. Knowing the kind of work helps the topic selection work easier.
Review existing topics on the same: There are two reasons for doing this – to get inspiration and prevent blunt and repeated issues. It will therefore help you to come up with original and creative topics.
Settle on a specific topic: It is good to have an issue that narrows down to a particular theme or style in the book. Doing this helps you know where to read and what you expect to draw from those parts quick and fast!

Top-rated Shakespeare research paper topics should, therefore, be:

Interesting to you as well as to the reader Matching with the assignment’s requirements Backed up by evidence from the novel

After looking at the essentials, let us now narrow down to the bone marrow:

College Shakespeare Research Paper Topics

How does Shakespeare treat women in his plays?
Discuss the impact of William Shakespeare’s works on today’s literature
Is studying the works of Shakespeare in the 21st century making sense?
Did Shakespeare’s literary works represent his lifestyle?
Provide a critical analysis of romanticism as used in Shakespeare’s novels
Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of Shakespeare’s poetry
Did his acting career have an impact on how he wrote his plays?
Do you think the culture then contributed to Shakespeare’s creativity?
Why do most colleges still insist on reading Shakespeare’s work?
Examine and evaluate his style of language to that of today

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William Shakespeare Research Paper Topics on Themes

Forms in which conflict take in Shakespeare’s work
The impact of the themes of appearance and reality
How Shakespeare uses confusion as a theme to tell a story
How violence and tyranny are bin Macbeth’ life
The dominance of the theme of fate and free will in Romeo and Juliet
The theme of sin and salvation in Hamlet
Sight and blindness in King Lear’s life
the depiction of racism in Othello
How disruptions mirror characters in nature
Forgiveness and reconciliation in the Tempest.

Shakespeare Research Topics High School

The political maneuvering in Julius Caesar
Dream interpretation in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’
Expectations of marriage for young women in ‘Taming of the Shrew’
Discuss the relationship between Jews and Christians in the ‘Merchant of the Venice.’
Why is Shakespeare’s fame still towering to the skies in this century?
Why does Shakespeare use murder and scary nights in the Macbeth?
Discuss some of the famous phrases and sayings invented by Shakespeare
Why do most high schools prefer comedy rather than tragedy?
How the young and reckless characters in ‘Hamlet’ relate with high school students
Dealing with dry and historical plays for high school students

Good Shakespeare Research Paper Topics – Romeo and Juliet

Discuss the connection between hate, violence, and death in Romeo and Juliet
Public and social institutional struggles that lovers have to undergo
Is fate inevitable when it comes to love?
Barriers and obstacles to love as seen in the love of Romeo and Juliet
How intrinsic is violence to the play’s environment in the first scene?
The youth and relationships
How to survive ill-fated love
Does love at first sight exist?
How love can stir up violence
What is the impact of familial power on love?

Research Topics on Shakespeare Women

Why Shakespeare allows women from low societies to explore their sexuality
The distrust accorded to women in leadership by Shakespeare.
Women become catalysts for the drama that unfolds.
How women are villains in Shakespeare’s plays
The plight of women in getting equal rights
How women are treated as the ‘weaker vessel.’
Is it right for women to take up men’s roles?
What was the role of women in the period of Elizabeth?
Did Shakespeare believe that inequality of gender is inherently wrong?
Shakespeare’s immense respect for women through his works

Shakespeare Research Paper 8th Grade Topics

Why does Shakespeare use children in drama?
Discuss your attitude towards Romeo and Juliet as you read the end of the play
What does Shakespeare achieve by using the supernatural in the play?
Analyze the different roles that Macbeth plays
Do you believe that Romeo and Juliet’s love was genuine?
What are some of the heroic instances in the Hamlet
Do you sympathize with Romeo after Juliet’s death?
Discuss radical feminism in The Merchant of Venice
What are the causes of racism in The Merchant of Venice?
Compare and contrast Romeo and Juliet.

William Shakespeare Sonnets Research Paper Topics

Form and structure of Shakespeare’s sonnets
Why did Shakespeare choose particular characters for each sonnet?
How the Renaissance period contributed to the creation of sonnets
Stylistic forms of Shakespeare’s sonnets
Why does Shakespeare introduce a young man instead of expressing worshipful love?
Compare and contrast Shakespeare’s sonnets with typical ones
Discuss themes explored by Shakespeare in his sonnets
Elaborate on the rhyme scheme of the sonnets
Character suitability for the sonnets
Criticism of Shakespeare’s sonnets

Bonus Shakespeare Paper Topics

The differentiation of gender roles
The place of unmarried daughters to the fathers
How does Shakespeare use comedy to communicate a sensitive message?
Ways in which Shakespeare uses symbolism in his works
The contribution of Shakespeare to curriculum development
How Shakespeare portrays revenge and jealousy in the plays
Discuss the significance of Romeo and Juliet as star-crossed lovers
Is Juliet a feminist?
Conduct a character analysis of your choice
Role of parents during marriages

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Shakespeare Research Guide

This guide is designed for Harvard students and faculty doing research on Shakespeare. Because of the vast number and range of Shakespeare studies, this guide is only an introduction to the field, a survey that is nowhere near exhaustive. The principle of selection was that "less is more": What are the essential readings someone needs to know about to begin research on a topic? It's usually not much more than a couple of classic studies and one or two recent entries in the discussion.

This guide includes reliable editions and key scholarship as well as useful databases, reference works, and research tools (Shakespeare studies is such a vast field that you need a research guide to the research guides). Most of the below items are specific to Shakespeare studies, but sometimes resources used for literary studies more generally are included if they frequently arise when researching Shakespeare. Efforts have been made to provide links, including links to full access for Harvard affiliates, whenever possible.

Gary Taylor, John Jowett, Terri Bourus, and Gabriel Egan (Eds.), The New Oxford Shakespeare (2016)
Stephen Greenblatt, Walter Cohen, Jean E. Howard, and Katharine Eisaman Maus (Eds.), The Norton Shakespeare (3rd ed., 2015)
The Arden Shakespeare Series
The Pelican Shakespeare Series
The Norton Shakespeare Series
The Shakespeare in Performance Series
World Shakespeare Bibliography [ Harvard Access]
The MLA International Bibliography [ Harvard Access]

Dictionaries

Oxford English Dictionary [Harvard Access]
Lexicons of Early Modern Englis h [Harvard Access]
Ben and David Crystal, Shakespeare’s Words (2002)
Stanley Wells, A Dictionary of Shakespeare (2 nd ed., 2005)
Gordon Williams, A Glossary of Shakespeare’s Sexual Language (1997)

Concordances

Marvin Spevack, The Harvard Concordance to Shakespeare (1973)
Open Source Shakespeare
Michael Dobson and Stanley Wells, The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare (2001) [ Harvard Access ]
David Scott Kastan, A Companion to Shakespeare (1999)
Andrew Dickson, The Rough Guide to Shakespeare (2005; revised 2009)
Richard Dutton and Jean E. Howard, A Companion to Shakespeare’s Works (2003)
Samuel Crowl, Shakespeare and Film: A Brief Norton Guide (2008)
Arthur F. Kinney (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Shakespeare (2012)
The Cambridge Companions
Margreta De Grazia and Stanley Wells (Eds.), The New Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare (2nd ed., 2011) [ Harvard Access ]
Claire McEachern (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Shakespearean Tragedy (2nd Ed., 2013) [ Harvard Access ]
Alexander Leggatt (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Shakespearean Comedy (2001) [ Harvard Access ]
Michael Hattaway (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare's History Plays (2002) [ Harvard Access ]
Catherine M. S. Alexander (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare's Last Plays (2009) [ Harvard Access ]
Patrick Cheney (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare's Poetry (2007) [ Harvard Access ]
Ton Hoenselaars (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Contemporary Dramatists (2012) [ Harvard Access ]
Stanley Wells and Sarah Stanton (Eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Stage (2002) [ Harvard Access ]
Russell Jackson (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Film (2nd ed., 2007) [ Harvard Access ]
Robert Shaughnessy (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Popular Culture (2007) [ Harvard Access ]

Annotated Bibliographies

David Bevington, "William Shakespeare," in Oxford Bibliographies: Renaissance and Reformation [ Harvard Access ]
Andrew Hadfield and Amy Kenny, "William Shakespeare," in Oxford Bibliographies: British and Irish Literature [ Harvard Access ]
Larry S. Champion, The Essential Shakespeare: An Annotated Bibliography of Major Modern Studies (1986; 2nd ed., 1993)
The Garland Shakespeare Bibliographies
David Bevington, "English Renaissance Drama," in Oxford Bibliographies: Renaissance and Reformation [ Harvard Access ]
Shakespeare Quarterly [ Harvard Access ]
Shakespeare: Journal of the British Shakespeare Association [ Harvard Access ]
Shakespeare Studies [ Harvard Access ]
Shakespeare Jahrbuch [ Harvard Access ]
Borrowers and Lenders: The Journal of Shakespeare and Appropriation [ Harvard Access ]
Shakespeare Bulletin [ Harvard Access ]
Shakespeare Survey
Shakespeare International Yearbook
Multicultural Shakespeare

Associations

Shakespeare Association of America
British Shakespeare Association
Folger Shakespeare Library
Shakespeare's Globe

Life and Times

S. Schoenbaum, William Shakespeare: A Compact Documentary Life (1977; revised 1987)
Katherine Duncan-Jones, Ungentle Shakespeare: Scenes from his Life (2001)
Stephen Greenblatt, Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare (2004)
James Shapiro, 1599:A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare (2005)
David Bevington, Shakespeare and Biography (2010)
E.M.W. Tillyard, The Elizabethan World-Picture (1943)
J. D. Cox and D. S. Kastan, A New History of Early English Drama (1997)
John Morrill (Ed.), The Oxford Illustrated History of Tudor & Stuart Britain (1996)
John Cannon (Ed.), The Oxford Companion to British History (2009)
Geoffrey Bullough, Narrative and Dramatic Sources of Shakespeare (1957–73)
Kenneth Muir, The Sources of Shakespeare’s Plays (1977)
Stuart Gillespie (Ed.), Shakespeare’s Books: A Dictionary of Shakespeare's Sources (2001)

Language and Style

Sister Miriam Joseph, Shakespeare’s Use of the Arts of Language (1947)
M. M. Mahood, Shakespeare’s Wordplay (1957)
Richard A. Lanham, The Motives of Eloquence: Literary Rhetoric in the Renaissance (1976)
Russ McDonald, Shakespeare and the Arts of Language (2001)
David Crystal, Think on my Words: Exploring Shakespeare's Language (2008)
Peter Mack, Reading and Rhetoric in Montaigne and Shakespeare (2010)
Lawrence Danson, Shakespeare’s Dramatic Genres (2000)
Anthony R. Guneratne (Ed.), Shakespeare and Genre: From Early Modern Inheritances to Postmodern Legacies (2011)
C. L. Barber, Shakespeare’s Festive Comedy (1959, revised 1972)
Northrop Frye, A Natural Perspective: The Development of Shakespearean Comedy and Romance (1965)
Franquois Laroque, Shakespeare’s Festive World: Elizabethan Seasonal Entertainment and the Professional Stage (1993)
A. C. Bradley, Shakespearian Tragedy (1904)
Stanley Cavell, Disowning Knowledge in Seven Plays of Shakespeare (1987)
Paul Kottman, Disinheriting the Globe: Tragic Conditions in Shakespeare (2009)
E. M. W. Tillyard, Shakespeare’s History Plays (1944)
Lily B. Campbell, Shakespeare’s Histories (1947)
Peter Saccio, Shakespeare’s English Kings (1977, revised 2000)
Phyllis Rackin, Stages of History: Shakespeare’s English Chronicles (1990)
Romances/Tragicomedies
F.S. Boas, “The Problem Plays,” in Shakespeare and His Predecessors (1896)
Russ McDonald, Shakespeare’s Late Style (2006)
Joel Fineman, Shakespeare’s Perjured Eye: The Invention of Poetic Subjectivity in the Sonnets (1986)
Helen Vendler, The Art of Shakespeare’s Sonnets (1997)

