Friends, readers, countrymen, lend us your ears! 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, and all of Chicago is coming together to honor the famous playwright who gave us the romance of Romeo and Juliet, the drama of Macbeth and the soul-searching of Hamlet through Shakespeare 400 Chicago, a yearlong international arts festival celebrating the vibrancy, relevance and reach of Shakespeare.
Explore Shakespeare’s legacy with events and resources at CPL:
- Screenings of Shakespeare and Shakespeare-inspired films throughout the year at CPL locations across the city.
- Shakespeare Read-Aloud Book Club, a brand-new event at Harold Washington Library Center featuring Richard III, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. No need to read in advance!
- Chicago Theater Collection (and our Historic Programs Digital Collection): We'll provide monthly posts on interesting artifacts of fellow Chicagoans performing, reading and engaging with Shakespeare throughout our city’s history.
- Online resources that offer historical information about Shakespeare and his works, words he created and even a chance to learn to talk like Shakespeare and his friends through Mango Languages. Heigh-ho!
- And, of course, our extensive collection of Shakespeare's plays and the huge variety of books, films, musical scores and more that he has inspired.
Join us in celebrating the playwright whose words have moved the world for 400 years!
