To be or not to be? That is the question.
Who hasn’t heard those famous lines from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet? For all the Shakespearean Renaissance fans out there, presenting the top 50 best Web sites for modern-day bards and Shakespeare-a-holics. You’ll find everything from Shakespeare news blogs to great resources to help with that Renaissance literature paper due tomorrow.

Shakespeare News and Tid-Bits

1. The Shakespeare Post – This site brings you Shakespeare-related news from around the world, from performances and exhibitions to research opportunities and conferences.
2. News on the Rialto – In addition to news and reviews of the latest Shakespeare performances, this site follows Shakespeare-related “tweets” from Twitter.
3. Mr. Shakespeare’s Blog – This site gives you the low-down on the latest Shakespeare-related literature, offers tips on taking a Bard-inspired road trip, and delves into fascinating Shakespeare trivia.
4. The Bardathon – This University of Warwick blog reviews Shakespeare performances, and offers news on collaborative Shakespeare projects.
5. BardBox – This site primarily features alternative explorations of Shakespeare, such as Macbeth music videos, a fan-made Simpsons/Othello mash-up, and contemporary TV interviews asking young collegiate how they feel about the death of Shakespeare’s Sir Andrew Aguecheek.
6. Shakespeare and Film – This site reviews all aspects of Shakespeare and media, from what you’d expect (reviews of various movie interpretations of the Bard’s plays) to what you never saw coming (links to every Shakespeare reference in Star Trek).
7. Primrose Road – This simple blog deals with the topic of Shakespeare authorship, and also offers stories from the world of teaching Shakespeare.
8. Shakespeare Portraits – This site features art from around the world concerning Shakespeare, from his world to his writing.
9. The Shakespeare Adventure – A huge compilation of Shakespeare news from all over the world and an extensive collection of Shakespeare-related media, makes sure that The Shakespeare Adventure joins the top 50 list.

Learn William Shakespeare

10. Bardiac – This site brings you the unique perspective of a Shakespeare professor as she dishes on the best editions of the Bard’s work, as well as the risks and rewards of teaching Shakespeare.
11. Shakespeare Teacher – Ideal for those teaching the words of the Immortal Bard, this site has brain-twisting puzzles, insightful anagrams, and a dash of politics.
12. eNotes on Shakespeare – Although this blog has been abandoned as of April 2009, the archives are a treasure trove of Shakespearean goodies. It will take you weeks to get through all the blog posts.
13. About.com: Shakespeare – This site gives you the low-down on Shakespeare’s plays, links to Bard blogs, and asks a variety of thought-provoking questions.
14. Teaching Shakespeare – The Blog! – This Shakespeare-teaching blog dishes on theatre performances, Shakespeare pedagogies, and entertaining anecdotes from life in the classroom.
15. Explore Shakespeare’s Works Like Never Before – If you’re ever confused by the prose or poetry of the Bard, this site’s for you. It offers all of Shakespeare’s plays and is linked to a searchable glossary that explains every word.

Read the Works of William Shakespeare

16. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare – Thanks to the gracious school MIT, you can explore all the works by Mr. Shakespeare online and for free.
17. Treasures in Full: Shakespeare in Quarto – So you think you’ve read Shakespeare, huh? This site lets you read “107 copies of the 21 plays” that the Bard “printed in quarto before the 1642 theatre closures.”
18. On Words and Upwards! – This site offers definitions and contexts for ye olde words, giving you a necessary primary for diving into the wordy world of Shakespeare.
19. The Master of Verona – The author of this book by the same name details life in the publishing world, travel anecdotes, and what it’s like to expand Shakespeare’s world.
20. William Shakespeare Experience – This virtual book club lets you read the Bard with like-minded souls from across the world and share your thoughts and observations.

Shakespeare Bard-a-holics

21. bardseyeview – This clever site uses passages from Shakespeare to explore everything from the written intentions of Shakespeare to what his words tell us about conflict with Iran.
22. The Bard Blog – This site explores lessons from deep within the Bard’s words, and also offers reviews of Shakespeare-related works.
23. Shakespeare Geek – This site delves into Shakespeare tattoos, Kenneth Brannagh’s latest productions, and even a calendar for upcoming Bard productions.
24. I Love Shakespeare – This no-frills site reviews Shakespeare-related books, offers various stage anecdotes, and challenges you to look at the Bard in a whole new way.
25. The Bard Spot – This site analyzes Shakespeare’s plays with in-depth historical sidebars investigating all aspects of the Bard’s tales.
26. shakespeare wuz ere – This humorous blog dishes dirt from deep within Shakespeare’s stomping grounds of Stratford-upon-Avon, letting you follow the misadventures of local politics and the Elizabethan (or perhaps Jacobean) reaction to a local “adult” shop.

