S H A K E S P E A R E ’ S
10 MODERN ADAPTATIONS
Here are 10 recent Shakespearean film and TV adaptations that are worth watching.
‘House of Cards’ (2012)
“House of Cards” is said to
draw from Shakespeare's
Macbeth and Richard III, both
of which examine issues of
power, ambition and corruption. It stars Kevin Spacey and
Robin Wright Penn.
‘Moonlighting’ (1985)
This series starring Bruce
Willis and Cybill Shepherd
spoofed Shakespeare in the
famous “Atomic
Shakespeare” episode, a feminist retelling of “The Taming
of the Shrew,” which was
written in iambic pentameter.
‘Romeo + Juliet’ (1996)
Baz Luhrmann’s modernization of the tale of star-crossed
lovers replaces swords with
guns and characters on motorcycles that made Shakespeare
cool again. Leonardo DiCaprio
and Claire Danes star.
‘Star Trek’ (1966)
“Star Trek” may have included
more Shakespeare references
and plot lines than any other
TV series. Many episodes have
Shakespearean titles, and performances of the plays were
worked into some episodes.
‘The Simpsons’ (2000)
In its many years on the air,
Shakespeare has been referenced dozens of times, including Bart as Prince Hamlet in
“Do the Bard, Man,” and
Marge playing Lady Macbeth
in the town play. Shakespeare
also appears as a zombie.
‘Tempest’ (2010)
This adaptation changes the
gender of the main character,
Prospero, from male to
female. An American fantasy
film, it features Helen Mirren
in the principal role of
Prospero. The film is directed
by Julie Taymor.
‘Ten Things I Hate
About You’ (1999)
Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles
star in this smart modernization of “The Taming of the
Shrew.” Don’t let the teenage
packaging fool you – this is a
tremendously fun and endearing retelling of a play.
‘The Lion King’ (1994)
Disney’s animated feature is
really just Shakespeare's
“Hamlet” in the animal kingdom. Simba's uncle Scar kills
Mufasa to become king, then
a grown-up Simba seeks
vengeance on Scar.
‘Warm Bodies’ (2013)
Yes, a zombie adaptation of
“Romeo and Juliet.” The two
lovers come from dueling
“families” so to speak and fall
in love against all odds.
Adding comic touches, there’s
even a balcony scene.
‘West Side Story’ (1961)
The beloved musical based on
“Romeo and Juliet” re-imagines the Montagues and the
Capulets as two New York
City gangs. Everyone knows
this version mainly for its
choreogaphy.
450
B I R T H D AY
years
old...
...yet ‘The Bard’
is still as hip today
as he was back in his
heyday of the late 1500s
By Christine Facciolo
Special to The News Journal
T
he language is archaic and 400 years have passed since his plays
were first performed. So why are we still studying William
Shakespeare?
Simply put, the Bard has not become obsolete because he has
rarely – if ever – been equaled by any other playwright or poet.
“He’s been the most popular author in the western world for the last
400 years,” said Kristen Poole, professor of English at the University of
Delaware. “So there’s an element of just being culturally literate.
Shakespeare had an acute sense of what made good theater. “People
still bother with Shakespeare for the same reason they watch blockbuster films like “The Hunger Games,” when it’s done well, it’s exciting,
it’s great entertainment,” said David Stradley, artistic director of the
Delaware Shakespeare Festival.
Shakespeare remains popular because he wrote about timeless
themes that transcend generations and class. We see Macbeth ruined by
his own ambition and watch Hamlet
struggle with the death of his father.
BIO
And who doesn’t dream of finding love
• Born: April 23, 1564 ( the
like Romeo and Juliet? The story of the
same year as Galileo)
star-crossed lovers is such a classic that
• Died: April 23, 1616 (four
the balcony scene remains one of the
years before the Pilgrims
most famous in literature.
anchored in Plymouth Rock)
Shakespeare’s characters also reveal
• Married: Anne Hathaway, much about human behavior. “What’s
really amazing about the plays is the
November 1582.
