Shakespearean Inspirations

On his wedding day, Lord Manfred’s sickly son is crushed to death by a giant helmet falling from the sky. Is it an omen of an ancient prophecy coming true? Does this mean the end for the family bloodline? Not if Lord Manfred can help it. First published in 1764, this is the original gothic novel.

This novel is the re-telling of Hamlet, this time set in rural Wisconsin, not Denmark. The titular character, is a mute boy who runs away from home after his father is killed. But he returns home hoping to prove his suspicions that his uncle murdered his father. Part of the fun in this novel is trying to decipher which characters and scenes corresponds to the one in the play. And if anything, it proves that the themes of betrayal, madness and familial obligations are universal and timeless.

Now this Shakespearean inspiration is a little complicated. So hold on tight.

The novel's narrative revolves around the the publication of a recently discovered Arthurian play attributed to William Shakespeare, titled "The Tragedy of Arthur". But the main narrator, Arthur Phillips (is the author playing himself or a parody of himself?) believes the lost play to be a forgery produced by his father.

What's fact and what's fiction? We can't tell anymore. But what we like is how the novel explores the complex father-son relationships, just like how Shakespeare did in many of his plays.

In King Lear, the characters were larger than life. The King himself was foolish, and his two older daughters cruel. Yet one of the best characters remain in the shadows: Pocket. King Lear's Fool.

In Fool, Moore tells the story from the perspective of Pocket, King Lear’s fool. We learn how he's the one who saves the day, gets Cordelia back into the kingdom, deals with Regan and Goneril. A fool is a fool, and he gets into a whole bunch of trouble, but Moore's vast imagination gives us an alternate universe, one that's so rich, vast and entertaining.

No matter how many times you read Hamlet, or watch whichever adaption on stage or screen, Ophelia's ending and role is one of sheer heartbreak and pain. So when she finally gets to have her say in Lisa Klein's reimagining, it's all good — even if the inevitable ending happens. Ophelia is from her perspective, instead of just seeing Hamlet’s mad view of the world. You get to learn more about her childhood, her relationship with her brother, as well as her close friendship with the queen. In conclusion, this is the story Ophelia deserved.

We all know the plot to this famous, classic novel. But did you know that the inspiration behind the title was actually from The Tempest?

“Oh, wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in ’t!” — Miranda

In The Tempest, Miranda delivers this speech when she first sees new people arrive on the island, obviously in wonderment. And in Brave New World, when John utters the phrase, it is when he looks at a society already consumed by its fixation on technology and hedonistic pleasure. We love the juxtaposition of ideas between the novel and the play. In Brave New World, Huxley explores ideas about the power of art and the nature of humanity as Shakespeare does in his haunting and, possibly, final play.

Twelfth Night ends with a declaration of revenge, and Celia Rees takes it as an invitation to follow the characters to London, where the meet Shakespeare and provoke him to write a play called Twelfth Night.

Very confusing, but that's what happens when timelines and universes cross. Celia Rees's world is a lush one, full of details about Elizabethan London. It's a great YA novel which doesn't take itself too seriously, and packs plenty of fun.

The title of this Bradbury novel comes from Macbeth, when the witches do their chant.

“By the pricking of my thumbs / Something wicked this way comes.” — Second Witch

But different from Macbeth's trio of witches, Something Wicked This Way Comes only features a single witch. But either way, this 1962 fantasy novel is as equally dark and disturbed as the Shakespearean tragedy.

Star crossed lovers are aplenty in literature, but the greatest pair of all must be Romeo and Juliet. The family feud between rival Italian spell houses Casa Montana and Casa Petrocchi could probably just be the same ill-fated one in the Shakespearean play, but set in a parallel universe — this time full of powerful magic.