MadisonShaffar

Shakespeare is regarded as one of the greatest writers of all time. His plays have had a lasting impact on the literature of both his time and ours. The thing is, it’s not just writing that Shakespeare influenced. If you look closely into some of Hollywood’s films, you’ll see that his work and ideas are still being used in storylines today.

Arguably the most popular of the modern Shakespeare adaptations is “10 Things I Hate About You,” starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. This 90s rom-com has gained a cult following and is easily considered one of the best rom-coms of all time. 

The movie is based on the comedy “The Taming of the Shrew.” In the play, Petruchio has to “tame” Katherina, the rebellious and unwilling girl, by getting her to agree to marriage. It is not until Katherina marries that her sister Bianca can marry Lucentio, the love of her life. Throughout the play, Bianca, Lucentio and Petruchio all work together to make Katherina an agreeable bride.

In the 1999 version, Kat and Bianca are sisters who live under the roof of their strict father who will not allow them to date. Once Bianca develops crushes at school, their father decides that if Bianca wants to date, then the unwilling Kat must do so first. Patrick and his friend, Cameron, make a plan to get the girls to date them.

Because the movie is loosely based on the play, there are various differences between them. For starters, Kat has the freedom to make her own decisions, rather than being forced into a relationship with Patrick. The characters in the movie have a relationship based on love, instead of pressure and abuse.

“10 Things I Hate About You” is full of Shakespearean Easter eggs that hint its origin to viewers. From similar names to direct quotes of his work, Shakespeare’s presence is felt throughout the film.

Another popular adaptation of Shakespeare’s work is the 2006 comedy “She’s the Man” starring Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum. This film is based on “Twelfth Night,” a romantic comedy.

In “Twelfth Night,” twins Viola and Sebastian are separated in a shipwreck. But in “She’s the Man,” the twins separate when Sebastian decides to ditch school and perform with his band, and Viola takes his place at his school to play soccer. 

The movie is full of irony and perfectly-timed jokes that never get old. It is also a classic hit for empowering girls, as Viola learns that she can play soccer just as well as the other boys while she is pretending to be her brother.

Yet another Shakespearean adaptation hit theaters at the end of 2023. “Anyone but You,” starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, attracted audiences without even advertising that it was an adaptation. To the average viewer, the movie appears as a new-age rom-com that is sure to become a classic. 

What people may not realize is that “Anyone but You” is loosely based on the play “Much Ado About Nothing.” In the movie, characters Beatrice and Benedick are turned into Bea and Ben. With a similar, but not identical storyline, a well-versed Shakespeare fan can see how well the writers executed this modern retelling.

There are many other popular films that often get overlooked as being adaptations of classics. Disney’s “The Lion King” is a reimagination of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” The 2006 chick flick “John Tucker Must Die” is based on “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” This just goes to prove that even though these stories were written centuries ago, they are still drawing in audiences today.

“I think that Will would approve, and I am glad that the film industry continues to re-envision his work,” English teacher Dr. Renee McGill said. “He used his culture and history as source material for his plays, going so far as to change and adapt key moments, battles and historical figures to reach his audience and meet his purposes for writing.”

It is important for young people to understand that “many of the issues, problems and themes that seem to emerge in our cultural moment are actually questions that people have been grappling with for centuries in both positive and negative ways,” McGill said. It is great that so many people are exposed to his work through new movies in our era.

What makes these movies so popular? Is it Shakespeare’s classic storytelling or modern writers’ abilities to adapt these stories into new and exciting films? “Directors and film writers tweak and make changes to repackage similar messages and themes but with changes in time, setting, customs, language and a character’s gender,” McGill said. The combination of these two creative geniuses create movies that can be enjoyed by anyone, whether they know the original Shakespeare story or simply the adapted version.