They say that art imitates life. However, when it comes to the works of Shakespeare, it seems that life is slowly beginning to imitate art. For most of us, our first exposure to the playwright was during our high school days. Between acting out the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet and reading through the comedic timing of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we are all at least a little bit familiar with the mind of William Shakespeare.
While it might be the case that we’re all looking back at our ninth-grade English classes through the rearview mirror, it is my opinion that we are all much more exposed to Shakespeare than we realize. What if I said that we’ve all seen a healthy dose of Shakespearean tropes?
It might be relatively well known that West Side Story is an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, and 10 Things I Hate About You is derived from The Taming of the Shrew. But did you know that the early 2000s comedy She’s the Man was based on Twelfth Night or that Anyone but You (2023) features plot points from Much Ado About Nothing? The writings of Shakespeare are still so deeply interspersed in 2025’s pop culture scene that it’s easy to identify ourselves with his characters’ most recurring archetypes. Therefore, in the interest of finding out which of Shakespeare’s characters you resonate with, I present five of Shakespeare’s most notable players:
- The Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing): While not a part of the twelve traditional archetypes, Beatrice is a warrior in her own right. Armed with subtle savagery and a superior knack for cleverness, she can hold her own in any battle of wits. While she might be incredibly blunt, her clap-backs are funny enough to make even the victim laugh.
- The Brutus (Julius Caesar): Brutus is someone we would call a tragic hero. He is loyal, honorable, and noble to a fault. For the sake of doing what is right, he will follow his moral compass to the end of the earth—even if it means falling off the very edge.
- The Fool (King Lear): Don’t let the name fool you. While he does have his own part to play in the background of the story, the fool is not what he seems. He is usually the most perceptive, being able to gauge what will happen in the future with subtle clues in the plot. Will the rest of the court listen to you? Or will your warnings fall on deaf ears?
- The Helena (All’s Well that Ends Well): She’s the girl with innocent and pure intentions. By that I mean that she will engage in any sort of trickery to end up with the man she loves. Don’t worry, it’s all in good fun! By the end of the play, her persistence has them happily in love. All’s well that ends well.
- The Emilia (Othello): Emilia is like a fiercely protective and nurturing mother. She is spirited, practical, and a bit of a feminist girlboss. Willing to stand up to any man, she is always there as a protector.
While Shakespeare may have written over forty plays with dozens of characters, these are five of his most noteworthy. Which one do you most identify with? The Emilia, the Helena, or a mix of all five? I, myself, am a bit of a Beatrice.