Shakespeare Behind the Curtain

27. Shakespeare and Company Blog – This acting company blogs about stage life, links to amazing multimedia, and gives you a behind-the-curtain look at Shakespeare’s plays.
28. Flatwater Shakespeare’s Blog News – This humorous site blogs about the performance of Shakespeare in Nebraska, with wacky audience stories and a lot of heart.
29. Theatre Blog – This blog dishes on Shakespeare on and off stage, from whether you should get married on Juliet’s balcony to the veracity of Shakespeare’s media portrayals.
30. Behind the Arras – The Actors Shakespeare Project blog details Shakespeare’s sources of information, re-examines old plays in a new light, and offers stories from rehearsals and performances.
31. ShakespeareCast – For Bard fans on the go, this podcast is going through the entirety of Shakespeare’s works. You’ll never have to miss a line.
32. The Royal Shakespeare Company Blog – This is a great all around site, offering Shakespeare news, summaries of plays, and the unique perspective of a group that not only regularly performs Shakespeare, they regularly publish about him.
33. The Rebel Shakespeare Company – This site lets you follow the news and reviews of a company that’s been helping children explore their own lives through Shakespeare for 20 years.

Who Was Shakespeare?

34. Hank Whittenmore’s Shakespeare Blog – This is the blog of a one-man show that sets out to “demonstrate that ‘Shakespeare’ was a pen name used for royal politics.” So many theories, so little time!
35. “Shakespeare” By Another Name – The author of this book by the same name blogs about publications, English history, and just who Shakespeare really was.
36. News, Resources, and Discussion Boards On the Shakespeare Authorship Question – The name says it all: this is your one-stop shop to debate who authored Shakespeare’s works, and who the man (or woman) behind the Bard might have been.
37. The De Vere Society – Here’s another great site devoted to the notion that Edward de Vere is the man we know as William Shakespeare. Curious?
38. Marlowe’s Ghost – Did Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare’s contemporary, write Shakespeare’s plays? Explore this blog and see if you believe the theory.
39. Shakespeare Papers – Shakespeare Papers casts the notion that Edward de Vere was actually Shakespeare by analyzing texts, history, and everything in-between through several very thorough sections.

Shakespeare Resources

40. Folger Shakespeare Library – This Bard-riffic library has information suitable for everyone from kindergarteners to college professors. It’s a great resource for book report research.
41. Folger Shakespeare Quarterly – The Shakespeare Quarterly is an extension of the Folger Shakespeare Library. The journal was founded by the Shakespeare Association of America in 1950. Browse the archives of the magazine or subscribe to keep current on Shakespeare studies of all kinds.
42. Shakespeare and the Renaissance – An awesome resource on all things Renaissance and some Shakespeare goodies too. A supremely good overview of Shakespearean, Renaissance and Elizabethan studies.
43. Shakespeare Search – A simple search engine that allows you find words, phrases, keywords, and specific lines throughout Shakespeare’s works.
44. Shakespeare & Internet Search Tools & Resources – This all-in-one site offers all of the Shakespeare tools you could need, from search tools and archives to blog links and reference guides.
45. Shaksper – If you can’t make it to a Shakespeare conference in real life, attend this electronic one. It’s complete with papers, references, technical info, and more.
46. Shakespeare Oxford Society – The Shakespeare Oxford Society reviews books, posts news, and summarizes conferences concerning all things Shakespeare intelligently.

Renaissance Fans

47. Wynken de Word – A Renaissance-fan librarian blog dishes on books, early modern culture, the history of print, and much more.
48. Prospero’s Books – This unique site posits that it is an Internet representation of Prospero’s library, and offers commentary on what the words can teach us about relationships, myths, and spirituality.
49. Blogging the Renaissance – This great site uses many photographs of Old Europe to bring the Renaissance to life.
50. Gallimaufry of Whits – This quirky librarian blog delves into all aspects of older literature, and even offers software to help you find the words you’re looking for.