The Folger Shakespeare Library
A national treasure, this incredible collection of Shakespearean plays, memorabilia, and artifacts was amassed by an Amherst student after hearing Ralph Waldo Emerson lecture on his love of the Bard. Henry Clay Folger began the collection by buying a cheap set of Shakespeare's plays and from there went on to put together the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, now housed in the Folger Shakespeare Library.
The Folger Library has a great interactive Web site for kids, featuring games and fun facts from the collection. In addition, on Saturdays, groups can book performance workshops for families on such things as Elizabethan swordplay. There's usually a matinee performance at the theater, so it might be fun to perform in a Shakespeare play in the morning and then see one that afternoon!
On the exterior of the marble building are nine raised art deco reliefs depicting scenes from Shakespeare's plays. A statue of Puck, from
On the east side of the building is an Elizabethan garden, with flowers and herbs from Shakespeare's time. In warm weather the garden is included in the library tour.
The LibraryThe Folger Library is an active research center for both Shakespearean scholars and those who wish to research English and Renaissance history and literature. There are more than a quarter of a million books on hand, many of which are very rare, such as early editions of Shakespeare's plays. The collection also features a number of rare Renaissance manuscripts, musical instruments, costumes, and paintings. The Reading Room, which is open to the public in April only, during the library's annual celebration of Shakespeare's birth, houses a replica of the bust of Shakespeare on view at Stratford's Trinity Church. At the other end is a stained-glass window showing the seven ages of man from
Washington D.C. has one of the best Shakespearean theater companies in the country, dedicated to classical theater. The Shakespeare Theatre in the nation's capital performs five plays a year (not all Shakespeare) at its home — downtown at 450 7th Street — and two weeks of free Shakespeare every summer at the “Shakespeare Free for All” in Rock Creek Park. Call 877-487-8849 or 202-547-1122 for information.
The interior Great Hall is chock-full of Shakespeare-related decor, from the wood-paneled walls with a carved relief of the Bard to the painted plaster ceiling depicting Shakespeare's coat of arms to the tiled floor inlaid with the masks of Comedy and Tragedy.
Other FacilitiesSpecial exhibits on the works of Shakespeare, as well as other Renaissance interests, are on view throughout the year. The Library also hosts PEN-Faulkner readings, poetry readings, and a concert series. There is a performance space designed to resemble an Elizabethan theater with a three-tiered gallery, carved oak columns, and a sky balcony at the end of the Great Hall. Performances are given here throughout the year.
There is also an extensive gift shop on the premises.
Location and HoursThe Folger Shakespeare Library is located on Capitol Street, near the Capitol South Metro station on the Blue or Orange Line. Visitor hours are Monday through Saturday from 10