Stephen Orgel and Sean Keilen (Eds.), Shakespeare’s Poems (1999)

Textual Issues

Textual Editing
Margreta de Grazia, Shakespeare Verbatim: The Reproduction of Authenticity and the 1790 Apparatus (1991)
Leah Marcus, Unediting the Renaissance (1996)

Sonia Massai, Shakespeare and the Rise of the Editor (2007)

David Scott Kastan, Shakespeare and the Book (2001)
Lucas Erne, Shakespeare and the Book Trade (2013)
Ron Rosenbaum, The Shakespeare Wars: Clashing Scholars, Public Fiascoes, Palace Coups (2006)
Hugh Craig and Arthur F. Kinney (Eds.), Shakespeare, Computers, and the Mystery of Authorship (2012)
The Authorship Question
Jonathan Hope, The Authorship of Shakespeare’s Plays (1994)
Brian Vickers, Shakespeare, Co-Author (2002)
James Shapiro, Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? (2011)
The Shakespeare Authorship Page

The Critical Tradition

Brian Vickers, Shakespeare: The Critical Heritage (1974–81)
Jonathan Bate, The Romantics on Shakespeare (1992)
Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts, Women Reading Shakespeare, 1660-1900 (1997)
Michael Dobson, The Making of the National Poet (1992)
Michael Taylor (Ed.), Shakespeare Criticism in the Twentieth Century (2001)
John Gross, After Shakespeare (2003)

Shakespeare and ...

Shakespeare and English Literature
Lukas Erne, Shakespeare as Literary Dramatist (2003)
Shakespeare and Drama
Anne Righter, Shakespeare and the Idea of the Play (1962)
Shakespeare and Literary Theory
Patricia Parker and Geoffrey Hartman (eds.), Shakespeare and the Question of Theory (1985)
Alternative Shakespeares (3 vols.: 1985, 1996, and 2007)
Jonathan Gil Harris, Shakespeare and Literary Theory (2010)
Shakespeare and the Classics
Jonathan Bate, Shakespeare and Ovid (1994)
Heather James, Shakespeare’s Troy: Drama, Politics, and the Translation of Empire (1997)
Charles Martindale and A. B. Taylor (Eds.), Shakespeare and the Classics (2004)
Shakespeare and Philosophy
Arthur F. Kinney, Shakespeare and Cognition: Aristotle’s Legacy and Shakespearean Drama (2006)
A. D. Nuttall, Shakespeare the Thinker (2007)
Jennifer Bates and Richard Wilson (Eds), Shakespeare and Continental Philosophy (2014)
Shakespeare and Politics
Jonathan Dollimore and Alan Sinfield (Eds.), Political Shakespeare: Essays in Cultural Materialism (1994)
Louis Montrose, The Purpose of Playing: Shakespeare and the Cultural Politics of the Elizabethan Theatre (1996)
Andrew Hadfield, Shakespeare and Republicanism (2005)
Shakespeare and Law
Bradin Cormack, Martha C. Nussbaum, Richard Strier (Eds.), Shakespeare and the Law: A Conversation among Disciplines and Professions (2013)
Andrew Zurcher, Shakespeare and Law (2014)
Shakespeare and Religion
Jonathan Dollimore, Radical Tragedy: Religion, Ideology, and Power in the Drama of Shakespeare and His Contemporaries (1984)
Allison Shell, Shakespeare and Religion (2010)
Shakespeare and Psychology
Ernest Jones, Hamlet and Oedipus (1949)
Norman Holland, Psychoanalysis in Shakespeare (1966)
Julia Reinhard Lupton and Kenneth Reinhard, After Oedipus: Shakespeare in Psychoanalysis (1992)
Harold Bloom, Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human (1998)
Shakespeare and Race
James Shapiro, Shakespeare and the Jews (1996)
Peter Hulme and William H. Sherman, ‘The Tempest’ and its Travels (2000)
Ania Loomba, Shakespeare, Race and Colonialism (2002)
Shakespeare and Gender
Juliet Dusinberre, Shakespeare and the Nature of Women (1975)
Patricia Parker, Literary Fat Ladies: Rhetoric, Gender, Property (1987)
Janet Adelman, Suffocating Mothers: Fantasies of Maternal Origin in Shakespeare’s Plays, Hamlet to the Tempest (1992)
Stephen Orgel, Impersonations: The Performance of Gender in Shakespeare’s England (1996)
Bruce Smith, Shakespeare and Masculinity (2000)
Shakespeare and Sexuality
Jonathan Goldberg, Queering the Renaissance (1994)
Bruce R. Smith, Homosexual Desire in Shakespeare’s England: A Cultural Poetics (1994)
Madhavi Menon (Ed.), Shakesqueer: A Queer Companion to the Complete Works of Shakespeare (2001)
Shakespeare and the Arts
W. Moelwyn Merchant, Shakespeare and the Artist (1959)
Jane Martineau (Ed.), Shakespeare in Art (2003)
Tarnya Cooper, Searching for Shakespeare (2006)
Shakespeare and Music
David Lindley, Shakespeare and Music (2006)
Julie Sanders, Shakespeare and Music: Afterlives and Borrowings (2007)
Shakespeare and Dance
Alan Brissenden, Shakespeare and the Dance (1981)
Shakespeare and Modernity
Jan Kott, Shakespeare Our Contemporary (1964)
Richard Halpern, Shakespeare Among the Moderns (1997)
Marjorie Garber, Shakespeare and Modern Culture (2008)

Performance

Early Modern Performance
E. K. Chambers, The Elizabethan Stage (1923)
Andrew Gurr, The Shakespearean Stage, 1574–1642 (Fourth Edition, 2009)
Andrew Gurr, Playgoing in Shakespeare’s London (Third Edition, 2004)
Modern Performance
J. R. Mulryne , ‎ Margaret Shewring , ‎and Andrew Gurr (Eds.), Shakespeare's Globe Rebuilt (1997)
Jonathan Bate and Russell Jackson (eds.), The Oxford Illustrated History of Shakespeare on Stage (revised 2001)
The Actors on Shakespeare Series
Film and Television Performance
Lynda E. Boose and Richard Burt, Shakespeare, The Movie: Popularizing the Plays on Film, TV and Video (1997)
Kenneth S. Rothwell, A History of Shakespeare on Screen (1999, revised 2004)
Mark Thornton Burnett and Ramona Wray, Screening Shakespeare in the Twenty-First Century (2006)
Barbara Hodgdon, The Shakespeare Trade: Performances and Appropriations (1998)
Ton Hoenselaars (Ed.), Shakespeare and the Language of Translation (2004)

Internet Resources

Shakespeare Magazine
The Shakespeare Standard
Shakespeare Post
Folger Online Resources
Mr William Shakespeare and the Internet
Internet Shakespeare Editions
Royal Shakespeare Company’s Online Resources
Shake Sphere
Play Shakespeare
Encyclopedia Britannica’s Guide to Shakespeare
The British Library, Shakespeare in Quarto
The Furness Collection
JSTOR, Understanding Shakespeare
Hamlet Works
Shakespeare’s Globe, The Globe Player
The English Short-Title Catalogue
Early English Books Online
Records of Early English Drama
The British Universities Film and Video Council, The International Database of Shakespeare on Film, Television and Radio
Shakespeare Documented
Shakespeare Unlimited
LUNA: Folger Digital Image Collection
Furness Theatrical Image Collection
Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive
Royal Shakespeare Company YouTube Channel
Globe Theatre YouTube Channel
Shakespeare in Performance
Kanopy Shakespeare Series
MIT Global Shakespeares
Theatre in Video
Shakespeare Across the Disciplines
Shakespeareana
Public Shakespeare

Shakespeare Research Resources

Use the links below to jump directly to any section of this guide:

Shakespeare’s Life

Shakespeare’s world and historical context, shakespeare’s plays, shakespeare’s poems, shakespeare’s writing style, shakespeare’s most common themes, shakespeare’s most famous quotations, the shakespeare authorship question, shakespeare teacher resources.

Four hundred years after Shakespeare's death, millions of people continue to read his poems, repeat his phrases, watch his plays, and use the words he coined. In addition to being the most celebrated writer in the English language, Shakespeare is also the most studied. Though understanding the breadth of research on Shakespeare would require multiple lifetimes, this guide will give you a comprehensive introduction to his life, work, and place in history. Below, you'll find a curated, annotated, and organized summary of the best available information on Shakespeare.

Even though Shakespeare is one of the most scrutinized authors of all time, there are few historical records regarding his private life. We know the essential facts (baptism date, family information, birthplace), but there are aspects of his life that are subject to speculation or assumption. These include the “lost years” (1578–82 and 1585–92). The resources below will help you piece together the biography of Shakespeare as we know it.

"Shakespeare’s Life" (Wikipedia)

The Wikipedia entry on Shakespeare’s life discusses most of the public records available, such as lawsuits and accounting records. One helpful feature of the entry is the visual family tree.

"William Shakespeare Biography" (Biography.com)

This resource from Biography.com outlines the contours of Shakespeare's life in a brief but comprehensive way. It includes sections on his childhood, education, and family.

Video summary of Shakespeare’s life (Biography.com)

In less than five minutes, this Biography.com video summarizes Shakespeare’s life, work, and legacy. The video includes commentary from Shakespeare scholars and authorities.

William Shakespeare: A Study Of Facts And Problems

James Shapiro, an eminent Shakespeare professor at Columbia University, describes E.K. Chambers as "the most scrupulous of scholars and probably the most influential Shakespeare scholar to have ever lived." With accolades like this one, you'll want to check out Chambers's book, a thorough yet accessible treatment of Shakespeare’s life.

"The Seven Ages of Shakespeare’s Life" (Internet Shakespeare Editions)

This webpage, hosted by the University of Victoria, organizes Shakespeare’s life into seven periods and provides an overview and detailed discussion of each age. The pages provide insightful information as well as images of records such as Shakespeare’s marriage license.

"Shakespeare’s Life" (The British Library)

Andrew Dickson (an author, journalist, and former arts editor for The Guardian ) offers this short article on the known details of Shakespeare's life. The article is part of the British Library's series on Shakespeare and Renaissance writers.

"William Shakespeare" biography (Poetry Foundation)

The Poetry Foundation's website provides short biographies of major poets. This article on Shakespeare’s life discusses some of the scholarly disputes surrounding Shakespeare’s works, and the continuing impact of his work today.

