Okay, I am incredibly excited for today’s post! Today we have C.J. from ebookclassics writing about Shakespeare references in popular culture! I LOVE when I find references to some of my favorite works – this happens often for me as I love Shakespeare and The Wizard of Oz, they are always referenced! Let’s see what C.J. found!!
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Shakespeare References in Pop Culture by ebookclassics
Although I still struggle to understand the work of Shakespeare, I fully appreciate his genius and nothing makes me happier than seeing references to his many wonderful plays and poems in pop culture. You probably have heard of Shakespeare references in Star Trek and Disney movies, but some of the more recent references you may have missed include the following:
1. Iron Man rewording a Shakespeare quote to tease Thor in The Avengers movie (2014).
2. William Shakespeare as a master builder in The Lego Movie (2014) and heckling Emmett, the main character.
3. The Bard is a favorite of Orange is the New Black’s fierce poem quoting Crazy Eyes played by Uzo Aduba.
4. The pairing of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers with our strange obsession with zombies in Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion, both a popular YA novel (2010) and movie (2013).
5. MacHomer, a play that combines the doh-ness of Homer Simpson with Shakespeare’s most intense protagonist.
6. Mumford and Son’s debut album title, Sigh No More (2009), is taken from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and several lines from the play are in the song.
7. The Tenth Doctor and Martha meet Shakespeare and foil a dastardly plot in The Shakespeare Code (Doctor Who, series 3, 2007).
8. Who would know better than someone close to her? The novel, Juliet’s Nurse by Lois Leveen (2014) is a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet.
9. We see how two black men in Shakespeare’s time react to Othello in a hilarious Key and Peele skit (2013).
10. The addictive, House of Cards, is greatly influenced by Shakespeare and, in particular, Richard III, with Frank Underwood played by Kevin Spacey often breaking the fourth wall with the audience.
What do you love about Shakespeare? What are some of your favorite Shakespeare references in pop culture?
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Bard on the Blogs is such a great idea. It was so much fun to participate and read all of the guest posts!
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This is so dang clever! I loved seeing all these nods to Shakespeare in pop culture 🙂
There is a novel titled All the Wirld by Rachel L. Vaughan where modern people turn into characters from Shakespeare’s plays because of a curse created by him. It’s so much fun!