History Main / TheBardOnBoard

* The ''Series/{{Columbo}}'' episode [[Recap/ColumboS02E04 "Dagger of the Mind"]] centres around a husband-and-wife acting duo murdering their producer just as they perform ''Macbeth'', and the rest of the episode surrounds their trying to conceal their crime as they try and get the glory they were promised, their paranoia leads them to kill again, and at the end, [[spoiler:one of them [[VillainousBreakdown goes insane as they realize their plans are going up in smoke]]]].

* In ''Literature/UnseenAcademicals'', one of the romantic subplots is based on Romeo and Juliet. Instead of FeudingFamilies, Trev and Juliet are from rival [[RugbyIsSlaughter football teams]]. Glenda even describes them as "two teams, alike in villainy!" which is a reference to "two houses, alike in dignity." However, EverybodyLives, and the feud is stopped by the teams [[TheEnemyOfMyEnemy uniting against a common opponent]] and agreeing to more civilized rules of football.

* The 1994 Japanese children’s book ''Literature/OneStormyNight'' and its two AnimatedAdaptation’s (a [[Anime/OneStormyNight 2005 anime film]] and 2012 [[Anime/OneStormyNightSecretFriends CGI animated series]]) is essentially the ''Romeo and Juliet'' plot but with [[RecycledInSpace wolf and goats]].

Creator/WilliamShakespeare, an English playwright, has been a major influence on English language fiction for 400 years. He is also often the only playwright most people can name, even though most only know his plays through PopculturalOsmosis or [[UsefulNotes/SchoolStudyMedia English class]]. The tropes he invented or popularized (to say nothing of the significant portion of the English language he pioneered) are still with us today and his plays are considered the most memorable works in the history of the English language. So when you're a struggling writer or new screenwriter trying to pen a new story, why not take one of his plots?

* The 1994 Japanese children’s book ''Literature/OneStormyNight'' and its two AnimatedAdaptation’s (a [[Anime/OneStormyNight 2005 anime film]] and 2012 [[Anime/OneStormyNightSecretFriends animated series]]) is essentially the ''Romeo and Juliet'' plot but with [[RecycledInSpace wolf and goats]].

* The ''Series/BlackMirror'' episode '''Crocodile''' is all about a woman who during a drunken stupor got into a car with an equally drunk driver. They ended up killing a man and he convinced her to help him hide the body. Cut to 15 years later where she has a Highly Successful Professional and Personal Life, and he shows up 9 month sober seeking redemption. Cue the rising body-count [[spoiler:(and yes, it turns out to be all for nothing)]]

* The 1962 film ''Film/{{All Night Long|1962}}'' is an adaptation of ''Othello'' set in the contemporary London jazz scene.

See also ReferencedBy.WilliamShakespeare. Not to be confused with ShakespeareInFiction, which is about appearances by the man himself. Anyone who regards this as writers being unoriginal should consider that [[JustForFun/TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples Shakespeare did this himself]]. All but two of Shakespeare plays (''Theatre/TheTempest''[[note]]And the plot points of the shipwreck were taken from the actual shipwreck of the ''Sea Venture'' in 1609 while on its way to Jamestown, while the magical plot elements are frequently viewed as a metaphor for the relationships between the English colonists, people they imported as slaves, and the indigenous inhabitants of the area.[[/note]] and ''Theatre/TheMerryWivesOfWindsor''), was taken either from RealLife history or from pre-existing stories.

* ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' is a modernized, musical version of ''Romeo and Juliet''.

** Its sequel WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride takes cues from Romeo and Juliet. Taking it a step further, the ''second'' sequel ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf'' retells ''The Lion King'' from the perspective of [[ThoseTwoGuys Timon and Puumba]]. If the original is ''Hamlet'', then ''1 ½'' is ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead''. Again, albeit with a lighter ending.

* ''Film/GetOverIt'' is based on ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', set in high school. Bonus points for the fact that the wedding tableau from the source material becomes a SchoolPlay of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' itself. The play goes OffTheRails when [[spoiler: the Lysander analogue falls for the Helena one, and physically changes the ending to have them end up together]].