"The Mystery of Shakespeare's Identity" ( Time Magazine)

The lack of actual historical records about William Shakespeare inhibits research on his life. As a result, some historians question the man’s very identity. This article discusses the broad outlines of this debate.

Timeline of Shakespeare’s life (BBC)

The BBC created a masterful timeline of Shakespeare's life. The page tracks Shakespeare’s life from birth to death, complete with dates, discussion, and images. To gain the deepest understanding of Shakespeare’s life and work in the shortest amount of time, this resource is a must.

"William Shakespeare" ( Encyclopædia Britannica )

This encyclopedia entry on Shakespeare’s life explores aspects of the bard's persona (man, poet, dramatist), his plays and poems, and his work's known sources. Included on the page are additional images, videos, and related articles.

"The Shakespeare Paper Trail" (BBC)

Michael Wood asks some questions regarding the lack of records surrounding Shakespeare’s life, and offers some tentative answers.

"William Shakespeare" biography (The Literature Network)

For a succinct summary of Shakespeare’s life, the Literature Network’s bio is a good place to start. The straightforward organization of Shakespeare’s tragedies, comedies, and histories is a helpful reference point.

"Four Periods of Shakespeare’s Life" (Shakespeare Online)

Many students of Shakespeare organize his life into four periods. Although these periods have been labelled in various ways, they can be described as the early period, the balanced period, the overflowing period, and the final period.

Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare (Amazon)

The well-known early modern literary scholar Stephen Greenblatt published this "attempt" at a Shakespeare biography in 2004. Though he admits the gaps in our knowledge make this biographical project difficult, he successfully fleshes out the details. This book, though intended for a wide readership, is a few steps above "entry-level" treatments of the topic.

Shakespeare's career overlapped with the Elizabethan era, when the eponymous Queen Elizabeth reigned (1558–1603). This period, also known as the “Golden Age” and apex of the English Renaissance, was a time of economic growth, international expansion, and nationalistic fervor. The resources below will help you get to know the world in which Shakespeare lived.

"Shakespeare’s Medieval World" (University of Cambridge)

We tend to think that Shakespeare’s world was thoroughly Elizabethan, characterized by the optimism of the English Renaissance. In reality, as this essay by a prominent early modern scholar asserts, Shakespeare’s “world was largely a medieval one.”

"Shakespeare’s Life and Times" (Royal Shakespeare Company)

Although this article is largely biographical, it provides some insight into drama during Shakespeare's day and the way that Shakespeare himself profited from his plays.

"How the Tudor Dynasty Shaped Modern Britain" (BBC)

To understand Shakespeare in his historical context, it’s important to understand the period of the Tudor Dynasty in English history. This BBC timeline surveys the period from 1485 to 1603, during which Shakespeare lived.

"Theater Experience in Shakespeare's Lifetime" (ThoughtCo)

One of the best ways to understand Shakespeare’s plays is to understand what the theater experience was like in his day. What would it be like to attend a Shakespearean comedy at the Globe? This article discusses 16th century theater etiquette, the absence of female actors, and the business of running a theater.

"Shakespeare's Time and the Renaissance" (ThoughtCo)

Shakespeare lived during the apogee of the English Renaissance. Never before in English history had there been such a proliferation of masterful art, literary interest, and popular appeal in theater. This article discusses the nexus of the English Renaissance with Shakespeare’s life, how the era shaped the man, and how the man shaped the era.

"History and Politics" (Internet Shakespeare Editions)

To understand an era, it’s important to examine it from many angles—cultural, political, legal, and religious. This resource from Internet Shakespeare Editions provides some background on the many streams of influence in Shakespeare’s lifetime.

"Elizabethan Era" (Wikipedia)

The Wikipedia entry on Elizabethan England provides a helpful overview of the period, and includes sections on "government," "social history," "religion," and more.

"English Renaissance Timeline: Some Historical and Cultural Dates" (Univ. of Oxford)

For an at-a-glance-reference to major dates during the English Renaissance, check out this page from an English literature graduate student at the University of Oxford.

"Shakespeare’s London" (British Library)

Shakespeare was a Londoner, and his identity and daily activities were shaped by the city’s expansion, politics, and turmoil. This article provides a compelling description of London city life.

There are 37 extant plays attributed to Shakespeare, each of which is categorized below under tragedies, comedies, or histories. Clicking on the title of the play provides you with the full text alongside a modern English translation.

Antony and Cleopatra
Julius Caesar
King Lear
Romeo and Juliet
Timon of Athens
Titus Andronicus
Troilus and Cressida
All's Well That Ends Well
As You Like It
The Comedy of Errors
Love's Labor's Lost
Measure for Measure
Merchant of Venice
Merry Wives of Windsor
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Much Ado about Nothing
The Taming of the Shrew
The Tempest
Twelfth Night
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Winter's Tale
Henry IV, Part I
Henry IV, Part II
Henry VI, Part I
Henry VI, Part II
Henry VI, Part III
Richard III

Most of us know Shakespeare as a playwright, but he first gained fame as a poet. Shakespeare’s poetry is no less masterful than his plays—some would even argue that Shakespeare was a better poet than playwright. Shakespeare’s poems contain some of the best-loved lines and popular expressions in the English language. The resources below will introduce you to this body of work.

The Sonnets

"Shakescleare: Shakespeare’s Sonnets" (LitCharts)

Our Shakescleare series provides the full text of all 154 Shakespearean sonnets, along with a line-by-line modern English translation and a one-line summary of each poem.

Sir John Gielgud’s Reading of Shakespeare’s Sonnets (YouTube)

One of the best ways to understand and even interpret poems is to hear them read aloud. Sir John Gielgud performs each of Shakespeare’s sonnets in this YouTube collection.

"Shakespeare’s Sonnets" (Shakespeare Online)

Shakespeare Online has the complete text of each sonnet with accompanying interpretive notes. The introduction to the resource discusses the dates of composition for the sonnets and their narrative objects.

Sonnet Facsimiles (Internet Shakespeare Editions)

The form in which we read Shakespeare’s sonnets today are not the form in which they were originally written. These images from the UCLA Library and hosted by a University of Victoria site offer facsimiles (exact copies of printed material) of the early editions of Shakespeare’s sonnets.

"Shakespeare’s Sonnets by Don Paterson" ( The Guardian )

One arena of scholarly dispute is the interpretation of Shakespeare’s sonnets. For those who are interested in surveying the scholarly melee (and better understanding the sonnets), this essay from The Guardian should help.

"Understanding Shakespeare's Sonnets" (YouTube)

This video is a Q&A discussion between three Shakespeare authors and educators discussing the context and interpretation of Shakespeare’s sonnets. It is hosted by the University of Warwick.

CrashCourse Video: "Shakespeare’s Sonnets" (YouTube)

For an entertaining and humorous survey of Shakespeare’s sonnets, look no further than this 12-minute video from Crash Course Literature.

Other Poems

Aside from the famous sonnets, Shakespeare also published a handful of other, longer poems. The LitCharts Shakescleare series provides access to the text, alongside a modern English translation.

The Rape of Lucrece
Venus and Adonis
A Lover's Complaint
The Phoenix and Turtle

Although Shakespeare sometimes followed dramatic conventions of the Renaissance, he also forged his own path. The Tempest follows Aristotle's classical unities of time, space, and action (for example, that the play's action should occur during 24 hours or less), while The Winter's Tale traverses 16 years and two diverse kingdoms. The resources below survey Shakespeare's stylistic approaches and lasting influence on literature.

"Shakespeare’s Writing Style" (Wikipedia)

This entry gives an overview of Shakespeare’s style in both his plays and poems. One helpful aspect of the entry is the discussion on similarities to and differences from contemporaries.

"The Writing Style of William Shakespeare" (Freelancewriting.com)

For a simple discussion of Shakespeare’s writing style, this article is a helpful place to start. The article surveys Shakespeare’s use of iambic pentameter and explores the depth of character development in his work.

"Why Shakespeare Loved Iambic Pentameter" (TED-Ed)

This TED-Ed original introduces students to Shakespeare’s use of iambic pentameter and explains why "Shakespeare's words have such staying power."

"Shakespeare’s Reputation" (YouTube)

Gordon McMullan, a literature professor at King’s College, suggests that Shakespeare’s writing style was a result both of his inherent genius and the extrinsic forces of market and popular appeal.

Many of the themes in Shakespeare's work are easy to spot—for example, love in Romeo and Juliet . Other themes may be less obvious, but are no less significant. Had you noticed that Romeo and Juliet also has a recurring theme of servants and masters? These figures' presence conveys a subtle message that the disadvantaged possess identity and worth apart from their menial duties. The resources below will help you get to know these common threads.

"'Romeo and Juliet' Themes" (LitCharts)

Each LitChart for Shakespeare's plays contains a guide to its major themes. Linked above is the "themes" section for Romeo and Juliet , which features colors and icons you can use to track each theme across the play.

"What are the typical recurring themes in Shakespeare's plays?" (Mytutor)

When introducing students to the subject of themes in Shakespeare’s plays, it may be helpful to start at a basic level. Each Shakespeare play may have multiple themes, but the elemental ones are power, nature, love, and conflict.

"Themes in Shakespeare’s Plays" (Abilene Christian Univ.)

This resource by Shakespeare professor Tracey Sanders explains how Shakespeare communicates his themes, and discusses the four recurring themes found throughout Shakespeare’s plays and poetry.

"Teachers' Notes: Plays, Themes and Characters" (BBC)

This BBC archived page provides a list of Shakespeare's plays followed by the key themes of that play. For example, the listed themes for Twelfth Night are love and disguise.

"Shakespeare Tragedies" (ThoughtCo)

Shakespeare’s tragedies share several common features, as explained in this brief summary of tragic themes. It was written by a former university lecturer of Theater Studies.

"Thinking in Shakespeare" (Oxford Univ. Press via Vimeo)

This short animation from Oxford University Press discusses the theme of thinking in Shakespeare, and provides helpful examples from several of his plays.

According to some analyses, Shakespeare is the most quoted writer in the English language, not counting quotations from the Bible. Shakespeare quotations are so common, in fact, that many people quote him without realizing it. Phrases like “Greek to me,” “fair play,” and “into thin air” come directly from Shakespeare plays ( Julius Caesar , King John , and The Tempest , respectively). Each of the resources below deals with Shakespeare's contributions to the English language.

"Here Are Shakespeare's 15 Most Beloved Quotes" (TIME)

Rather than choosing quotations at random, TIME counted the Kindle highlights across three editions of Shakespeare’s works. Their quasi-scientific approach brought up 15 well-loved quotes.

"34 Of The Most Brilliant Shakespeare Quotes" (Buzzfeed)

This admittedly arbitrarily-chosen Buzzfeed list will introduce you to many of the most quoted Shakespearean lines, including a few by Polonius ( Hamlet ), Jacques ( As You Like It ), and Cordelia ( King Lear ).

"Top Shakespeare Quotes" (ThoughtCo)

ThoughtCo, which publishes a wide variety of Shakespeare resources, offers this article on ten Shakespeare quotes. It was written by a former English teacher and believer in the persuasive power of quotations.

