"What do you read, my lord?" Polonius asks a febrile Hamlet in 2.2. "Words, words, words" is the unfriendly answer.
Like the theatre-mad student prince, Shakespeare's own reading of classical and contemporary texts is extensive, and watching him transform others' words into lively plots, puns, and persons is the nearest insight we get into his working practices.
"And deeper than did ever plummet sound I'll drown my book": The Tempest Act 5, Scene 1
Take our quiz on the OUPblog!
Allusions and quotations suggest Shakespeare gathered ideas from other texts
William M. Hamlin on how Montaigne's writing enriched Shakespeare's ideas
Explore our infographic guide to the Bard's books
Colin Burrow notes that Shakespeare was well-read in both contemporary and classical literature
Where did Shakespeare obtain material for his English history plays?
Consider the nature and extent of Shakespeare's debt to classics
How are Roman cultural traditions demonstrated in Shakespeare's first tragedy?
Ovid's methods of composition, sources of inspiration, and other qualities are echoed in Shakesperean literature
Shared political themes reflect how 16th-century England understood itself
Paulina Kewes, Ian W. Archer, and Felicity Heal
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Jonathan Bate
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William M. Hamlin
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Niall Rudd
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William Shakespeare
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Colin Burrow
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Arthur F Kinney
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Robert S. Miola
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Stanley Wells
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