Did you know? In addition to coining over an estimated 1700 new words in the English language, Shakespeare’s writing has inspired countless derivative works that are in conversation with the Bard’s original texts.

As we count down the days to our 36th Season, we’re passing the time with some of our favourite books, movies, and plays inspired by Shakespeare’s works. Read on for our full list!

The theatrical release poster for "Anyone But You" (2023). Glen Powell left, and Sydney Sweeney, right, sit shoulder-to-shoulder on a dock with their feet dangling. Powell is wearing khaki pants and a white button-down shirt. His arms crossed and his legs are crossed at the ankles, and he has a half-smirk on his face, looking at the camera. Sweeney has her blonde hair down, past shoulder length, and wears a sky blue, silk, floor-length dress. Her arms and legs are crossed, and she is smirking. There's a bottle and two flutes of champagne beside her. In the background, there is blue sky and fluffy, white clouds, the ocean and the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

Sony Pictures, 2023

Anyone But You (2023, dir. Will Gluck)
Much Ado About Nothing

With a Season headlined by Much Ado About Nothing, it only felt right to start off with this 2023 romantic comedy starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell!

In this modern adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, law student Bea (Sweeney) meets Goldman Sachs employee Ben (Powell), and the two instantly hit it off. However, this first chance encounter quickly turns sour—which proves to be an issue when their paths cross again at a wedding between Bea’s sister Halle and Ben’s friend’s sister, Claudia. 

 

The cover of Maggie O'Farrell's book "Hamnet", is deep blue with a large white "H" taking up the two top thirds of the cover. The "H" is outlined in gold and is surrounded with gold illustrations of ferns, ivy, oak leaves, a squirrel, an owl, and red berries. Below the "H" the title "Hamnet" is displayed in all capitals, serif font, and gold. Below "Hamnet" it reads "Maggie O'Ferrell" in white serif font. Below that, in smaller font, a quote from The Sunday Times reads "a rare talent to enthrall".

Tinder Press, 2020

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

Though he is never directly named, Shakespeare continually haunts the narrative of this timeless and moving book by Maggie O’Farrell. Set in 16th century Stratford, Hamnet imagines the circumstances behind the creation of Shakespeare’s most famous play, Hamlet. The novel follows the story of Agnes, a woman with usual gifts; her marriage to a brilliant budding playwright; and the devastating death of their son Hamnet. The book is also slated to be adapted into a film starring Jessie Buckley (Agnes Shakespeare), Paul Mescal (William Shakespeare), and Joe Alwyn (Bartholomew), with Chloé Zhao directing. 

 

The theatrical release poster for She's the Man (2006). Five characters pose standing in the bottom right corner of the poster all looking towards the camera. Amanda Bynes poses at the front of the group. She is wearing a red spaghetti-strap top, a black miniskirt and strappy black heels. Channing Tatum stands with his arms crossed behind Bynes to the right, wearing a white tank top, blue jeans, and white shoes. The top half of the poster is covered in red typewriter font reads "Everybody has a secret... Duke wants Olivia who likes Sebastian, who is really Viola whose brother is dating Monique, so she hates Olivia who's with Duke to make Sebastian jealous, who is really Viola who's crushing on Duke who thinks she's a guy...". The title of the movie is in bold typewriter font in the lower left corner of the poster.

DreamWorks, 2006

She’s the Man (2006, dir. Andy Fickman)
Twelfth Night

There are few Shakespeare adaptations quite as enduring as She’s the Man, which has become a bit of a cult classic since its release in 2006. In this modern retelling of Twelfth Night, Viola Hastings (Amanda Bynes) is a teenage girl at Cornwall High with dreams of playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels. When the girls’ soccer team at Cornwall gets cut, she decides to dress up as her twin brother, Sebastian (James Kirk), and try out for the men’s team at Sebastian’s elite boarding school, Illyria. However, things get complicated when she falls in love with her roommate, Illyria soccer captain Duke Orsino (Channing Tatum)—and when Duke’s crush, Olivia, falls in love with “Sebastian.” 

 

The cover of Chloe Gong's book, "These Violent Delights", has a dagger with a gold, Chinese style, dragon curled around it and red roses blooming out from behind. The background is dark with a scale pattern. The title of the book is in metallic-grey font, in-front of the illustration and the authors name is at the bottom of the cover.

Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2023

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
Romeo and Juliet

In a release that took BookTok by storm, Chloe Gong crafts a debut YA novel that reimagines Romeo and Juliet in 1920s Shanghai. Eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai returns to Shanghai to assume her role as the heiress to the Scarlet Gang, whose hold over Shanghai is threatened only by the White Flowers—a gang masterminded by Juliette’s first love, Roma Montagov. 

 

The cover of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [Again]" is an illustration of a yellow spotlight against a black background. It reveals the silhouette of a person donning a cape and a sword in a belt holster, and juggling three sculls. The title of the play takes up the top half of the cover and the writers' names, Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield, are located in the bottom, right, corner.