"William Shakespeare Quotes" (BrainyQuote)

If visual quotations are more to your liking, BrainyQuote provides quotations overlaid on scenic landscapes. Each quotation is tagged with its corresponding themes.

"William Shakespeare Quotes and Quotations" (William Shakespeare Info)

Although this website is dated and a bit clunky, it helpfully nests famous quotations under headings for the play in which the line is found.

Did Shakespeare actually write the plays attributed to him? The relative lack of records for Shakespeare's life has led to rampant speculation. The resources below will introduce you to the "Stratfordian position" (that William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon authored the plays), along with the “anti-Stratfordian” position that he did not. Alongside these questions, it is important to note that recent scholarship has named a number of collaborators on plays we usually think of Shakespeare's alone.

"Shakespeare Authorship Question" (Wikipedia)

The Wikipedia treatment of the authorship question is thorough and well-organized. It is the perfect place to begin attempting to understand the main arguments for and against Shakespeare’s authorship.

AKA Shakespeare: A Scientific Approach to the Authorship Question (Amazon)

Peter A. Sturrock, an astrophysicist, uses Bayesian statistics to tackle the authorship question. Sturrock invites readers to answer the question themselves, but furnishes all the information needed to make up your mind.

"The Simple Case for Shakespeare" (Shakespeare Resource Center)

This author makes a case for Shakespeare’s authorship by setting the stage with the four most likely authors, a discussion of motive and plausibility, and a conclusion—“the plausibility of Shakespeare.”

"Did Shakespeare Really Write His Plays? A Few Theories Examined" (BBC America)

Wade gently into the controversy by understanding the theories, the purported evidence, and who else might conceivably have written the plays if not William Shakespeare himself.

"Did Shakespeare Really Write His Own Plays?" (The History Channel)

Another entry-level treatment of the question comes from History.com. In the end, the author takes the traditional position that Shakespeare authored the works attributed to him, but provides an informative sketch of the issue.

"Why the Shakespeare Authorship Question Matters to Teenagers" ( The Guardian )

For high school literature teachers wondering if this question matters, The Guardian says “yes.” They tend to side with the Stratfordians, and suggest that “if Shakespeare did write those works (and all the evidence makes that more likely than not) it reminds us that genius is not delimited by our start in life."

"Who Really Wrote Shakespeare?" ( The Guardian )

Robert McCrum of The Guardian uses James Shapiro’s book A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare (1599) as a springboard for his own editorializing on the authorship question. McCrum’s article buzzes with the energy of the debate, while also naming names and pointing fingers at various characters.

"Who Were Shakespeare's Collaborators?" ( Oxford University Press Blog)

This piece from Oxford University Press's blog, an excerpt from the New Oxford Shakespeare, will introduce you to the actors, poets and playwrights who scholars have identified as Shakespeare's collaborators.

"Who Was Shakespeare?" (WhoWasShakespeare.org)

Using primary source documents and visuals from as far back as 1597, Kennedy Center award-winning Shakespeare producer Ron Song Destro examines the case for the most popular candidate of the last hundred years, Edward de Vere, 17th earl of Oxford, referencing such famous doubters as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman and Mark Twain.

Teaching students about Shakespeare is no easy task, but it can be immensely rewarding. The resources below offer starting points for preparing lessons geared toward any grade level. You'll find classroom activities, distinct resources to create units on the Bard's life and work, and entire websites devoted to teaching Shakespeare.

Classroom Activities on Shakespeare

Online Shakespeare Games

The Shakespeare’s Globe website has a full selection of online games for kids on Shakespearean topics. The "Shakespeare Word Games" page provides a scrambled word game of Shakespearean terms and characters, as well as a Weird Words Quiz.

"Who Am I" Shakespearean Character Game (Folger Shakespeare Library)

The Folger Shakespeare Library has a list of eight "Who Am I" questions to help students learn about several important Shakespearean female characters.

"Life in Shakespeare’s Time" (Shakespeare Globe)

This page offers ten bits of trivia about life in Shakespeare’s era, and will help students to visualize the world in which Shakespeare lived.

Tales from Shakespeare (Amazon)

The classic children’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s plays comes from Charles and Mary Lamb. Although the style is very much that of the 18th century, it remains a popular choice for young readers.

"Top 10 Shakespeare Books for Children" ( The Guardian )

The Guardian provides a list of ten excellent Shakespeare books for kids, from Leon Garfield's Shakespeare Stories to Bloomsbury's Shakespeare Today.

Websites Devoted to Teaching Shakespeare

Teaching Shakespeare Blog (Folger Shakespeare Library)

This Folger education blog highlights individual lessons on Shakespeare and other resources. Under the "resources" tab, you'll find Shakespeare lesson plans, a digital image collection, and more.

Teaching Shakespeare website

This website, a collaboration between some of the U.K.'s major cultural institutions, aims to "provide creative routes into the world of Shakespeare."

"Teacher Resources" (Royal Shakespeare Company)

Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company offers a number of resources for teaching Shakespeare on its website. Simply choose a play, type of resource, and age range. (Note: KS1 corresponds to ages six and seven, while KS5 corresponds to ages 16 through 18).

"Teaching Shakespeare with 'The New York Times'"

The New York Times 's Learning Network has compiled a list of articles that will help your students connect Shakespeare's work to our contemporary world. (Note: Though access to The New York Times requires a subscription, you can access a few free articles a month).

Units on Shakespeare Plays

Though all of Shakespeare's plays are worthy of study, some of them are particularly suited for use in the middle school and high school classroom, or in undergraduate surveys. These links contain practical suggestions for selecting appropriate plays and advice for designing lesson plans.

"Best First Shakespeare Plays for High School Students" (Kenludwig.com)

Playwright Ken Ludwig suggests that educators start with A Midsummer Night’s Dream , since its themes and humor are accessible to both younger and older age groups. Among the tragedies, Ludwig singles out Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet .

Commonly Taught Shakespeare Plays (Folger Shakespeare Library)

According to research from the Folger Shakespeare Library, the most common plays to teach in the high school English classroom are: Romeo and Juliet , Hamlet , Macbeth , A Midsummer Night’s Dream , Othello , and Julius Caesar .

"Best Works of Shakespeare to Use in High School Classes" (ThoughtCo)

ThoughtCo writer Melissa Kelly, a veteran high school English teacher, lists eight Shakespeare plays to use in the classroom. She starts with Romeo and Juliet and concludes with T he Merchant of Venice .

Shakespeare's Twelfth Night Unit (Teachers Pay Teachers)

This top-rated TPT unit on Twelfth Night , designed for middle school and high school students, includes student handouts, a quiz and test, a character information sheet, and more.

Macbeth and Shakespeare Unit (Teachers Pay Teachers)

Another top-rated TPT Shakespeare unit, this resource includes an internet scavenger hunt, graphic organizers, group project, power writing prompt, and unit test.

PDFs for all 136 Lit Terms we cover
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100+ Shakespeare Essay Topics

The enigmatic William Shakespeare remains one of the most studied literary figures, and writing essays on his comprehensive works can be as enlightening as it is challenging. At WriteOnDeadline, we understand the complexities and subtleties involved in crafting compelling essays about Shakespeare’s compositions. Therefore, we are here to assist you in navigating this journey through selecting intriguing topics and offering a helping hand in bringing your Shakespeare essay to life.

Table of Contents

What is a Shakespeare Essay?

A Shakespeare essay is a scholarly composition that explores the various aspects of Shakespeare’s works, including his plays, sonnets, and other poetic works. These essays can delve into themes like tragedy, love, betrayal, leadership, and supernatural elements, to name a few, all frequent in Shakespeare’s writings. Analyzing the historical context, linguistic techniques, character development, and unique plot twists are also integral parts of a Shakespeare essay, requiring a deep understanding of literature, Renaissance culture, and, importantly, Elizabethan English.

Choosing the Perfect Shakespeare Essay Topic: A Quick Guide

Embarking on the journey of writing a Shakespeare essay involves first selecting a topic that is not only engaging but also offers ample avenues for research and analysis. Here’s a quick guide on making this crucial choice:

Passion Meets Relevance: Choose a theme or character from Shakespeare’s works that intrigues you the most. Your passion for the subject will fuel your research and writing process.
Scope for Exploration: Opt for a topic that allows multiple perspectives and interpretations. The richness of Shakespeare’s work lies in its complexity and the myriad ways it can be understood.
Resource Availability: Ensure there are sufficient resources and scholarly materials available for your chosen topic. The depth of your analysis will largely depend on the quality of the research you conduct.
Originality is Key: While Shakespeare’s works have been discussed extensively, strive to find a unique angle or an under-represented theme that will make your essay stand out.

Captivating Shakespeare Essay Topics Lists

Delving into the world of Shakespeare requires a guide to the possible paths one can explore. Below are unique and engaging topics that can be the foundation of insightful essays.

Analyzing the Tragedies

The manifestation of political power in “Macbeth.”
Exploring the theme of revenge in “Hamlet.”
The role of fate and free will in the tragedy of “Romeo and Juliet.”
Moral dilemmas faced by characters in “King Lear.”

Delving into the Comedies

Gender disguises and their implications in “Twelfth Night.”
The concept of love in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Analyzing the comedic elements in “Much Ado About Nothing.”
Portrayal of friendship in “The Two Gentlemen of Verona.”

The Histories and Their Relevance

Historical truths versus artistic license in “Richard III.”
Exploring national identity in “Henry V.”
The role of prophecy and divination in “Julius Caesar.”
Leadership qualities depicted in “Henry IV, Part 1.”

Unraveling the Romances

The supernatural elements in “The Tempest.”
Realism and idealism in “The Winter’s Tale.”
Exploration of forgiveness and reconciliation in “Cymbeline.”
Depictions of loss and redemption in “Pericles.”

Sonnets and Poems

The theme of immortality in Shakespeare’s sonnets.
Shakespeare’s depiction of love in his sonnets.
Analysis of narrative techniques in “The Rape of Lucrece.”
The role of symbolism in “Venus and Adonis.”

Special Topics

Shakespeare’s influence on modern literature.
The relevance of Shakespeare in today’s world.
Shakespeare’s portrayal of female characters.
The use of soliloquies in Shakespeare’s plays.

Shakespeare’s Worldview

Shakespeare’s perception of the human experience.
The idea of mortality in Shakespeare’s plays.
How Shakespeare’s personal life influenced his work.
The importance of nature in Shakespeare’s literature.
Social hierarchies and class distinctions in Shakespearean plays.

Portrayal of Relationships

Familial bonds in “King Lear.”
Love versus infatuation in “Romeo and Juliet.”
Friendship dynamics in “The Merchant of Venice.”
Manipulative relationships in “Othello.”
Power struggles in marital relationships throughout Shakespeare’s plays.

Villains and Antagonists

The psychological profile of Iago in “Othello.”
Lady Macbeth: Power, ambition, and guilt.
Richard III’s quest for power and its implications.
The role of jealousy in creating villains in Shakespeare’s works.
Aaron the Moor’s malevolence in “Titus Andronicus.”

Supernatural Elements

The importance of the Three Witches in “Macbeth.”
The role of ghosts and apparitions in “Hamlet.”
Prophecies and their influences in Shakespeare’s plays.
The supernatural as a reflection of human psychology.
Ariel vs. Caliban: Contrasting representations of the supernatural in “The Tempest.”

