Fiction Writers Source of Inspiration
Shakespeare as a Model for Books, Plays and Short Stories
Oct 17, 2009
While Shakespeare's life has remained a mystery, although it has been explored by many scholars, and is the subject of thousands of inquiries into to his relationships, his religious beliefs, the source of his genius, his sexuality, and the possible collaborative nature of his authorship. Meanwhile, his work has provided an ongoing source of inspiration for new works of fiction with authors turning the familiar story structures into contemporary surroundings or exploring the histories or continuing lives of Shakespeare's characters.
Novels and Plays Using Shakespeare's Plots
- A Midsummer Night's Dream was used as the basis for Magic Street by Orson Scott Card in 2005 and A Midsummer Tempest by Poul Anderson in 1974. It was used in a comic book in graphic novel form in the Sandman by Neil Gaiman in 1991.
- The Taming of the Shrew was adapted for Kiss Me Kate by Samuel and Bella Spewack in 1948
- The Merchant of Venice was the basis for Shylock's Daughter by Erica Jong in 1987 and The Last Days of Shylock by Ludwig Lewisohn in 1931.
- The Tempest was updated and became Prospero's Daughter written by Elizabeth Nunez in 2006, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley in 1932, and Caliban's Hour by Ted Williams in 1993.
- Romeo and Juliet was the basis for the musical West Side Story by Arthur Laurents in 1957.
- Hamlet was updated in The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski in 2008, Rosencrantz and Gilderstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard in 1966, and Gertrude and Claudius by John Updike in 2000.
- King Lear was the adapted into A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley in 1991.
- MacBeth was updated and became The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike in 1984 and Lady Macbeth by Susan Fraser King by 2008.
Historical Fiction Using Shakespeare's Plots
- Nothing Like The Sun by Anthony Burgess in 1964 is a fictional invented biography of Shakespeare love life.
- The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber in 2007 is a mystery using a discovery that could lead to one of Shakespeare's lost play.
- The Players: A Novel of the Young Shakespeare by Stephanie Cowell in 1997 focuses on the Bard's apprenticeship years.
- The Quality of Mercy by Faye Kellerman in 1989 historicizes the young actor-playwright's life in Elizabethan England.
- Ruled Britannia by Harry Turtledove in 2002 is an alternative history of Shakespeare's commission to write a play to stir up rebellion against the Spanish.
- Will by Grace Tiffany in 2004 focuses on the relationship between Shakespeare and his uncle, Edward Arden.
"Reviving the Bard: Adapting Shakespeare's Plays for the Modern Age" by Jessica Teisch in the May/June issue of Bookmarks goes into detail about each work using a summary of the original novel or play and also the adaptations.
More articles about fiction writing: Writing Historical Fiction, Writing Crime Fact or Fiction, The Process of Writing Fiction
 |
