WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

The latest return to Shakespeare by the Folger Theatre is more muddle than magic.

Merchants of Venice takes William Shakespeare’s traditional Merchant of Venice, but with a modern-contemporary twist that highlights parts of our Fort Lauderdale history as it pertains to racial inequality and economic disparity. The Traditional Shakespearean “Merchant of Venice” was a 16th-century play in which a merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. However, in this Historic Fort Lauderdale version, the play is set in the mid-1930’s— highlighting social issues and the current events of that time. “Our take on ‘Merchants of Venice’ replaces Shakespeare’s Venice with Miami and Belmont with Fort Lauderdale, with a focus on the South Florida Black Renaissance beginning after The Great Depression. As a part of their programming each year, Grace Center produces a Shakespearean adaption that infuses Florida History.

Baz Luhrmann’s chaotic, maximalist approach works for one reason: The story of Elvis Presley should be a mess.

Consider a pilgrimage to see "Hamlet" in Canada, Broadway shows in Kansas City and St. Louis, and "Cinderella" in Utah.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has evoked wartime British leader Winston Churchill in a speech to Britain's Parliament.

Sections of the 82-page lawsuit are titled things like "The Rise of the Machines," "Gaslighting: The REAL Big Lie," and "Shut Up Or Else."

An Argentine TV presenter confuses the Immortal Bard with a British namesake who died this week.

Agatha Christie's mysterious disappearance: What really happened? Author Agatha Christie has sold an estimated 2 billion copies of her works, second only to the Bible and the works of William Shakespeare. But as people continue reading her mysteries today, many have forgotten about the biggest mystery in Christie's own life — a sensational disappearance that took place not long after WWI. That disappearance is the focus of a new novel by Marie Benedict. Jeff Glor sat down with her.

The world also said goodbye to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement who died in July. Other former political figures who died this year include Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, New York Mayor David Dinkins, Arizona Gov. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2020 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___David Stern, 77. The guitarist who supplied the scratching, seething sound that fueled the highly influential British punk band Gang of Four. He fused African rhythms with funk to become one of the most influential musicians in world dance music.

LONDON Maggie OFarrell won the Womens Prize for Fiction on Wednesday for Hamnet, a novel that explores the lives of William Shakespeares often-maligned wife and lost son. OFarrells novel beat finalists including Hilary Mantels Tudor saga The Mirror and the Light and Bernardine Evaristos Booker Prize winner Girl, Woman, Other to the 30,000-pound ($39,000) award. The Northern Ireland-born O'Farrell said she had long been fascinated by Hamnet Shakespeare, who died aged 11 in 1596 likely from the plague. Shakespeare himself is never mentioned by name in Hamnet, which centers on his children and wife Anne Hathaway, called Agnes in the book. OFarrell said Hathaway has been portrayed as an illiterate strumpet because she was uneducated and eight years older than Shakespeare.

"It is with a broken heart and with infinite sadness that we have the extreme pain of announcing the departure of Max von Sydow,” Diamond said. In 1980, von Sydow starred as the evil emperor Ming the Merciless in "Flash Gordon." He was baptized Carl Adolf von Sydow, but later changed his first name to Max. “I’m very grateful to the schooling I had in Sweden because in order to learn acting you have to work, work, work,” he said. Von Sydow married Swedish actress Christina Olin in 1951 and had two sons, Clas and Henrik.

Now, you and your star-crossed lover have the opportunity to stay in Juliet's historic home in fair Verona, Italy poison not included. Airbnb is granting one couple access to the site where William Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet" made their first declaration of love to each other. On February 14, the 13th century Casa di Giulietta is allowing one couple to stay there for the first time since the 1930s. Juliet's balcony, where William Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet" made their first declaration of love to each other. All love letters must be submitted by February 2 at 11:59 p.m.

1616: English playwright and poet William Shakespeare, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist, dies at the age of 52 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. His tragic plays written in

Four hundred years after the passing of William Shakespeare, an organization is bringing the playwright's work all around the world. Charlie D'Agata has their story.

Historian Mark Griffiths claims to have decoded directions to the first known images of historic playwright William Shakespeare. However, some experts are skeptical. CBSN's Elaine Quijano reports on the controversial claim.