Philosophical Insights

To be or not to be: An exploration of existentialism in “Hamlet.”
The notion of predestined fate in “Romeo and Juliet.”
The philosophy of dreams in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
The concept of time in Shakespeare’s sonnets.
Views on ambition and its consequences in “Macbeth.”

Lesser Studied Plays

Exploration of societal norms in “Troilus and Cressida.”
Themes of betrayal and loyalty in “Coriolanus.”
The tragic elements in “Timon of Athens.”
Elements of satire in “All’s Well That Ends Well.”
Role of disguise in “Measure for Measure.”

Historical and Political Analysis

Shakespeare’s portrayal of Roman politics in “Antony and Cleopatra.”
The Tudor myth in Shakespeare’s historical plays.
Analysis of the political climate in “Julius Caesar.”
Leadership dynamics in “Henry IV, Part 2.”
The politics of love in “Antony and Cleopatra.”

Language and Rhetoric

Shakespeare’s innovative use of the English language.
The power of soliloquies in driving plot and character development.
Wordplay, puns, and their significance in “Twelfth Night.”
Rhetorical devices in Mark Antony’s speech in “Julius Caesar.”
The language of love in Shakespeare’s sonnets.

Gender and Sexuality

The role of cross-dressing in “As You Like It.”
Examining the feminist aspects of “The Taming of the Shrew.”
Gender roles and expectations in “Macbeth.”
Exploration of sexuality in “The Sonnets.”
Female empowerment in “Much Ado About Nothing.”

Religion and Morality

Religious undertones in “The Merchant of Venice.”
The interplay of sin, redemption, and justice in “Hamlet.”
Examination of moral dilemmas in “Othello.”
Pagan vs. Christian beliefs in “King Lear.”
The concept of divine retribution in Shakespeare’s tragedies.

Character Development and Evolution

Evolution of Macbeth: From hero to tyrant.
Desdemona’s resilience and fragility in “Othello.”
The transformation of Prince Hal to King Henry V.
Juliet’s journey from innocence to maturity.
The multifaceted nature of Shylock in “The Merchant of Venice.”

Symbolism and Imagery

The symbolism of blood in “Macbeth.”
Light and darkness imagery in “Romeo and Juliet.”
Nature imagery in “As You Like It.”
The role of the handkerchief in “Othello.”
Sea and land as contrasting symbols in “The Tempest.”

Settings and Their Implications

The significance of the Forest of Arden in “As You Like It.”
Venice vs. Belmont: Contrasting worlds in “The Merchant of Venice.”
The claustrophobic setting of Elsinore in “Hamlet.”
Social dynamics in the court vs. wilderness in “King Lear.”
The island’s role as a microcosm of society in “The Tempest.”

Deceptions and Revelations

The impact of Iago’s deceptions in “Othello.”
Secrets and revelations in “Twelfth Night.”
The tragic consequences of deceit in “Macbeth.”
Mistaken identities in “The Comedy of Errors.”
Portia’s cunning in “The Merchant of Venice.”

Love in Its Many Forms

Unrequited love in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
The destructive nature of obsessive love in “Antony and Cleopatra.”
Familial love in “King Lear.”
Friendship vs. romantic love in “The Two Gentlemen of Verona.”
The portrayal of true love in “The Sonnets.”

Struggling with your Shakespeare essay? At WriteOnDeadline, we offer unparalleled support and professional writing services to help bring clarity, precision, and creativity to your essays. Our team of experts is equipped to provide comprehensive guidance, from selecting a captivating topic to delivering a meticulously crafted essay. Don’t let the stress dim your academic sparkle; reach out to us and let’s create your masterpiece together!

Useful References

Shakespeare Online
The British Library – Shakespeare in Quarto
Folger Shakespeare Library
Shakespeare’s Works: A Comprehensive Resource
Shakespeare Resource Center

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Thank you for visiting the Shakespeare Resource Center. You'll find here collected links from all over the World Wide Web to help you discover William Shakespeare. There are millions of pages that reference Shakespeare on the Internet. This site aims to make it a little easier to find the most useful ones.

The e-mail policy of the Shakespeare Resource Center is simple: the SRC will not provide answers to questions about homework, paper topics, interpretations, etc. The purpose of this site is to provide links to aid you in your online Shakespeare research; it's not meant to provide you a personal research assistant. But for the most burning questions, why not Ask the Bard ?

You can also follow the Shakespeare Resource Center on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates of news, pages, and other timely items of interest. And if you're in need of a book, movie, or other Shakespeare-related merchandise, your Amazon.com purchase helps support the site. Enjoy!

Shakespeare Studies

Reference to the rescue, general shakesperean reference titles, historical resources, theatrical resources.

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Why Reference?

Reference materials are excellent resources for providing an overview of the subject you are researching. They will provide well-known facts on literary authors and their works; historical and political events that may have impacted their work; the society and culture in which they lived and worked and/or may have based their work upon; and the impact of their work on future generations. They are trustworthy and reliable, giving you the correct information you will need for your research papers and presentations.

Longman Guide to Shakespeare's Characters: a who's who of Shakespeare by Kenneth McLeish Call Number: PR2989 .M35 1985 Non-circulating

English Renaissance Theatre History: a reference guide by David Stevens Call Number: Z2014.D7 S78 Non-circulating

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Teaching shakespeare: mini-research projects.

Hamlet. First Folio. Courtesy Folger Shakespeare Library.

By Deborah Gascon

I set a goal this school year to include several, less time-consuming (but equally as meaningful), mini-research projects into my teaching of literature. Enter resident experts!

This quick strategy to get students researching more frequently scaffolds the skills they need to complete the big, scary research paper we assign in the spring.

The research also provided another opportunity to delve deeply into the text and study Shakespeare’s language. I started using resident experts with Othello , but this project is universal to anything you teach.

I provided my students with a list of possible research topics regarding Othello and Shakespeare and the time period.

Topics included, but were not limited to, Moors, Cyprus, Venice, maps, naval officers, interracial marriage laws of the time period, rights of women, love tokens, willow trees/the willow song, sumptuary laws–the list goes on.

Some students added topics while we read: one student researched the psychology behind jealousy (after reading Iago ironically boast “ O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster ”) and another student asked to research the symbolism behind strawberries. The topics were vast and self-selected.

After students chose a topic, they were given time to research during our reading of Othello . I told my students to find the five most interesting points about that topic related to the reading and then to back up those research topics with evidence from the text, combining Shakespeare’s language with their research.

The assignment was vague–and I did that on purpose. I wanted them to search, discover and become a resident expert on the topic. I also wasn’t sure what they would find while researching and felt narrowing the topic for them would almost limit their research. We talked about sources that are reputable and trustworthy (which circled back to our earlier discussion regarding ethos) and about how to narrow a research topic. I also required students cite their sources.

To share the research information I assigned digital presentations. My new favorite way to share information is using Padlet . In the past we have completed projects using Voice Thread , Thing Link , and Prezi . If you’re not familiar with these, check them out; they are great ways to share information and to interact with students.

Padlet allows the user to import a picture then write comments on the picture. The sample below is from the student who researched love tokens and handkerchiefs then supported her research with lines from the play (easily found using the navigation tool in an e-text). She found a picture on Luna , the Folger Shakespeare Library’s Digital Image Collection, and surrounded the picture with the research as well as evidence from the text to support the research.

Not only were students researching their topics, but honing their research skills using Luna and the navigation tool in a digital text.

Student example from Padlet on love tokens and handkerchiefs in Othello

Combining the student research with Shakespeare’s language required a close reading of the text. This combination of researcher and text also encouraged students to study parts of the text with a magnifying glass and to take what they learned while researching and apply that to Shakespeare’s words. This forced students to slow down, analyze the words, think about the deeper meaning of the text and then understand the language and research well enough to share it on their presentations.

The resident experts shared how the topic was covered in Othello, and the students loved being the “go to” person on a topic. Students appreciated the ability to choose a research topic, the integration of technology and the visual presentation of the research. I am thankful to find a way to include more low stakes, quick research in my teaching of Shakespeare that also meets the requirements of standards.

Deborah Gascon teaches English 2 and AP Literature and Composition at Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, South Carolina. She often dreams of her double date to prom with Shakespeare and Dickens. She can be reached at [email protected].

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William Shakespeare

Reading Shakespeare: His Works
Shakespeare's Life & Times
Books & Articles About Shakespeare and His Works
Prmary Sources - 15th - 18th Centuries
Performing Shakesepare: Theatrical Productions
Writing Shakespeare
Shakespeare's First Folio and Quartos
Early Modern Works in Special Collections

JSTOR Understanding Shakespeare

JSTOR Understanding Shakespeare is a collaborative project between JSTOR Labs and the Folger Shakespeare Library. It’s a research tool that allows students, educators and scholars to use the text of Shakespeare’s plays to quickly navigate into the scholarship written about them—line by line. Many of the articles referenced in here can than be retrieved full-text through the JSTOR database.

Finding the Full Text of Your Article

Any items you cannot locate in electronic form or in the UMD Libraries, can be requested through the Libraries' Interlibrary Loan Services.

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Doing research off-campus? Try out the UMD Libraries reload button! Add the button to your browser's bookmark toolbar (see instructions below), and whenever you come across a journal you think you should be able to access, click the button to reload the page through the UMD Libraries proxy.

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*Note: Reloading the page through the proxy still won't give you access if it's a resource we don't subscribe to. To verify access, look up the journal in journal finder .

Locating Books of Criticism about Shakespeare and His Works

Search Worldcat for books about Shakespeare and his works held in the UMD Libraries.

For books by and about Shakespeare combine his name with the title of a specific work.

Examples: william shakespeare venus and adonis william shakespeare midsummer night’s dream william shakespeare romeo and juliet

For books about specific works, use the su: prefix before your search terms to increase relevancy:

su: william shakespeare comedy of errors su: william shakespeare midsummer night's dream su: william shakespeare much ado about nothing su: william shakespeare henry v su: william shakespeare richard III su: william shakespeare titus andronicus su: william shakespeare venus and adonis

To locate books of criticism about groupings of plays, or poetry try the following searches:

su: william shakespeare sonnets su: william shakespeare tragedies su: william shakespeare comedies su: william shakespeare histories

Other common areas of study include:

su: william shakespeare authorship su: william shakespeare characters women

su: william shakespeare comic su: william shakespeare contemporaries su: william shakespeare economics su: william shakespeare film adaptations

su: william shakespeare humor su: william shakespeare influence su: william shakespeare language su: william shakespeare literary style

su: william shakespeare love su: william shakespeare political and social views su: william shakespeare race su: william shakespeare religion su: william shakespeare stage history su : william shakespeare sources

su: william shakespeare supernatural su: william shakespeare technique su: william shakespeare war*

To locate full-length biographies of Shakespeare try the following search:

su: william shakespeare biography

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Journal article databases

ABELL (Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature) ABELL lists monographs, periodical articles, critical editions of literary works, book reviews, collections of essays, and doctoral dissertations published anywhere in the world. ABELL is a subset of the Literature Online database and contains records, from 1892 through to today with regular monthly updates of newly indexed material. HINT: Once in the Literature Online database, click on "Criticism: Scholarly articles, reviews, books, dissertations", and then select ABELL.
Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text Subject coverage includes film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews. The database will provide cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts for more than 300 publications (and selected coverage of 301), as well as full text for more than 90 journals.

