4. Find Sources

Once you've narrowed your topic and thought about keywords, try searching the databases below for potential sources you can use for your paper. Try to find sources that provide evidence to support your thesis. If your keywords aren't working, ask a librarian for help!

Literature Databases / Articles

The following databases are the best place to start.

Gale Literature
Gale Literature allows you to search all of Gale’s literary databases and literature eBook titles in one database.
Bloom's Literature
Writings of Harold Bloom as well as other critics. Features author biographies, overviews, synopses, analyses and literary criticism of thousands of works from novels to poetry to plays, video segments, in-depth full-text entries on literary topics and themes and a literary timeline. Proxy Bypass
EBSCO Literature Databases
Search 2 EBSCO literary databases at once: Literary Reference Center and Academic Search Premier.
Dual Enrollment Access

Gender Identity in Shakespeare's Works
This topic overview from Gale Literature will provide an overview and other reference and literary criticism articles about the theme of Gender Identity in different Shakespeare's plays.
Violence in Shakespeare's Works
This topic overview from Gale Literature will provide an overview and other reference and literary criticism articles of Violence in Shakespeare's plays.

History/Culture Databases

Modern World History
A comprehensive look at world history including art, music, literature, politics and other aspects of culture from the mid-15th century to current times including United States. Thousands of subject entries, biographies, images, videos and slideshows, maps and graphs, primary sources, and timelines combine to provide a detailed and comparative view of the people, places, events, and ideas that have defined modern world history and culture.
EBSCO History Databases
Search 3 databases at once! History Reference Center, Military & Gov't Collection, European Views of the Americas: 1493-1750. Covers U.S. and World History. Proxy Bypass
Gale in Context: World History
Full-text articles from leading scholarly publications, primary sources, images, maps and charts.

See More History Databases
Browse all the library's history databases here.

Recommended Books

We have listed several good print and electronic books that would be good sources for finding information on Shakespearean plays and Elizabethan England. These are not the only options. Search the library catalog and our eBook collections for even more books. Access to these resources are included below. The eBooks are great options because you can access them from any device and you can search the book for specific themes and keywords. If you are off-campus you will need to enter your user name and password (same as for portal) to access an eBook collection.

Literary Criticism
Elizabethan England

Critical Companion to William Shakespeare by Charles Boyce
Call Number: Giles REF PR2892 .B69 2005

ISBN: 0816053731

Publication Date: 2005-02-01
The Facts on File Companion to Shakespeare by William Baker; Kenneth Womack
Call Number: Giles REF PR2892 .B26 2012

ISBN: 9780816078202

Publication Date: 2012-01-01
The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare by Michael Dobson (Editor); Stanley Wells (Editor)
Call Number: Giles and CCC REF PR2892 .O94 2001

ISBN: 0198117353

Publication Date: 2001-11-29
The Plays of Shakespeare: A Thematic Guide by Victor L. Cahn
Call Number: eBook & Giles REF PR2987 .C28 2001

ISBN: 0313309817

Publication Date: 2000-10-30

Essays on common themes in Shakespeare's plays such as marriage, revenge, supernatural phenomena, gender, etc.
The Rough Guide to Shakespeare by Andrew Dickson; Rough Guides Staff
Call Number: Giles REF PR2976 .D52 2005

ISBN: 1843535181

Publication Date: 2005-04-25
Shakespeare's Characters for Students by Catherine C. Dominic (Contribution by)
Call Number: Giles REF PR2989 .S53 1997

ISBN: 9780787613006

Publication Date: 1997-04-01
Shakespeare: an Oxford Guide by Stanley Wells (Editor); Lena Cowen Orlin (Editor)
Call Number: Giles REF PR2976 .S333 2003

ISBN: 0199245223

Publication Date: 2003-04-03
Shakespearean Criticism
Call Number: Giles REF PR 2965 .S43 v. 169 & E-book
Shakespeare by Gabriel Egan
Call Number: eBook

ISBN: 9780748630165

Publication Date: 2007-01-01
Critical Insights: a Midsummer Night's Dream by Salem Press
Call Number: eBook

ISBN: 9781642653816

Publication Date: 2020-05-30

All Things Shakespeare: An Encyclopedia of Shakespeare's World by Kirstin Olsen
Call Number: Giles Reference PR2892.O56 2002

ISBN: 0313324204

Publication Date: 2002-10-30

Numerous entries on aspects of Shakespeare's time and culture giving historical context for his plays. Entries such as marriage, magic, death, fairy, religion, etc.
William Shakespeare: His World, His Work, His Influence by John F. Andrews (Editor)
Call Number: Giles Reference PR2976 .W5354 1985