• Children: Susanna in 1583, characters and how perceptively and in
what detail Shakespeare is able to rentwins Judith and Hamnet
der these characters,” said Poole. “So I
born in 1585.
think it gives us a way of studying
• Born and raised:
human beings and how people think,
Stratford-upon-Avon,
perceive and react to each other
England, but moved to
which is valuable.”
London in the late 1580s.
Shakespeare gave voice to the
• Works: His 37 plays and
marginalized, especially women.
154 sonnets are considered
Many of his female characters played
the most important and
critical roles in his dramas. “Juliet is an
enduring ever written.
interesting character because she has
more lines than Romeo,” said Poole.
“She’s incredibly assertive and the only
way you can get her to look like what we expect her to look like, i.e.,
demure, is to cut all of her lines, which is what most productions do.”
Shakespeare’s mastery of the English language has made him the
source of many phrases that have become mainstays in daily conversation. “When I have a major life event I’m trying to figure out, frequently the first thing that comes to mind is a Shakespeare quote,” said
Stradley. Some of the phrases are so well known that we have often forgotten the character that first spoke them: “seen better days,” “a rose
by any other name,” “parting is such sweet sorrow” or “never a lender nor a borrower be.”
Shakespeare also on occasion created his
own grammar and vocabulary when he found
the existing lexicon too limiting. “When
Shakespeare starting writing, English was not
the dominant language in the world,” said
Stradley. “After he was done with it, English had
exploded into the language that could do anything because he could do anything with it.”
SOURCES: moviefone.com
DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION/DAN GARROW
• ONLINE QUIZ AND INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC
A N N I V E R S A RY
HE COINED THAT PHRASE?
For many English-speakers, the following phrases below
are familiar enough to be considered common expressions
proverbs or sayings. All of them originated with or were
popularized by Shakespeare.
‘Vanish
into thin ‘TOO MUCH OF A
GOOD THING’
‘all that glitters air’
is not gold’
‘dead as a doornail’
‘wild goose
chase’
‘to be or not
to be’
‘A LAUGHING
STOCK’
‘what’s done
is done’
‘rhyme or reason’
ÔIn a pickleÕ ‘OFF WITH HIS HEAD’
‘FIGHT FIRE
WITH FIRE’
‘be all and end all’
‘THE WORLD IS MY
OYSTER’
‘up in arms’
‘At one fell swoop’
‘woe is me’
‘break the ice’
‘he will give
the Devil his
due’
‘I will wear
my heart ‘seen better
days’
upon my
‘neither here
sleeve’
‘good riddance’
‘heart’s
content’
nor there’
‘knock! knock!
Who’s there’
THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT
KNOW ABOUT SHAKESPEARE
• Shakespeare’s plays feature the first instances of hundreds of phrases and words. Examples include the
words “fashionable” (“Troilus and Cressida”), eyeball
(“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”), and lackluster (“As
You Like It”).
• Shakespeare died a rich man, having been a successful businessman in addition to being an actor, playwright and director.
• There are only two representations of
Shakespeare that
are unambiguously identified
as him. The 1622
Martin Droeshout engraving portrait at top and
Shakepeare’s Funery
Monument on the bottom.
.• Some scholars maintain
that Shakespeare did not
write the Shakespeare
plays, suggesting at least 50
authors as the “real” writer.
However, the evidence for
Shakespeare’s having written the plays is very
strong.
• Shakespeare is the second most quoted
writer in the English language – after the writers of the Bible.
DELAWARE EVENTS
• “I Am Hamlet” project: During April and
May artistic director David Stradley and lead
actor Griffin Stanton-Amelsen will visit high
schools and retirement homes to read scenes,
encourage folks to record videos for YouTube
and conduct a 500-word student essay relating
to “Hamlet.”
• Performance: DSF’s production of “Hamlet”
is July 11-27 at Rockwood Park.
• More info: http://www.delshakes.org/
Test how much you’ve learned about SHAKESPEARE at delawareonline.com/didyouknow
• COMING NEXT WEEK: The Delaware Public Archives documents The First State