bardolater * \bar-DAH-luh-ter\ (noun)
: a person who idolizes Shakespeare

Example sentence:
The annual Shakespeare festival attracts bardolaters from all over the world.

Did you know?
George Bernard Shaw once described a Shakespeare play as "stagy trash." Another time, Shaw said he'd like to dig Shakespeare from the grave and throw stones at him. Shaw could be equally scathing toward Shakespeare's adoring fans. He called them "foolish Bardolaters," wrote of "Bardolatrous" ignoramuses, and called blind Shakespeare worship "Bardolatry." Oddly enough, Shaw didn't despise Shakespeare or his work (on the contrary, he was, by his own admission, an admirer), but he disdained those who placed the man beyond reproach. The word "bardolater," which Shaw coined by blending Shakespeare's epithet-"the Bard"-with an affix that calls to mind "idolater," has stuck with us to this day, though it has lost some of its original critical sting.

Probably the best place in the whole world to see a Shakespeare play! Every thing makes sence when you see the theater for youself. This is the way Shakespeare is ment to be seen!

You could spend $75 to by a big volume of Shakespeare's plays, or you cold just go to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Online and read what you need to for free. How great is that! It's conveniently laid out by scene so you can just click on the section you need to read and you're good to go. I love the internet

If you really want to read the good versions of Shakespeare's plays you need to read the First Folio version. After Shakespeare's death, his actors got together and pooled their copies of his plays and published them in the First Folio. As a result, the First Folio edition is the performing actor's version which the public at the time was actually watching. The First Folio is a much better representation of Shakespeare's talents than the modern day edited versions you normally read.

If you want a Shakespeare play to walk around with to read at your own convenience, and you don't feel like printing out a whole play from the internet or lugging around a huge Complete Works, may I suggest The Oxford School Shakespeare Series. The text is really well laid out and easy to follow, the notes are printed next to the lines of text as opposed to below, and pages are large so the text is un-cramped and the character names aren't abbreviated. Oxford University Press has really made the whole experience of reading Shakespeare's plays more enjoyable. If you want, you can also get them through Amazon.com.

Secrets of Acting Shakespeare : The Original Approach
This is the best Shakespeare book I've ever read. Patrick and his theater company, through years of work, have re-discovered the way Shakespeare himself had his plays performed. Once you know what Shakespeare is telling you as an actor when you read the text, Shakespeare's works make so much more sense. I wish I had had this book years ago. Shakespeare's plays are so much more fun to read, watch, and perform ever since this book came into my life.

First Folio Speeches for Women

First Folio Speeches for Men

Patrick Tucker has put together two great monologue books based on the techniques he covers in The Secrets of Acting Shakespeare. They're a wonderful crash course in what Shakespeare is telling you to do as an actor when you read his plays. They're kinda hard to find, but I think getting them straight from the publisher is a pretty good bet.

NOTE: Their stupid website won’t let me click through straight to the books, so... Go to Oberon Books, type patrick into the search window, select author from the menu below it, and click go. That will take you to the 2 books you want to buy.
You could also check Amazon for either the Men or the Women ones.

Playing Shakespeare : An Actor's Guide
This is one of the most revered books on Acting in Shakespeare Plays there is.

Look! Patsy Rothenburg wrote a book on Shakespeare. I love her other books...

Shakespeare For Dummies®. This is actually a great book. It really brakes down Shakespeare's plays and makes Shakespeare much more understandable.

Improv Shakespeare Crash Course

If you have to improvise a Shakespeare play tomorrow, but haven't take the time to know Shakespeare's works inside and out, here are some tips I've come up with to help make your life easier.

The Friendly Shakespeare. Like Shakespeare for Dummies, but wont make you look stupid when you read it in a cafe.

An essay on Sex in Shakespeare and a Dictionary explaining what a bunch of the words in Shakespeare's plays really mean.

A much bigger dictionary of words explaining what the words in Shakespeare's plays really mean.