Historical Abstracts with Full-Text Core international history database now includes unique full-text coverage of nearly 200 journals and 100 books. It also provides indexing for over 1700 journals from 1964 to the present.
International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance Comprehensive database for research on all aspects of theatre, performance and dance. Indexes articles, books, book articles, dissertations, and newspapers published worldwide. A fully indexed, cross-referenced and annotated databank of over 60,000 journal articles, books, book articles and dissertation abstracts on all aspects of theatre and performance in 126 countries.
JSTOR Electronic archive of core journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Includes complete runs of journals with full-text of all articles published from volume 1, issue 1. Please note, most journals have a “moving wall” (time lag) of three to five years between the most current issue published and content available on JSTOR. Coverage spans the humanities, sciences, and social sciences.
MLA International Bibliography with Full Text Indexes journals, books, essay collections, proceedings, dissertations, and bibliographies published worldwide in the areas of literary criticism, language, linguistics, rhetoric, and folklore of all countries. Produced by the Modern Language Association (MLA) the database contains millions of citations as well as full text for over 1,000 journals.
Oxford Bibliographies Online: Renaissance and Reformation Offers peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on the period of the Renaissance and Reformation, which spans roughly from the 14th through 17th centuries. Bibliographies are browseable by subject area and keyword searchable.
World Shakespeare Bibliography Provides abstracts and indexing of books, articles, book reviews, dissertations, theatrical productions, reviews of productions, audiovisual materials, electronic media, and other scholarly and popular materials related to Shakespeare
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Macbeth Research Paper Topics

Exploring Macbeth research paper topics is an insightful journey into one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated tragedies. This guide delves into the complexities of ambition, power, and moral decay, providing students and researchers a foundational understanding to embark on deeper academic investigations. Whether one aims to dissect character dynamics, themes, or the play’s historical context, Macbeth continues to offer a wealth of material for scholarly exploration.

100 Macbeth Research Paper Topics

Shakespeare’s Macbeth has long been a cornerstone of English literature, captivating readers and audiences for centuries with its intricate web of ambition, power, and destiny. A rich canvas of characters, themes, and motifs makes it a perfect subject for academic exploration, resulting in an abundance of Macbeth research paper topics. The play’s depth, ranging from its multifaceted characters to its profound thematic concerns, offers students a unique opportunity to delve into various areas of study, each brimming with potential insights and revelations.

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1. Character Analysis:

The transformation of Macbeth: From hero to villain.
Lady Macbeth’s descent into madness.
The role of the three witches in shaping Macbeth’s fate.
Banquo’s inner conflict: Loyalty to friend vs. ambition for his lineage.
How secondary characters, like Ross and Lennox, reflect the political unrest.
Duncan’s leadership style vs. Macbeth’s reign of terror.
The significance of Malcolm and Donalbain’s reactions to their father’s death.
The silent power: Lady Macduff’s minimal but poignant presence.
Comparing Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s reactions to guilt.
The role and significance of the Porter: Comic relief or deeper implications?

2. Themes and Motifs:

The corrupting influence of unchecked ambition.
The dichotomy of appearance vs. reality.
The role of fate and free will in Macbeth’s downfall.
The recurring motif of blood and its symbolism.
The theme of masculinity and its distortions in the play.
Sleep and sleeplessness: A reflection of conscience and guilt.
The impact of nature and the supernatural.
The exploration of political legitimacy and usurpation.
The cycle of violence and its perpetuation.
The moral implications of ambition and power.

3. Symbolism:

The haunting significance of the dagger scene.
Blood as a symbol of guilt and murder.
The role of darkness and night in the play.
The symbolic meaning of the three witches.
The relevance of weather patterns, especially storms.
The dead children: Macduff’s offspring and Lady Macbeth’s child.
The significance of sleepwalking in the play.
Hallucinations and their psychological implications.
The role of prophecies and their double meanings.
The crown: A symbol of power or a heavy burden?

4. Historical Context:

The true history of King Macbeth of Scotland.
How the Gunpowder Plot influenced the play.
The role of King James I in the creation of Macbeth.
The Elizabethan worldview on witchcraft and its representation.
The political climate of Shakespeare’s England reflected in Macbeth .
The historical practices of kingship and succession.
Views on masculinity and leadership in Elizabethan times.
Superstitions and beliefs about the supernatural in the 17th century.
The role of women in society and politics during Shakespeare’s time.
How historical inaccuracies in Macbeth shape its narrative.

5. The Supernatural:

Analyzing the role of the three witches.
The importance of prophecies in shaping the play’s trajectory.
The ghost of Banquo: Guilt or supernatural intervention?
The cultural beliefs about witchcraft in the Elizabethan era.
Hecate’s role and her influence on the witches.
The supernatural vs. psychological interpretations of the play.
How the supernatural elements intensify the play’s tragic nature.
Apparitions in the play and their meanings.
The role of omens and their significance.
The blurring lines between reality and the supernatural.

6. Literary Devices:

The use of soliloquies in revealing character depth.
Dramatic irony in Macbeth .
The significance of foreshadowing in the narrative.
The role of metaphors and similes in enhancing the text.
Symbolism used by Shakespeare to enrich the tragedy.
The linguistic choices and their effect on the play’s tone.
Use of paradoxes and their impact.
The structural significance of the five acts.
How Macbeth’s character is revealed through dialogue.
The significance of rhymes and chants.

7. Comparative Analysis:

Macbeth vs. Othello : A study in tragic flaws.
Lady Macbeth and Ophelia: Madness in Shakespeare’s plays.
The supernatural in Macbeth vs. Hamlet .
Macbeth and King Lear : A study in power dynamics.
The tragic heroes: Macbeth vs. Romeo.
Themes of ambition in Macbeth and Julius Caesar .
Lady Macbeth vs. Desdemona: The strength of female characters.
The role of prophecies in Macbeth and Oedipus Rex .
Comparing the downfall of Macbeth and Faustus.
The moral landscape in Macbeth vs. The Merchant of Venice .

8. Critical Perspectives:

A feminist reading of Macbeth .
Macbeth through the lens of psychoanalytic theory.
A Marxist interpretation of Macbeth’s quest for power.
New Historicism’s take on Macbeth .
Postcolonial views on Macbeth’s imperial ambitions.
The ecological readings of nature in Macbeth .
Applying structuralism to the play’s narrative.
Macbeth from a queer theory perspective.
A postmodernist interpretation of the play.
Analyzing Macbeth through the lens of disability studies.

9. Performance and Adaptation:

Macbeth on stage: Evolution over the centuries.
Film adaptations: From Orson Welles to Justin Kurzel.
Gender-swapped versions of Macbeth : A new perspective.
Adapting Macbeth for a contemporary audience.
The challenges of staging Macbeth ‘s supernatural elements.
Macbeth in opera and ballet.
Global adaptations: Macbeth in non-English speaking countries.
Setting Macbeth in different time periods.
The influence of Macbeth on modern media.
The characterization of Macbeth in popular culture.

10. Philosophical Undertones:

The existential crisis in Macbeth .
Macbeth and the Nietzschean concept of will to power.
The Stoic philosophy in the face of Macbeth’s tragedies.
Macbeth and the debate of determinism vs. free will.
The play’s exploration of the human psyche.
Macbeth’s moral relativism.
The concept of ambition and its philosophical implications.
The nature of evil in Macbeth .
The clash of honor and morality in Macbeth’s decisions.
Shakespeare’s insight into the human soul through Macbeth’s journey.

In choosing Macbeth research paper topics from this expansive list, students embark on a journey into the heart of Shakespearean tragedy, delving into the complex interplay of ambition, morality, and fate. As scholars peel back the layers of this iconic play, new interpretations and perspectives emerge, reaffirming Macbeth as a timeless work that continues to inspire and challenge us.

Macbeth – A Tapestry of Complex Themes and Research Opportunities

Macbeth stands as one of Shakespeare’s most riveting tragedies, an intricate interplay of characters, themes, and motifs that has made it a favorite subject for research and analysis. These complexities have given rise to a plethora of Macbeth research paper topics, inviting scholars and students alike to probe deeper into the psychological, philosophical, and sociopolitical dimensions of the play. But what is it about Macbeth that renders it such a fertile ground for investigation?

A Journey into the Human Psyche

At the heart of Macbeth lies a profound exploration of the human psyche. Shakespeare delves deep into the mind of his titular character, illustrating the transformative power of unchecked ambition. This obsession, once lit, can push an individual to commit acts of unspeakable cruelty. The descent of Macbeth, from a noble and valiant general to a tyrannical murderer, offers a rich terrain for psychological analysis. When diving into Macbeth research paper topics surrounding this theme, one can explore the psychological triggers of Macbeth’s downfall, the role of external influencers, or even draw comparisons with modern understandings of ambition-driven disorders.

The Omnipresence of Supernatural Elements

The world of Macbeth is one shrouded in mysticism and the supernatural. From the eerie prophecies of the three witches to the haunting specter of Banquo’s ghost, these elements underscore the play’s themes and shape its characters’ fates. Scholars exploring Macbeth research paper topics in this domain can consider how the supernatural acts as a catalyst for Macbeth’s actions or as a reflection of his internal guilt and paranoia. The witches, in particular, can be analyzed from multiple angles – as embodiments of fate, as manipulative entities, or as mere figments of Macbeth’s imagination.

The Dynamics of Power and Morality

Macbeth presents a brutal critique of the corrosive nature of power and the lengths to which individuals might go to obtain it. However, Shakespeare doesn’t stop there. He further delves into the ethical ramifications of such pursuits. The moral quandaries faced by Macbeth and his wife have given rise to numerous Macbeth research paper topics. Discussions can encompass the mutable nature of morality, the conflicts between personal ambition and ethical considerations, and the eventual consequences of moral degradation.

Gender Roles and Ambition

Lady Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most formidable female characters, shatters the contemporary conventions of femininity. Through her, Shakespeare examines the intersection of gender and power, suggesting that ambition is not the sole domain of men. When diving into Macbeth research paper topics that focus on Lady Macbeth, one can explore the subversion of gender norms, the dynamics of power within the Macbeths’ marriage, and the societal expectations of women during Shakespeare’s era.

The Inescapability of Fate

Is Macbeth a puppet of fate, or does he exercise free will? This age-old debate stems from the play’s intricate dance between destiny and agency. Macbeth research paper topics on this theme can traverse the philosophical terrains of determinism, the self-fulfilling nature of prophecies, or the extent to which characters are architects of their doom.

The brilliance of Macbeth lies not just in its masterful storytelling but in its layered thematic richness. Whether dissecting the intricacies of its characters, its thematic tapestry, or its socio-political critiques, Macbeth research paper topics offer a treasure trove of research avenues. It stands as a testament to Shakespeare’s genius that hundreds of years after its first performance, Macbeth continues to captivate, inspire, and provide inexhaustible material for scholarly exploration.

