How to Celebrate Shakespeare’s Birth (and Death) Day Without Reading
Have a Bard-filled movie marathon on us in honor of ol’ Billy’s birthday.
Ah, Shakespeare — literary genius, superb story craftsman, and orchestrator of the best sex jokes in theatre. It’s easy to wax poetic about Shakespeare’s dramas and get caught up in the grandeur of his histories. His comedies have become the foundation for so many rom-coms and adaptations we’ve lost count of them.
Shakespeare remains one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) literary forces in history, and both Hamilton and I — the lit nerds we are — watch his plays regularly.
But we won’t get carried away. After all, “brevity is the soul of wit,” and you’re just looking for another movie marathon to start. Here are our favorite Billy Shakes adaptations and where you can stream them:
Lion King (Disney+)
Based on: Hamlet
I’m always surprised people still don’t realize The Lion King is a blatant retelling of the tragic tale of the Prince of Denmark. But yes, the storyline mirrors Shakespeare’s famed Hamlet — but because it’s Disney, we’re spared Ophelia’s drowning. Nala is way too strong a character for that.
10 Things I Hate About You (Disney+)
Based on: Taming of the Shrew
This is one of my personal favorites. 10 Things I Hate About You utilizes its source material as effectively as Clueless utilized Jane Austen’s Emma. Also, Heath Ledger became everyone’s misunderstood heartthrob with that iconic soccer stadium scene. *swoon*
She’s the Man (Hulu)
Based on: Twelfth Night
Classic case of girl meets boy, girl likes boy, girl realizes she can’t date boy because she’s impersonating her twin brother. (Don’t you just hate it when that happens?) Amanda Bynes gave one of her last decent performances in this movie, and mid-2000s Channing Tatum comes off as the endearing jock we know and love him to be.
Macbeth with Michael Fassbender (Prime)
I love Michael Fassbender, but there are better Macbeth actors. However, Marion Cotillard gave one of the best performances of her career as Lady Macbeth.
Macbeth with Sir Patrick Stewart (Prime)
Remember my comment about “better Macbeth actors?” Patrick Stewart is that actor.
Both Macbeth versions are phenomenal and deserve to be seen, but few performers command the stage and the weight of Macbeth’s character development like Stewart.
Midsummer Night’s Dream — 2018 version (Prime)
This version is an interesting spin on the source material. It modernizes only the setting and keeps the text verbatim to the play. I love this play heaps; it’s my favorite of ol’ Billiam’s comedies. What this adaptation lacks in Stanley Tucci, it makes up for in clever retelling. It also has Fran Kranz — everyone’s favorite stoner from Cabin in the Woods — as Claudio, so that’s a nice little treat.
The King (Netflix)
Based on: Shakespeare’s Henriad
Oh, Timothee Chalamet, you angelic little sex kitten. You’re one of two men who could get me to watch another adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Henry IV and Henry V plays. (The other man is Tom Hiddleston who has, of course, also been in a separate adaptation of the Henriad, but that version was a BBC miniseries, so I’m excluding it from this movie marathon.) Chalamet and Robert Pattinson give exemplary performances in a war-strategy movie that tonally feels like a very long Game of Thrones episode.
Much Ado About Nothing — 1993 version (Prime via free IMDb subscription)
Kenneth Branagh created the most notable adaptation of this Shakespeare comedy in the 90s, and I’m pretty sure every English class since 1993 has shown it during a Shakespeare unit. Branagh both directs and stars in the play alongside his then-wife Emma Thompson.
NOTE: While I adore this version, it’s not my favorite. I created this list based on what’s currently streaming, but if you’re willing to shell out a few bucks on a rental, Digital Theatre has David Tennant and Catherine Tate starring in the stage adaptation and it is absolutely superb. They are (in my humble opinion) the finest Beatrice and Benedick pairing ever, and their adaptation plays up the physical comedy at which both Tennant and Tate excel.
Romeo + Juliet — 1996 version (Prime with Starz subscription)
I won’t speak for Hamilton but this is, undoubtedly, my least favorite Shakespeare play. I hate qualifying it as a “romance” because it’s not. It’s a social commentary warning people to not let love overwhelm common sense. The only decent characters die early on and… I’ve got to stop myself before I shell out 2,000 words about how anyone who further romanticizes R&J is an idiot. This adaptation is one of the most popular, largely due to its massive budget and A-List cast. (Baby Leo DiCaprio, anyone?)
However, this was the version I put on the list only because I couldn’t find the 1968 version we all watched in high school streaming online. The one with not-Zac Efron-but-totally-1970s-Zac-Efron as Romeo.