Creator/WilliamShakespeare, an English playwright has been a major influence on English language fiction for 400 years, is also often the only playwright most people can name. While most only know his plays through PopculturalOsmosis or [[UsefulNotes/SchoolStudyMedia English class]], the tropes he invented or popularized (to say nothing of the significant portion of the English language he pioneered) are still with us today and his plays are considered the most memorable works in the history of the English language. So when you're a struggling writer or new screenwriter trying to pen a new story, why not take one of his plots?

Creator/WilliamShakespeare, an English playwright has been a major influence on English language fiction for 400 years, is also often the only playwright most people can name]]. While most only know his plays through PopculturalOsmosis or [[UsefulNotes/SchoolStudyMedia English class]], the tropes he invented or popularized (to say nothing of the significant portion of the English language he pioneered) are still with us today and his plays are considered the most memorable works in the history of the English language. So when you're a struggling writer or new screenwriter trying to pen a new story, why not take one of his plots?

Creator/WilliamShakespeare, often the only playwright most people can name]], has been a major influence on English language fiction for 400 years. While most only know his plays through PopculturalOsmosis or [[UsefulNotes/SchoolStudyMedia English class]], the tropes he invented or popularized (to say nothing of the significant portion of the English language he pioneered) are still with us today and they're considered the most memorable works in the history of the English language. So when you're a struggling writer or new screenwriter trying to find a good plot, why not take one of his?

Creator/WilliamShakespeare has created some of the most memorable works in the history of the English language. So when you're a struggling writer, trying to find a good plot, why not take one of his?

A subtrope of WholePlotReference, and also of SettingUpdate. A lot of RecycledInSpace would be these as well (especially the rash of [-[[HighschoolAU IN HIGH SCHOOL!]]-] films like ''Film/TenThingsIHateAboutYou'' (''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew''), ''O'' (''Theatre/{{Othello}}''), and ''Film/ShesTheMan'' (''Theatre/TwelfthNight'').

So Alan Gordon's ''Literature/ThirteenthNight'' (being a sequel to ''Twelfth Night'') doesn't count, but his ''Litereture/AnAnticDisposition'' (which follows the plot of ''Hamlet'') would.

* ''Film/{{O}}'' -- Odin James (Mekhi Phifer) is the captain of his high school basketball team, while Hugo (Josh Hartnett) plots to undo his popularity.

* In the ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' Saga Official guide, Stephenie Mayer says that ''New Moon'' was inspired by ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' and ''Breaking Dawn'' by ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'' and ''Theatre/{{Othello}}''.

* ''The Tragedy of Greenhilt'' from ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' supplement ''Snips, Snails and Dragon Tales'' is a retelling of ''Hamlet'' by Roy Greenhilt, with himself as the hero, BigBad Xykon as King Xlaudius, and the rest of the cast in various other roles. Classic literature, ruined in the way that only ''The Order of the Stick'' can!
* ''Literature/TheRavenTower'' is ''Hamlet'' in a secondary-world fantasy setting, with added gods.

See also [[ShoutOut/ToShakespeare Shout Out: to Shakespeare]]. Not to be confused with ShakespeareInFiction, which is about appearances by the man himself. Anyone who regards this as writers being unoriginal should consider that [[JustForFun/TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples Shakespeare did this himself]]. All but two of Shakespeare plays (''Theatre/TheTempest''[[note]]And the plot points of the shipwreck were taken from the actual shipwreck of the ''Sea Venture'' in 1609 while on its way to Jamestown, while the magical plot elements are frequently viewed as a metaphor for the relationships between the English colonists, people they imported as slaves, and the indigenous inhabitants of the area.[[/note]] and ''Theatre/TheMerryWivesOfWindsor''), was taken either from RealLife history or from pre-existing stories.

* In ''Literature/UnseenAcademicals'', one of the romantic subplots is based on Romeo and Juliet. Instead of FeudingFamilies, Trev and [[NamesTheSame Juliet]] are from rival [[RugbyIsSlaughter football teams]]. Glenda even describes them as "two teams, alike in villainy!" which is a reference to "two houses, alike in dignity." However, EverybodyLives, and the feud is stopped by the teams [[TheEnemyOfMyEnemy uniting against a common opponent]] and agreeing to more civilized rules of football.

* ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'' features a play that is very loosely based on ''Romeo & Juliet'', wherein Machine Lifeforms depict multiple Romeos and Juliets and, unable to determine who is the real Romeo and Juliet, end up [[KillEmAll killing each other]].