How to Choose Macbeth Research Paper Topics

Delving into Shakespeare’s Macbeth offers an almost endless wealth of themes, motifs, character analyses, and historical contexts to explore. With such an expansive range of potential subjects, choosing the ideal Macbeth research paper topic can be both an exhilarating and daunting task. The vastness of this play’s content provides freedom, but this same vastness requires strategic selection to ensure your research is both original and comprehensive. Here are some guidelines to aid in that decision-making process.

Passion and Personal Interest: Always choose a topic that you are passionate about. Your interest will not only make the research process more enjoyable but also reflect in the quality of your paper.
Scope of the Topic: It’s easy to get lost in the wide array of Macbeth research paper topics. When selecting, ensure that your topic is neither too broad that it lacks depth nor too narrow that it lacks sufficient content.
Academic Relevance: Ensure that the topic aligns with the guidelines provided by your instructor or institution. It should challenge you academically and push the boundaries of what is already known.
Available Resources: Before finalizing a topic, conduct preliminary research to ensure there are enough resources available. These can be literary critiques, academic journals, or reputable online sources.
Originality: While many topics from Macbeth have been extensively covered, aim for a fresh perspective or a unique angle. This will make your paper stand out and contribute a new voice to the existing discourse.
Historical and Cultural Context: Consider exploring topics that delve into the historical and cultural background during Shakespeare’s time. This provides a richer understanding of the play’s themes and character motivations.
Character Analysis: Choose a character that intrigues you. Instead of general traits, dive deep into their psychology, relationships, and evolution throughout the play.
Comparative Analysis: Compare Macbeth with another of Shakespeare’s plays or even a modern work. Highlight parallels, contrasts, and insights that such a comparison brings.
Themes and Motifs: Macbeth is rife with intricate themes like power, ambition, supernatural elements, and more. Choose a theme and explore its representation, evolution, and relevance throughout the play.
Feedback: Before finalizing your choice among the many Macbeth research paper topics, seek feedback. Discussing with peers, instructors, or mentors can provide valuable insights or angles you hadn’t considered.

Choosing the right Macbeth research paper topic is a crucial first step in your academic journey. It sets the tone for the research, analysis, and writing phases that follow. While the plethora of options might seem overwhelming, by following the above guidelines and remaining true to your interests and academic goals, you’re sure to land on a topic that’s both engaging and rewarding. Remember, the essence of Macbeth is its depth and complexity; mirror these traits in your research, and you’re on the path to academic success.

How to Write a Macbeth Research Paper

Writing a research paper on Shakespeare’s Macbeth is an exercise in exploring deep human emotions, intricate relationships, and the nuances of ambition, power, and morality. Tackling such a multifaceted work requires an organized approach, a keen analytical eye, and the ability to weave your observations into a compelling narrative. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you craft a masterful Macbeth research paper.

Begin with a solid understanding of Macbeth . Before even commencing the writing process, immerse yourself in the play. Read it multiple times, and perhaps watch different theatrical renditions to grasp the emotional undertones and character dynamics.

Thesis Statement: The foundation of your research paper. Based on your readings, determine what angle or aspect of Macbeth you wish to explore. Your thesis should be clear, arguable, and specific.
Outline Your Paper: Plan your research paper by breaking it down into sections. Decide on the main points you want to cover, the arguments you wish to make, and the evidence you’ll use to support these arguments.
Dive Deep into Analysis: Don’t just scratch the surface. Explore the symbols, motifs, character arcs, and historical context. How does the theme of ambition drive Macbeth and Lady Macbeth? How do supernatural elements influence the narrative?
Use Supporting Evidence: Every assertion you make should be backed by textual evidence. Use quotations from Macbeth judiciously, ensuring they align with your arguments.
Consider Historical Context: Understanding the sociopolitical climate of Shakespeare’s time can provide deeper insights into the play’s themes and characters. Delve into the beliefs, norms, and values of that era.
Compare and Contrast: Position Macbeth against other Shakespearean tragedies. How does it stand out? What common themes does it share with works like Hamlet or Othello ?
Maintain Flow: Ensure that your paper has a logical flow from introduction to conclusion. Each paragraph should transition smoothly to the next, creating a cohesive narrative.
Seek Feedback: Before finalizing your paper, have peers or mentors review it. Fresh eyes can offer new perspectives, catch inconsistencies, or identify areas needing more depth.
Proper Formatting and Citation: Whether it’s APA, MLA, or any other format, ensure you adhere to the required citation style. Accurately citing your sources is crucial to avoid plagiarism and to lend credibility to your paper.
Conclusion and Reflection: Wrap up your paper by revisiting your thesis and summarizing your main points. Offer a reflection on the significance of your findings in relation to broader Shakespearean studies or contemporary interpretations of the play.

A Macbeth research paper is not just an academic exercise; it’s a deep dive into one of literature’s most profound works. By approaching the task with diligence, passion, and an analytical mindset, you can unravel the layers of Shakespeare’s genius, offering readers a fresh perspective on this timeless tragedy. Remember, as with Macbeth’s own journey, the process may be challenging, but the rewards, in terms of personal growth and academic achievement, are immeasurable.

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Navigating the intricate labyrinth of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is an endeavor of both challenge and charm. It beckons scholars and students with its timeless themes and dramatic twists, inviting in-depth analysis and scholarly discourse. Yet, the task is not without its trials. Crafting a research paper worthy of Macbeth ‘s legacy requires finesse, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to literary excellence.

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Exploring Shakespeare through the art of dance

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Professor David Fuller, from our Department of English Studies, discusses his passions for music, ballet and Shakespeare. His latest research explores how ballet can provide new insights into The Bard’s work.

Q. Professor Fuller, tell us about your interest in Shakespeare and ballet .

A. I love ballet: it’s a form of performance quite unlike others. It does not have a stable text or script, and though there are systems of notation they cannot capture everything that happens with the body’s movement on stage. Also, dancers bring their own unique movement training and individual character to the movement invented by the dance-maker, the choreographer.

Ballet has a distinct intensity and stylization that aligns with Shakespeare’s work, which is stylized in its dramatic forms, in the rhythms of its verse, and the structures of its prose.

I think ballet provides a wonderful lens through which to view Shakespeare, and yet it is largely ignored by scholars when discussing adaptations of Shakespeare’s work. This is perhaps because they think of ballet in terms of the best-known popular works, such as The Nutcracker or Swan Lake , and don’t understand that modern and contemporary ballet is much more various than those great classic works might suggest. Contemporary ballet is a major form of experimental theatre.

Shakespeare wrote his works for performance, and all forms of performance can help us think about his work afresh. Also, I have for a long time experimented with taking a more creative approach to understanding the arts and writing literary criticism, and with this subject you have to invent – taking account of dance, drama, literary text and music all together.

Q. How will your latest research address this?

A. My fundamental aim is to make dance studies more available in a literary-critical context. I hope to combat dance being a closed book to so many who are interested in studying theatre. I want to show what ballet, as a form of adaptation, can tell us about Shakespeare’s work – and especially what it reveals about contemporary themes of gender, race, and sexuality, with all of which Shakespeare was experimental.

I am doing this by studying ballet adaptations of Shakespeare’s work from the mid-twentieth century to the present, comparing different versions of the same works to see what they reveal. The oldest ballet that I will be studying is about 80 years old. This is the earliest with which it is possible to get detailed evidence of what the choreography was.

For each, I look at how adaptations differ and the different emphases the choreographies bring out. For example, Romeo and Juliet is one of the most popular Shakespeare plays for ballet. I look at two different versions – one a 1940s Soviet version, the other a 1960s British version. One emphasises the social side of the play, the family feud, while the other focuses on the lovers, portraying this as a love tragedy, rather than a social tragedy.

Q. How do the themes of race, gender and sexuality come through in Shakespeare’s works?

A. Shakespeare’s works, and their performance, are diverse. They include people of colour and deal with subjects of gender and sexuality.

Shakespeare wrote poems as well as plays, and his Sonnets were mostly addressed to a ‘lovely boy’. So these have issues of gender and sexuality as part of their subject.

In terms of performance, women were not allowed to act on the Elizabethan stage, so female parts were played by boys. Shakespeare also included characters where gender was a complicating factor, such as Viola in Twelfth Night – a female character (played by a boy), who disguises herself as a boy and, in her disguise, with its potentially fluid boy-girl gender, becomes a love object for a male and a female character.

How this kind of complication is presented in adaptations of Shakespeare’s work is fascinating. Ballet can often be a site for exploring this. The culture of ballet – so concerned with the expressivity of the body – can focus on issues of this kind with a special intensity.

So race, gender and sexuality can be both part of the play and can be explored and revealed as part of the performance.

Find out more:

Visit Professor David Fuller’s profile .
Our English Department is ranked 3rd in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2024 and 38 th in the 2023 QS World University Rankings by subject. Feeling inspired? Visit our English Studies webpages for more information on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

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4. Find Sources

Once you've narrowed your topic and thought about keywords, try searching the databases below for potential sources you can use for your paper. Try to find sources that provide evidence to support your thesis. If your keywords aren't working, ask a librarian for help!

Literature Databases / Articles

The following databases are the best place to start.

Gender Identity in Shakespeare's Works This topic overview from Gale Literature will provide an overview and other reference and literary criticism articles about the theme of Gender Identity in different Shakespeare's plays.
Violence in Shakespeare's Works This topic overview from Gale Literature will provide an overview and other reference and literary criticism articles of Violence in Shakespeare's plays.

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Recommended Books

We have listed several good print and electronic books that would be good sources for finding information on Shakespearean plays and Elizabethan England. These are not the only options. Search the library catalog and our eBook collections for even more books. Access to these resources are included below. The eBooks are great options because you can access them from any device and you can search the book for specific themes and keywords. If you are off-campus you will need to enter your user name and password (same as for portal) to access an eBook collection.

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Use the search box below to search the SCC Library Catalog for physical books (in one of our library locations) and eBooks. You can also open the Library Catalog or use the Advanced Search for more search options.

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Watch the Play

Below are streaming video databases that have numerous plays in them. Search each one or ask a librarian to figure out which one might contain your play.

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100 Shakespeare Essay Topics for You to Reflect On

Writing your essay on Shakespeare may seem difficult to most students, which is true… until you find our list of 100 amazing essay topics that you can reflect on and choose for your future paper! Even if you already have a problem assigned by your teacher, we are sure that our guide will help you to avoid the common mistakes. We have intentionally divided Shakespeare essay topics by subject, so you can instantly head over to the one that interests you!

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Take a Look These Great Shakespeare Essay Topics Before You Start:

Before we leave you to look through the vast amount of topics, we have a real treat for you! Our professional English tutors have picked several unique Shakespeare essay examples from our essay database. This way you can look through the actual papers to see the structure and get an idea of how it is done to receive the best grade possible! Since the students always ask us for essay examples, we have listened to your requests, so here you go:

Shakespeare Hamlet – This paper is an excellent example of a structure that allows you to see what essay elements have to be included and how to do it right.
Leadership Assignment: What Makes Shakespeare’s King Henry V a Perfect Leader? – For those who like to challenge themselves in an unusual way, this paper explores the soft skills and personality of King Henry V by comparing it with the present times.
The Symbolism of Nature in Shakespeare’s Richard II – This paper analyzes metaphors, allegories, the mood, setting and the other poetic devices that majority of English literature essays require!
Othello: Lago’s Character Analysis – Here we have an example of a paper that focuses on a specific element of a play (the character), so if you have a task of such kind, take a closer look!
Critiques of Sonnets: Sonnet 130 and The Theme of Pain – For the creative minds among us is the paper that compares student’s personal sonnet to Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130!

