Stealing from Shakespeare: 7 Motion pictures That Are Truly Shakespeare Variations

Simply because you’re an insanely artistic creator doesn’t imply you should reinvent the wheel. Take these 7 blockbuster hits for instance — their writers took inspiration from arguably the best author within the English language: William Shakespeare.

Forbidden Planet (1956) – The Tempest

Somewhat than getting stranded on an island, the expedition scientists within the 1956 American science fiction movie discover themselves on a faraway planet. Like Prospero in The Tempest, Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) begrudgingly watches his daughter Alta (Anne Francis) fall in love with one of many outsiders, identical to Miranda does within the Shakespeare play.

West Aspect Story (1961) – Romeo and Juliet

Arguably simply as well-known because the supply materials, West Aspect Story follows forbidden lovers Tony (Richard Beymer) and Maria (Natalie Wooden), who, like Romeo and Juliet, meet a dance and profess their love to at least one one other in a balcony scene. Within the Shakespeare model, Tybalt kills Mercutio, and Romeo kills Tybalt, whereas in West Aspect Story, Bernardo (George Chakiris) kills Riff (Russ Tamblyn), Tony’s greatest good friend, which ends up in Tony killing Bernardo.

Ran (1985) – King Lear

Based mostly on each the legends of the daimyo Mōri Motonari and the Shakespearean tragedy King Lear, Ran is cited as one in all Japanese filmmaker Kurosawa’s best achievements. Hidetora (Tatsuya Nakadai) is the character equal of King Lear, whose three sons Taro (Akira Terao), Jiro (Jinpachi Nezu), and Saburo (Daisuke Ryu) correspond to Shakespeare’s Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. In each Ran and King Lear, two of the lord’s youngsters flip in opposition to him, prompting the dying of the complete household.

The Lion King (1994) – Hamlet

It’s simple to dismiss the connection between The Lion King and Hamlet, since Shakespeare clearly didn’t give you the “evil uncle” trope. However the parallels are laborious to disregard: Mufasa and Outdated Hamlet are each killed by their power-hungry uncles, Scar and Claudius. Simba’s closest pals Timon and Pumbaa pay homage to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern within the unique, and Mufasa, like Hamlet, returns as a ghost.

10 Issues I Hate About You (1999) – The Taming of the Shrew

The gist of the rom-com is that Bianca can’t date Cameron till her older sister Katherina finds a boyfriend, so Cameron makes an attempt to set her up with Patrick. The characters’ names are useless giveaways: Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) is Bianca, Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is Lucentio, Patrick (Heath Ledger) is Petruchio, and Katherina (Julia Stiles) is Katherina.

Get Over It (2001) – A Midsummer’s Night time Dream

The American teen comedy movie follows a highschool love triangle that’s loosely primarily based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night time’s Dream: Berke (Ben Foster) falls for Kelly (Kirsten Dunst) whereas nonetheless pursuing Allison (Melissa Sagemiller). Moreover, the excessive schoolers within the movie really placed on a play of A Midsummer Night time’s Dream, strengthening the connection between the 2 works.

She’s the Man (2006) – The Twelfth Night time

Similar title, similar disguise. Identical to Viola in The Twelfth Night time, She’s the Man’s Viola (Amanda Bynes) additionally disguises herself as a boy. After naming herself Sebastian, who’s Viola’s twin brother in The Twelfth Night time, Viola falls laborious for Duke Orsino (Channing Tatum). Notably, Duke Orsino is the 21st century model of Shakespeare’s Duke of Illyria, Orsino.

The takeaway? Making artwork is a collaborative course of that requires taking inspiration from each time and wherever it strikes. Oh, and don’t be too laborious on your self. You’re superior, so be part of a neighborhood of equally-as-awesome creators at Patreon.