For all English majors, taking a Shakespeare class is pretty inevitable. For non-English majors, you could find yourself faced with the Bard in any number of Gen-Ed classes. The language can seem daunting but as it turns out, you’re probably more familiar with Shakespeare’s body of work than you think. Check out these movies either based off one of his plays directly or merely inspired by the storylines filled with romance, tragedy, and comedy that is typical of a Shakespearean play to help get you through some of those assignments.
10 Things I Hate About You
If you haven’t seen this movie, you need to! Based off Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, 10 Things I Hate About You stars a young Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger who are both outcasts in the traditional high school hierarchy. In order for Bianca to gain her strict father’s approval for dating, her older sister Kat (Stiles) must date as well. Teaming up with Joey, a pompous model who has his sights set on dating Bianca, Kat’s younger sister bribes Patrick (Ledger) to take Kat on a date. When they both end up falling for each other, Kat feels the ultimate betrayal when she learns of Patrick’s real motives for dating her.
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Shakespeare in Love
Okay, so Shakespeare scholars aren’t exactly accepting this movie as fact but regardless, Shakespeare in Love is an incredible portrayal of the tumultuous relationship William Shakespeare had with acting, writing, the theater, and of course, women. While typically pictured as an older man in one of those frilly neck collars with a stern face, Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is shown as a young and gorgeous man inspired by the women he was involved with and struggling for inspiration for his next play. A passionate fan of Shakespeare’s work, Viola de Lessops (Gwyneth Paltrow) disguises herself as a man to audition for a lead role in a work-in-progress play. When Shakespeare discovers her true identity, they begin a passionate love affair that is the writer’s ultimate inspiration for his most famous and tragic play, Romeo and Juliet. Winning seven Academy Awards, you can trust that this film will put a whole new perspective on your Shakespeare homework.Â
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She’s the Man
Following Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night pretty closely, She’s the Man has all the trademarks of a Shakespearean comedy – cross-dressing, mixed identities, clueless family members and chaos. While her brother is in London, Viola (Amanda Bynes) impersonates her twin in order to join the boys’ soccer team because her own team was cut from the school’s budget. She quickly falls for her teammate Duke, who, of course, believes she is a boy. Hilarity ensues when Viola and her brother must be in the same place at the same time and when Viola is eventually confronted with her duplicity.Â
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The Prince and Me
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This early 2000s rom-com isn’t entirely based on a Shakespearean play but it does feature the Bard’s words heavily in this love story between the Prince of Denmark and a pre-med student at the University of Wisconsin. Prince Edward of Denmark (Luke Malby) is merely looking for “wild and crazy college girls” when he enrolls at the University of Wisconsin. He soon meets Paige (Julia Stiles) who is not wild or crazy at all but a focused and driven pre-med student striving to get in to Johns Hopkins. Struggling in her Shakespeare Gen-Ed, Paige asks “Eddie” to help her understand the deeper meanings to the playwright’s words and soon, her own relationship with Eddie has her understanding Shakespeare’s obsession with the tumultuous nature of love.Â
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Romeo + Juliet
Sure, we’ve all seen that antiquated version of Romeo and Juliet in 7th grade English class but trust us, this 1996 version directed by Baz Luhrmann will change your attitude to this overly-referenced play. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes as the title characters, Romeo + Juliet is an abridged and modernized version of the Bard’s original play. While retaining Shakespeare’s original dialogue and language, the feuding families in this version are warring business empires and instead of swords, the weapons used against each other and themselves are guns. And with Leo and Claire in it, could it possibly get any better?
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The Lion King
We’ve all be crying over this movie since we were children, watching Simba trying to wake Mufasa after being trampled by a stampede. But in case you didn’t know, The Lion King is majorly influenced by both Macbeth and Hamlet. Simba is the cartoon equivalent of Hamlet, the young king who is still trying to find himself in the role he’s been given. But when his adored father figure is slain by his own uncle, Hamlet and Simba are both distraught and wracked with guilt. Simba overcomes his feelings of inadequacy, eventually coming back to rule the Pride Lands. Try to see for yourself where the Bard left his impression on this Disney classic.