Research Guides: Shakespeare: Secondary Sources

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by Anne Trenholme Last Updated Oct 1, 2024 400 views this year

Finding secondary sources

There are many ways to find secondary sources related to the study of Shakespeare.

First might be to consult reference sources mentioned elsewhere in this guide: the entries in most of these will include bibliographies which can lead you to secondary sources. This can be particularly helpful as the amount of scholarship on Shakespeare is so vast.

You can also consult our library catalog:

A simple keyword search, perhaps using his name and a keyword related to your topic might produce good results

Catalog search: "shakespeare and prison"

Books ABOUT an author's work can be found by doing a subject heading search for the author's name. For an author like Shakespeare, there will also be many subheadings, leading you quickly to books about specific aspects of the author's work.

Catalog search: Shakespeare William 1564 1616 Musical Settings

Remember also that your search can be broadened by searching through the OhioLINK Central Catalog, allowing you to find and request books from academic libraries from across the state.

Catalog search: musical settings of Shakespeare's work

You can also search for articles related to Shakespeare.

JSTOR Understanding Shakespeare
Connecting digital texts from the Folger Shakespeare Library with articles on JSTOR.
Pick a play. Click a line. Instantly see articles on JSTOR that reference the line.
Shakespeare Survey
The annual Shakespeare Survey publishes thematic essays related to current scholarship and productions of Shakespeare.
Shakespeare Studies
Another annual is Shakespeare Studies, an international volume published annually in hard cover and featuring essays and studies by critics and cultural historians from both hemispheres. Although the journal maintains a focus on the theatrical milieu of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, it is also concerned with Britain's intellectual and cultural connections to the continent, its sociopolitical history, and its place in the emerging globalism of the period. In addition to articles, the journal includes substantialreviews of significant publications dealing with these issues, as well as theoretical studies relevant to scholars of early modern culture.

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
A broad multi-disciplinary database encompassing areas in art, science, and humanities. Includes full-text, plus indexing and abstracts for monographs, reports, conference proceedings, and other publications.
MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
An index to books and articles published on modern languages, literature, folklore, and linguistics. Coverage includes literature from all over the world. Folklore is represented by folk literature, music, art, rituals, and belief systems. Linguistics and language materials range from history and theory of linguistics, comparative linguistics, semantics, stylistics, and syntax to translation. Other topics include literary theory and criticism, dramatic arts (film, radio, television, theater), and history of printing and publishing. The MLA Directory of Periodicals and the Association's proprietary thesaurus used to assign descriptors to each record in the bibliography are also included.