With the SQA exams rapidly approaching (first one’s on Tuesday – just in case you’d missed that one), there’s probably one guy who’s getting cursed up and down the country – a certain gentleman who goes by the name of William Shakespeare.
We’ve all had to embed Shakespeare quotes in our brains for English exams. To be or not to be from Hamlet. O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Get thee to a nunnery! And after a while it gets really, really boring. Not to mention hard – who actually speaks like that?!
Let’s face it, with his flowery language and penchant for killing off everyone in every play he ever wrote a la Game of Thrones, old Will isn’t really as popular in high schools in the 21st century as he was back in ye olden times.
Today, on what would have been the Bard of Avon’s 451st birthday if he’d been immortal, is Shakespeare Day, a day to celebrate England’s most famous playwright’s incredible body of work. Because here’s the thing – for all you might think Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet and Othello and A Midsummer Night’s Dream are as dull as, the guy wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets, which are still taught in schools, performed on stage and turned into films worldwide to this day. Not a bad legacy to have.
And Shakespeare’s work isn’t as inaccessible as you’d think. Directors have been taking William’s work and putting a modern twist on it for decades – so if you thought you hated Shakespeare, think again. Here’s a few movies based on his work that we LOVE. This totally justifies a movie-based study break – it’s practically revision…
10 Things I Hate About You
Yes, that’s right! Our favourite 90s teen flick, starring Heath Ledger and Julia Styles, is based on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. It’s got none of the confusing Shakespearean language, but sticks to the plot of two sisters where the younger isn’t allowed to date until her older sister does – so younger sister Bianca and her would-be suitor rope in Patrick (Ledger) to try woo her surly older sister Kat (Styles). This one is full of big laughs, and it has a great soundtrack too.
Romeo + Juliet
Baz Luhrmann – the man behind Moulin Rouge and the Great Gatsby – took on Shakespeare’s ultimate tragic romance back in 1996 and what a job he did. He stuck to the Shakespeare script, but transported the action into modern-day Verona Beach against a back drop of gangs, guns and high drama. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes are spectacular as the star-crossed lovers – and watching the script you’ve studied play out in a more understandable setting really breaks down the language barrier.
Get Over It
This one is VERY loosely based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. High schooler Berke Landers desperately tries to win back his girlfriend Allison, which leads him to audition for the high school musical production of the Shakespeare play. Sisqo of Thong Song fame also stars.
West Side Story
Believe it or not, the old musical that your mum has probably tried to force you to watch is actually based on Romeo and Juliet. This time, the action’s transported to the streets of New York where Tony, of an American gang, falls for Maria, the sister of the leader of a Peurto Rican gang. Where Luhrmann went for guns, these guys opt for, er, dance offs instead. Maybe not quite as dramatic, but massively entertaining. And the music is phenomenal.
The Lion King
YES, REALLY! The Lion King is based on Hamlet. Honestly. The prince whose uncle kills his father to gain control of the kingdom – hello, it’s all there. The plot’s the same, but what differs is the African wildlife and big songs. Sadly, Hakuna Matata does not feature in the original.
She’s The Man
Another teen comedy nicks a Shakespeare plot! Amanda Bynes plays Viola, who diguises herself as a boy to get a place on the football team – a bit like Twelfth Night, where Viola dresses as a man to get a job with the local duke. The most famous quote from the play also features: “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.”
