Celebrate Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s name is recognised all over the world; his works are studied by over half of the world’s school children and have been performed more than those of any other playwright. We offer ELT materials that focus on Shakespeare life, the social and historical context of his works and the plays themselves.  

Watch readings and discussions from the 2014 British Council Literature Seminar in Berlin with authors Naomi Alderman, A S Byatt, Howard Jacobson, Tom McCarthy, Alice Oswald, Mark Ravenhill and Polly Stenham to celebrate the 450th birthday of William Shakespeare. Chair of the seminar was Professor John Mullan (Guardian Book Club). 

Read and/or listen the famous lines from the Shakespeare’s play 'As You Like It' and do the activities to check your vocabulary and comprehension.

Shakespeare is without doubt the most famous British poet and playwright that has ever lived. However, his work is often avoided by EFL teachers as they deem it too complex for their students. We can help you by giving you some ideas and advice how to teach Shakespeare.

Learn more about the greatest English playwright through this episode of the TV series 'Word on the Street', which we co-produced with BBC.

Visit the houses of Shakespeare birthplace, the childhood home of Shakespeare wife; discover the sights of Shakespeare final home in Stratford-upon- Avon and the home of his daughter and granddaughter.

Experience another side of the Globe theatre through backstage interviews, academic papers, fact sheets and other free resources. 

•Hear actors talk about their process and experiences

•Look over past productions 

•Support your study of Shakespeare with our interactive microsites

More than half of the world’s children study Shakespeare. If you like to talk about literature in class there is a lesson plan on our TeachingEnglish site.

The Bodleian Library, University of Oxford together with the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington DC, is to create the Shakespeare Quartos Archive, a freely-accessible digital collection. 

Folger Shakespeare Library, located on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC is home to the world’s largest and finest collection of Shakespeare works and materials.

From 17-23 March Shakespeare Week is being celebrated in schools, theatres, historic sites, museums, galleries, cinemas, and libraries all over the UK.