ISBN: 0684178516

Publication Date: 1905-06-01

Volume 1: His World contains essays on the history and culture of Shakespeare's time such as government/politics, religion, law, science, magic, folklore, etc.
England in the Age of Shakespeare by Jeremy Black
Call Number: eBook

ISBN: 9780253042323

Publication Date: 2019-07-19
The Age of Shakespeare by Frank Kermode
Call Number: Giles Stacks-Circulating ; PR3095 .K466 2005

ISBN: 0812974336

Publication Date: 2005-05-10
Shakespeare's England: Life in Elizabethan & Jacobean Times by R. E. Pritchard (Editor)
Call Number: Giles Stacks-Circulating ; DA320 .S53 2003

ISBN: 0750932112

Publication Date: 2003-04-01
Culture and Society in Shakespeare's Day by Brett Foster; Robert C. Evans
Call Number: DTC Stacks PR2910 .E93 2012

ISBN: 1604135239

Publication Date: 2012-03-01
World Eras: The European Renaissance and Reformation by Norman J. Wilson (Editor)
Call Number: eBook

ISBN: 9780787617066

Publication Date: 2001-06-08
Women in the Age of Shakespeare by Theresa D. Kemp
Call Number: eBook; Giles Stacks - Circulating PR2991 .K46 2010

ISBN: 9780313343049

Publication Date: 2009-12-14

Has sections on women in Shakespeare's time and in Shakespeare's plays.
Religion in the Age of Shakespeare by Christopher Paul Baker
Call Number: Giles Stacks-Circulating ; PR3011 .B35 2007

ISBN: 9780313336362

Publication Date: 2007-09-30

Has sections on religion in Shakespeare's time and religion in his plays. Also a section for criticism.
Society and Religion in Elizabethan England by Richard L. Greaves
Call Number: eBook

ISBN: 0816610304

Publication Date: 1981-06-01
Music from the Age of Shakespeare: a Cultural History by Suzanne Lord
Call Number: eBook

ISBN: 1280926473

Publication Date: 2003-01-01
Shakespeare's Imaginary Constitution: Late Elizabethan Politics and the Theatre of Law by Paul Raffield; Charles Mitchell (Editor); Paul Mitchell (Editor)
Call Number: eBook

ISBN: 1283059576

Publication Date: 2010-01-01
The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age by Frances Yates
Call Number: eBook

ISBN: 1134524404

Publication Date: 2003-08-27
Shakespeare's Festive Comedy: A Study of Dramatic Form and Its Relation to Social Custom by Cesar Lombardi Barber
Call Number: eBook

ISBN: 1283212609

Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Daily Life in Elizabethan England by Jeffrey L. Singman; Will McClean
Call Number: Giles Stacks-Circulating ; DA320 .S56 1995

ISBN: 9780313293351

Publication Date: 1995-08-22
Life in Elizabethan England by Kathryn Hinds
Call Number: Giles Stacks-Circulating ; DA355 .H557 2008

ISBN: 9780761425403

Publication Date: 2007-09-01
The Renaissance and Early Modern Era by Christina J. Moose (Editor)
Call Number: eBook

ISBN: 9781587652110

Publication Date: 2005-04-30
Shakespeare, Law and Marriage by B. J. Sokol; Mary Sokol
Call Number: eBook

ISBN: 1280162600

Publication Date: 2003-01-01

Lots of mentions of A Midsummer's Night's Dream.

Search for Books & eBooks

Use the search box below to search the SCC Library Catalog for physical books (in one of our library locations) and eBooks. You can also open the Library Catalog or use the Advanced Search for more search options.

Watch the Play

Below are streaming video databases that have numerous plays in them. Search each one or ask a librarian to figure out which one might contain your play.

Shakespeare’s Globe on Screen Collection (from Drama Online)
21 Shakespeare's plays recorded live on the Globe stage, performed in the unique historic conditions of two beautiful iconic theaters.
National Theatre Collection (from Drama Online)
Full-length streaming videos of live theatre performances from the National Theatre (London, England), including Antigone, Hamlet, Frankenstein, and a Streetcar Named Desire.
Films on Demand
Educational videos available via streaming to anywhere (off-campus must log in).
Topics cover general academic areas, as well as health science, industrial, and
business/technology related topics. Proxy Bypass
Academic Video Online
Academic Video Online makes video material available with curricular relevance: documentaries, interviews, performances, news programs and newsreels, and more. Some of the subjects covered:Science, Business & Economics, Nursing, Diversity Studies, Education, Documentary & Feature Films
Kanopy
Watch over 30,000 Documentaries, Classic and Indie Films. Stream films anytime, anywhere on your preferred devices.