On June 2, 2022 the Folger hosts its Virtual Book Club, featuring a discussion on Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalola. To prepare for the discussion, we have pulled together a list of Folger resources related to mythology and Shakespeare.

LISTEN to podcast episodes exploring Shakespeare, mythology, and adaptation

• Episode 8: Why Shakespeare’s Stories Still Resonate
• Episode 23: Myths About Shakespeare
• Episode 72: Adapting Shakespeare
• Episode 138: Shakespeare and Folktales
• Episode 146: Jonathan Bate on the Classics and Shakespeare

LEARN more about Shakespeare’s use of Greek mythology

• Introducing Shakespeare and Greek Myths: Theseus and Hippolyta
• Circe: A transformative enchantress
• Aphrodite (Venus): The oft-invoked goddess of love
  • Venus and Adonis: The classical myth that inspired Shakespeare’s epic poem and John Blow’s 17th-century opera
• Athena: How Shakespeare’s plays invoke the Greek goddess of wisdom and battle strategy
• Artemis: A fierce and fickle goddess
• Quiz: Greek mythological figures in Shakespeare’s plays

COMPARE Babalola’s treatment of Pyramus and Thisbe with Shakespeare’s version

• Act 5 of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• John, Paul, Pyramus, and Thisbe: The Beatles performing Shakespeare

Words, Words, Words discusses Bolu Babalola’s Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold on June 2, 2022. Register to join the discussion through our website.