Shakespeare is required reading for most of us at some point but, while the texts are freely available, word processors do not make the best reading experience. Alternatively, the Free Electronic Shakespeare Reader includes the text of all 38 plays with some helpful tools.

It is arranged in three columns. First there is a list of plays and then the text of the selected play. The final column has a list of scenes in the play and any saved bookmarks. This column is more useful than it might sound, especially if you are moving through a play getting quotes for an essay.

There is also a full screen mode that hides the two side columns.

The reader can search for text in individual plays or in all at the same time. Search results show the whole line of text, again a very useful tool for gathering quotes.

Finally, there is a notebook for jotting down ideas with separate sections for each play.

A very useful Shakespeare study tool.