Applause, 2023

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again] by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield

Shakespeare’s lasting legacy has also inspired countless parodies, and there are few works as irreverent as this frenzied and hilarious romp through the Bard’s canon. After its premiere in 1987 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) became a worldwide hit, running for a decade at the Criterion Theatre and earning the title of London’s longest running comedy. The revised (again) version of this beloved play will make its Bard debut in our 2025 Season, with plenty of improvisation, fourth-wall breaks, and no-holds-barred jokes—some of which may or may not be at the expense of old Billy Shakes. 

 

The theatrical release poster for "10 Things I Hate About You" is a close-up of Julia Stiles sitting in a brown armchair. She is wearing a white, short-sleeved, button-down, top with blue flower details around the shoulders. She stares sternly into the camera, holding the end of her braided hair in her left hand above her shoulder. Heath Ledger leans against the back of the chair with his left hand supporting his head. He is wearing a grey, plaid, short-sleeved, button-down, with a neutral expression. The title of the movie is in a clump of red block letters placed in front of Stiles chest.

Buena Vista Pictures, 1999

10 Things I Hate About You (1999, dir. Gil Junger)
The Taming of the Shrew

Though its source material remains somewhat contentious, 10 Things I Hate About You is a beloved romantic comedy widely considered to be among the best of its genre. In this modern adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew, high school student Cameron James is in love with the beautiful Bianca Stratford. However, Bianca’s father declares that Bianca is only allowed to date when her antisocial older sister, Kat, does. Determined to thwart Bianca’s father, Cameron enlists the help of “bad boy” Patrick Verona, paying him to “tame the shrew”—or, in other words, date Kat.

 

The Playbill for "West Side Story" has the Playbill banner at the top in yellow and "West Side Story" filling out the frame taking up the rest of the page in large, red, stencil font against a white background.

Playbill, 2009

West Side Story
Romeo and Juliet

A classic love story becomes a classic Broadway musical with West Side Story. This adaptation of Romeo and Juliet made its Broadway debut in 1958 and imagines its star-crossed lovers, Maria and Tony, as two New York City teenagers hailing from rival gangs. After winning two Tony Awards, it went on to be adapted twice for film: once in 1961 by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, and more recently in 2021 by Steven Spielberg. 

 

The cover for Djanet Sears' play, Harlem Duet has an illustration of two people on the cover, one standing slightly behind the other. The person in front, presumably a woman, is looking directly to the viewer of the cover. She is wearing a white robe with lace cuffs, has her hair in locs, and is holding a giant strawberry against their chest. The person behind, presumably a man, is looking off to his left. His right hand is placed on the right shoulder of the woman in front and his left hand on her hand, holding the strawberry. He is wearing a light blue button-down shirt and has a buzz cut. They are set against a yellow background.

Scirocco Drama, 1998

Harlem Duet by Djanet Sears
Othello

Originally published in 1998 and presented as part of Bard’s 33rd Season in 2022, Harlem Duet is a powerful story by Canadian playwright Djanet Sears that tells the story of Othello’s first wife, Billie. Through flashbacks to 1860, before the Emancipation Proclamation; 1928, during New York’s Harlem Renaissance; and 1997 Harlem, Harlem Duet poses a hypothetical prelude to the events of Othello and examines the social, political, and racial tensions of each era that ultimately tear this couple apart. 

 

The Tragically Hip's album cover for "Road Apples" has a textured red background with a photograph of a horse, with an airstream and mountains in the background. The names of the band and the album are spelled out in wooden letter blocks above and below the photograph.

MCA Records, 1991

“Cordelia” by The Tragically Hip
King Lear

Yes, there are Shakespeare references even in your favourite songs! This song off The Tragically Hip’s second studio album Road Apples (1991) references both Cordelia’s loyalty to her father in King Lear and the famous superstition about saying the name of The Scottish Play in a theatre. 

 

The cover for "The Dark Lady" is of a woman with red curly hair splayed out around her head, and a dispersed firework-like design dispersing from around her face. Her body is a blurry silhouette, and she stands in a field of tall, out-of-focus daisies. There is a light green hue cast over the entirety of the book cover. The title, in bold font, and the author’s name is placed at the bottom of the cover and the publisher’s stamp is in the top left corner.

Scirocco Drama, 2024

The Dark Lady by Jessica B. Hill 

Of course, we had to bookend this list with The Dark Lady by Jessica B. Hill! Playing in the Douglas Campbell Theatre in our 2025 Season, The Dark Lady takes the story of Emilia Bassano—believed to be the Dark Lady in Shakespeare’s sonnets—from the margins of history and into the spotlight. This intimate two-hander brings Emilia Bassano into a collision course with an ambitious young playwright, in a thoughtful and unforgettable interrogation of art, love, and legacy.

Did we miss anything from this list? Let us know in the comments below!

Plus, if you haven’t secured your seats for our 2025 Season already, Season and Flex Packs are still on sale for a limited time only. Get your summer sorted early with savings of up to 15% on single ticket prices!