This Bard (Not THE Bard)
Jamie Harrison has been an English teacher for 20 years. Currently, she teaches 8th grade English at Dana L. Lyon Middle School in Bath, New York. In her free time, Jamie enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with friends and family, including her four-year-old Himalayan cat named Poe, whom she rescued from the Buffalo Animal Shelter in 2023.
Jamie is currently enrolled in the MS Information Science School Library program at the University at Albany. Her favorite Shakespearean character is Lady Macbeth, and yes, she thinks Shakespeare's got aura.
Poll
Thou Art Welcome!
Do you secretly cheer when the character you love to hate finally gets revenge? Do you love ghost stories, witches stirring up trouble, and toxic romances—or happy endings? If you find yourself nodding along to all of this, we hate to break it to you. You love Shakespeare—you just might not know it yet. His plays are full of love, magic, ambition, and complicated relationships—the same things that make the movies, shows, and books we love today so binge-worthy.
This guide is designed for high school students who are just beginning to study Shakespeare and want to understand his works and the world in which he lived. It provides research strategies and helpful keywords for exploring library catalogs and academic databases. You’ll also find an assortment of resources like websites, books, articles, and multimedia that can support your understanding of Shakespeare’s complex language, themes, and historical context, and help you discover a deeper appreciation for The Bard's creativity and influence.
Twitter. (n.d.). [Shakespeare emoji]. In Face value: What did Shakespeare really look like? BBC. Retrieved August 11, 2025, from https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/HCCXjlFZJQTQPm5vhcvvXw/face-value-what-did-shakespeare-really-look-like
Wherefore Art Thou, Will?
New York Times. (2016, April 27). There is no escaping Shakespeare [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv4fWhObaTM