Series: Seeing Shakespeare

Set in an enchanted forest, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the ideal subject for artist Marcel Dzama, whose work frequently references dreams, fairy tales, and mythical worlds. Inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Shakespeare's celebrated romantic comedy intertwines multiple narratives under the influence of transformation and witchcraft. The play is often staged with actors wearing animal masks, an aspect that appeals...

Likely the last play written entirely by Shakespeare, The Tempest brings together various themes the bard explored in his prior plays, including magic, revenge and forgiveness, order and society, and nature versus art. The shipwreck and remote island, the spirits, and the dukes and their children, offer rich material for Wylie's works on paper and canvas. As the third title...

Othello is one of Shakespeare's most contemporary and moving plays, with its emphasis on race, revenge, murder, and lost love. Chris Ofili's new edition highlights the tragedy of Othello's plight in ways no other previous edition of this play has. In twelve etchings that Ofili has produced to illustrate this play, Othello is depicted with tears in his eyes, which...