Now that we have the examples to start with, let us proceed with the list of our Shakespeare essay topics, divided by subject!

shakespeare essay topics for college students

Before you start with a selection of a topic that fits you, make sure that you ask your college professor or a teacher about the following:

Your chosen topic (if allowed to choose) and your thesis statement (if you already have it!).
Style or a type of your essay (reflective, comparative, debate, analytical, review, etc.).
Format requirements .
Word count limit.
Necessity of a draft and the first deadline.

Trust us, asking about the requirements twice and sorting the possible misunderstandings out will save you the time and nerves! Now, straight to the topics!

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay Topics

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy play. It is set on Fairyland. It talks about the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus and the former queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta. The play also narrates of adventures of four Athenian lovers and six amateur actors.

What types of love are present in the play? How is the love portrayed in the play? Enumerate scenes from the play to justify your answer.
How is love portrayed in the context of the gender of the characters?
Do you see any gender issues in the play? If so, cite them. Do you think that the gender issues you cited are still prevalent in today’s society? Why or why not?
What are the behaviors of men and women in the play? Why do you think they act that way?
What is the conflict in the play? Why do you think so?
How did the characters develop in the play?
Why do you think Puck is considered as the protagonist?
Compare and contrast the characters’ perspective on love. Choose one human and one fairy character to make your comparison.
Why is fantasy (Fairies and magic) present in A Midsummer Night’s Dream? What is its significance? Do you think that it symbolizes something? Why or why not?
What do you think is/are the significance of the settings of the play? How do the norms differ in each of the settings?
What are the similarities and differences between the movie version and the play?
What is/are the themes of the play?
What is/are the darker aspects of the play? Cite and justify your claims.
Why is the title of the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream ?
Read about the criticisms of the play. It can be a literary or a feminist critique. Do you agree or disagree with the critiques? Justify your answer.
In what ways is this play considered a comedy? Cite some instances in the story.

Julius Caesar Research Paper Topics

Julius Caesar is a historical and tragedy play. It is based on the events of the Roman civilization.

How did Caesar rise into power? And what factors have led to his downfall?
Do you think that ambition led to Caesar’s downfall? Do you think that he is ambitious to a fault? Justify your argument.
Discuss the political setting/dynamics of the play. How do politics work during Caesar’s time?
Discuss the setting of the play. You can also highlight the culture and values of the Roman Republic.
What is/are the role of women in the play and the Roman Republic?
What role/s do superstitions play in the story?
What compelled Brutus to murder Caesar, his close friend? Do an analysis.
How did Brutus and Anthony manage to sway the people’s opinion on Caesar? What were their tactics?
How are fate and free will manifested in the play?
Research any political assassination (Ex: Martin Luther King’s assassination ). What are the similarities or differences between your chosen political assassination to Caesar’s assassination?
Write a comparative analysis of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and Homer’s The Odyssey.
How did Plutarch and Shakespeare portray Julius Caesar?
Compare and contrast one character from Julius Caesar to another character from Shakespeare’s other work (s) (Ex: Othello )
In your opinion, do you think that the death of Caesar was justified?
If you were in Brutus’ shoes, would you kill Caesar? Why or why not? Justify your answer.
Do you think that Brutus was a dishonorable man, considering that he is a traitor to his country and his friend? Why or why not?

King Lear Essay Topics

King Lear is another of Shakespeare’s tragic plays. Set in ancient Britain, King Lear decides to give up his power and to divide his kingdom amongst his daughters, namely Cordelia, Regan, and Goneril. The largest land will go to the daughter who can profess her love to him the most.

What are the themes tackled in King Lear?
What is the significance of old age and death in the play?
King Lear has a subplot. Discuss the role the subplot plays in the story and give examples.
In what ways does King Lear fit the template of a tragic hero?
Between Edmund, Gloucester, and King Lear, who is the most sympathetic character? Take note that these characters have changed as the play progresses.
What is the role and significance of the Fool in King Lear? Cite examples from the play.
Write a comparative analysis of King Lear and Oedipus Rex.
In your opinion, who among the characters is the most interesting? Why?
How does Shakespeare build tension in King Lear? Cite instances from the play.
Relate the characters Edmund, Goneril, and Regan with Machiavelli’s principles. Which of the characters are the most Machiavellian? In what ways do Machiavelli’s principles manifest in the characters?
How is King Lear similar to Kurosawa’s film Ran in terms of characters, plot, and the themes ?
Discuss and analyze the parent-child relationship in King Lear.

Macbeth Essay Topics

It is a tragedy about a Scottish general named Macbeth . The plot revolves since the moment when the three witches prophesied that he would be the King of Scotland someday.

What instances led to Macbeth’s madness? How did he change as a person?
What is the significance of the three witches in the play? How are they characterized?
Enumerate the prophecies of the three witches. How were these prophecies fulfilled?
What do ambition and power signify in the play?
Do you think that Macbeth is misogynistic? Why or why not? Give examples.
What do you think is the difference between kingship and tyranny?
Blood is present in Macbeth. What do you think it symbolizes?
What role does the weather play in Macbeth? Write down what it symbolizes.
Are gender roles/issues present in the play? How are these roles/issues illustrated in the play?
Compare and contrast Macbeth and Malcolm. What makes these men similar and different?
Is Lady Macbeth or Macbeth most responsible for King Duncan’s murder? Justify.
Give two minor characters and write how they contributed to the play.

Othello Essay Topics

Othello is about a general (moor) in the Venetian army and Iago, his ensign. It is one of Shakespeare’s tragic plays.

What is the role of revenge and jealousy in the play? Give examples.
Discuss racism in the context of the play. Then, relate it to racism during the Elizabethan period.
How do other characters portray Othello? How does Othello portray himself? Elaborate on the role of race in the play.
In your opinion, do you think that Othello is a well-rounded character? Does he fit the template of a tragic hero?
Do a character analysis of Desdemona.
Do a feminist critique of Desdemona.
How did Othello’s flaws lead to his downfall?
Analyze Iago’s plan . Do you think that it was well-planned or were there luck and opportunity involved?
Iago is skilled in persuasion. How did Iago manage to convince Roderigo and Brabantio?
Discuss the role of irony in the play. How is irony used to conceal Iago and Othello’s plans?
How is loyalty presented in the play? Discuss both its positive and negative aspects of the characters.
Why do you think that Othello and Desdemona’s relationship was bound to fail? Why was it doomed to fail right from the beginning of the play?
Do a cultural and historical-critical analysis of Othello.
Interpret Othello in a Marxist perspective.

Romeo and Juliet Essay Prompts

While almost anyone knows the plot of the play well, it is still really difficult to come up with a good essay prompt! Have no fear as we know our job! For those who have forgotten, Romeo and Juliet is a romantic tragedy play centering on Romeo and Juliet and the Capulet-Montague family feud.

Do you agree that Friar Lawrence is to be blamed for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet?
Why do you think that Romeo and Juliet are considered as “star-crossed lovers”?
Do you think that the themes in the play are also present in today’s time? Why or why not?
What is the role of fate/destiny in the play? Do you consider fate/destiny as part of the play’s theme?
Do you consider Juliet as a feminist? Why or why not?
How are men and women perceived in Romeo and Juliet?
Choose one or two characters from the play and do character analysis.
What is the role of Mercutio in the play? Do you think that he is only a supporting character? Justify your answer.
How did Juliet develop as a character in the play? What sort of changes occurred and why did the said changes happen?
Compare and contrast the maturity level of Romeo and Juliet. How have they matured throughout the play? Cite instances.
How did the Montague-Capulet family feud drive the play’s plot?
Discuss the parenting styles of Romeo and Juliet’s family. What is the impact of their parenting styles on the young couple?
Relate the philosophy of death with the couple’s suicidal tendencies.
Do you think that Romeo and Juliet love each other? Or is it just pure lust or infatuation? Justify your answer.
Do you think that the couple’s suicidal tendencies are part of pure love or being addicted to love?
Relate the Romeo and Juliet’s suicidal tendencies to young love.

The Merchant of Venice Essay Topics

The Merchant of Venice is a romantic comedy play centered around the story of Bassanio, a young Venetian, who needs 3,000 ducats to impress the heiress Portia of Belmont. It is also about the merchant named Antonio, who is short on cash because he invested it on his ships.

Compare and contrast Venice and Belmont. What does the difference in setting signify?
What purpose do the three caskets serve in The Merchant of Venice? How do the caskets work as a plot device? What do the choices of Portia’s suitors signify in the play?
How are the female characters portrayed in the play? What was the status of women in the Elizabethan era?
What is/are the influence/s of radical feminism in The Merchant of Venice?
Discuss racism and discrimination in the play. Cite instances to justify your argument.
How is Portia’s life different or similar to the other characters in the play? Describe the similarities and differences.
Discuss the friendship of Antonio and Bassanio. What does their friendship say about their personalities?
Write about the relationship between Shylock and Jessica. In this context, do you sympathize or despise Shylock? Do you sympathize with Jessica? Why or why not?
Do you think The Merchant of Venice is a comedy considering that it is mostly known for its dramatic scenes? Why or why not?
Do you think that Shylock is a well-rounded character? If so, what makes him well-rounded?
Do you sympathize with Shylock? Why or why not?
Why do you think Shylock is justifying his revenge for Antonio? Justify your answer.
Who is the most interesting character in the play? Why do you find him/her interesting?
Do you see Portia as a radical feminist? Justify your answer.

There you go! Now that you have found your way through Shakespeare essay topic, prompts, and the ideas, it is always good to check up with brief biographical information that is advisable to include in your essay!

Who Is William Shakespeare?

We may know his plays well, but most people know very little about the person behind the plays that we usually read in school!

William Shakespeare’s Early Life

William Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. However, scholars speculated and acknowledged that he was born on April 23, 1564. He was an actor, a playwright, and a poet.

On November 28, 1583, 18-year-old William married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway (Yes, that’s his wife’s name!) in Worcester, located in Canterbury province. The couple’s first child was Susanna (May 26, 1583). They had twins- Hamnet and Judith two years later. Later on, 11-year-old Hamnet died of unknown causes.

Shakespeare’s Career, Death, and Legacy

Documents have shown that William was a managing partner in an acting company in London called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men by early 1590s. The name was changed to King’s Men when King James I was crowned in 1603.

The company was popular, and William was said to have his works sold and published. Moreover, he was known to work as an actor and playwright in London by 1592.

He dedicated his poems Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of Lucrece (1594) to the Earl of Southampton, Henry Wriothesley.

Out of 37 of his plays, 15 of them were already written and produced. William and his business partners built the Globe, their own theater, in 1599 located on the Thames River.

William Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616, when he was only 52-years-old. Interestingly, he was not recognized until the 19th century, beginning from the early 1800s and until the Victorian age. Of course, William’s Shakespeare’s works are still read and studied, so the legacy lives on!