Shakespeare

By C.T. Onions, enlarged and revised throughout by Robert D. Eagleson.
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986.
This alphabetical dictionary defines obscure and obsolete terms in Shakespeare’s works. It also explains allusions, identifies proper names and defines outdated technical terms used in stage direction.

Using a more sophisticated and extensive range of topics than the Columbia Dictionary, this alphabetical work organizes 6,500 quotations under 1,000 topical headings. Each entry is numbered. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, try the character, title (e.g. The Merchant of Venice) and topic indexes at the back. These refer you to the entry numbers. All citations refer to The Riverside Shakespeare.

Selected by Mary and Reginald Foakes.
New York: Columbia University Press, 1998.
Organized alphabetically by such topics as age, farewells, miracles, rivers and war, this source identifies who is speaking in which play, along with the act, scene and line numbers each quotation comes from. The List of Topics outlines the contents and a keyword index allows users to find words not included in that list. All citations refer to the Riverside Shakespeare.

By Alexander Schmidt. Third edition.
Revised and enlarged by Gregor Sarrazin. New York: Dover Publications, 1971. 2 volumes.
Unlike the Shakespeare Glossary, the Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary defines a wide range of words and phrases, both common and obscure. After the definition, each entry provides sample quotations, along with a list of all the plays (including act, scene and line numbers) containing this word. All references are to the Globe Edition.