Shakespeare's works contain first-ever recordings of 2,035 English words, including: critical, frugal, excellent, barefaced, assassination, and countless.
Many of Shakespeare's plays are based on others' earlier plays, histories, and poems. This was common practice at that time.
The first definite reference to Shakespeare as a playwright is in a pamphlet by Robert Greene, who wrote, “There is an upstart Crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tiger's heart wrapped in a Player's hide, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you: and being an absolute Johannes fac totum, is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country.” “Tiger's heart wrapped in a Player's hide” is an allusion to a line from Henry VI, Part 3.
Shakespeare is listed as an actor on documents from 1592, 1598, 1603, and 1608. It is supposed that he played mostly unassuming parts, such as the ghost in Hamlet, to allow him more time to write.
Broad collection of scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers in most academic subjects. A great starting point for any topic!
Academic Search Complete contains 18,000+ multidisciplinary titles indexed and abstracted (16,000+ are peer-reviewed) and 9,000+ full-text publications. Strength and weakness: very broad, so searchers are likely to find results, but may be overwhelmed by quantity. INSPIRE.
Full-text of core academic journal articles, books, and primary sources in 75 disciplines.
JSTOR is a collection of scholarly journal articles in the humanities and social sciences. It's entire collection contains around 2,000 journals, although local access will vary. These are subscriptions, and chosen individually, so each collection will reflect the focus of the institution. The collection's strength lies in its complete back issues of journal titles, while a weakness is a "moving wall" limiting access to the most recent journal issues. Subscription.
Selected Journals
Medieval & Renaissance Drama in England
Contains essays & studies by critics and cultural historians as well as substantial reviews of books & essays dealing with medieval and early modern English drama.
Renaissance News
The leading American journal of Renaissance studies, encouraging connections between different scholarly approaches to bring together material spanning the period from 1300 to 1650 in Western history.
Renaissance Quarterly
At forum for articles of original & significant research and interpretation, as well as surveys of the field, forums, and colloquia that benefit the ongoing development of Renaissance scholarship.
Shakespeare Quarterly
SQ is the world's foremost journal focusing on all aspects of Shakespeare studies. Topics for essays and notes cover criticism of the plays and poems, theater history, Shakespeare pedagogy, the history of Shakespeare as an institution, and studies in editing, text, canon, and bibliography.
Shakespeare Studies
An international volume of essays, studies and reviews dealing with the cultural history of early modern England and the place of Shakespeare's production in it.
Studies in the Renaissance
A multi-disciplinary journal which publishes articles & editions of documents on all aspects of Renaissance history and culture.
