Absolute+Shakespeare


 * Absolute Shakespeare- http://absoluteshakespeare.com/index.htm **
 * Sponsoring Organization: absoluteshakespeare.com **
 * Date of Last Update: copyright 2005 **


 * Authority: Although the authors’ names were not given on the website, an email address was given for contact. The website has received several web-related awards for its content and educational value. **


 * Content: The website hosts a variety of resources related to William Shakespeare. Topics include Shakespeare’s life, his works (with summaries, essays and translations), famous quotes and coined phrases, external links, and general trivia. The site avoids bias in the “authorship debate” section by objectively presenting information from all sides of the argument. **
 * Currency: The last update to this site was in 2005. Even though Shakespeare has been dead for many years, scholars are continually researching him and his work. Regardless, no new information has been discovered that would contradict anything on this site, so this information can be considered current and accurate. **


 * Purpose: The purpose of this site is to be “the essential resource for William Shakespeare's plays, sonnets, poems, quotes, biography and the legendary Globe Theatre” (from website).  **


 * Organization of Information, Design and Navigation: A toolbar at the top of the site allows the visitor to navigate to each of the main sections from each page. Headings and subheadings successfully organize the mass of information to make the site more readable. Advertisements on the side banner of the site are not distracting. **


 * Strengths: The shear amount of information available through this one site is a major strength; the ease of navigation is another. **
 * Weaknesses: A drawback to this page is the plain and simple design. The information is quality, but it may not be “flashy” enough to keep students’ attention. **


 * Instructional Uses:**** This is one site I would use for a WebQuest on William Shakespeare. Students could also use the study guides for review of the play we read in class, __Romeo and Juliet__. **


 * Benefits to Students:** **The reading level of the information makes it easily accessible to high school students. Students can use this website to learn about aspects of the playwright that we don’t have time to discuss in class. **