In my mind certainly not. It may not be apparent now but Shakespeare is the influence of many great modern movies and plays, he even influences the way we talk to each other.

A great example of these influences would be the movie Lion King relating to the play Hamlet and the movie Ten Things I Hate About You relating to the play Taming Of The Shrew.

All though you might not know it, the Lion King is greatly influenced by Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”. Although the Lion King is adapted for children it follows a similar story line.

Plot Comparison.

– Simba has a evil uncle (Scar). Hamlet has an evil uncle (Gertrude).

– Simba / Hamlets uncle murders Mufasa / King Hamlet.

– Simba believes it was his fault that his father died so he flees the kingdom. Hamlet realised that his evil uncle Claudius killed his father.

– Simba realises his uncle Scar killed his father and plans to return to the kingdom and fight Scar. Hamlet plots to prove his uncle guilty of his fathers murder and in turn plans to murder him.

– Hamlet falls in love with Ophelia.

– Ophelia drowns herself due to greif.

– Simba returns to his kingdom and defeats his evil uncle Scar. Hamlet and Claudius both die a gruesome death after a fencing match which Claudius planned to poison Hamlet.

As the comparison shows The Lion King is fairly influenced by Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. The two stories also share the same theme, revenge. The Lion King was modified to have a happy ending where as in Shakespeare’s version Hamlet died along with his evil uncle.

Another great Shakespeare play adaption that became a very popular movie is Ten Things I Hate About You, and adaption of Shakespeare’s play The Taming Of The Shrew. There are some differences between the relationships, high school relationships and marriage. Also the setting and the normal behaviour of women in the time frame.

Plot Comparison.

– Lucentio moves to the city of in the city of Padua, Italy. Cameron James moves to Padua High School, Seattle.

– Lucentio immediately falls in love with Bianca. Cameron falls in love with Bianca.

– Bianca’s father, Baptista Minolta ruled out Bianca from marrying anyone until her sister, the shrew, Katherine has been married. Bianca’s father Walter Stratford bans Bianca from going out with another guy until her unpopular sister Kat is asked out.

– Petruchio, Lucentio’s friend, travels from Verona in search of a rich woman to marry, without a care of her attitude. He then agrees to marry Katherine. Cameron pays Patrick to take Kat on a date so he in turn can take Bianca.

– Petruchio marries Katherine and begins to dislike her. Patrick goes on a date with Kat and dislikes her.

– Petruchio tames the shrew by keeping her from eating and sleeping for a number of days. Patrick begins to relate with Kat opening her attitude up to begin to relate and interact in a positive way with others.

– Lucentio wins Bianca with poetry and marries her. Cameron asks Bianca to the prom and she says yes.

– Petruchio falls in love with Katrina. Patrick begins to enjoy his relationship with Kat and they go to the prom together.

As the comparison shows Shakespeare’s play has heavily influenced this movie. There are even some hidden features in the movie that you may have noticed such as the setting, Padua, Italy, compared to Padua High, America. Another thing you might notice is where Petruchio comes from in the play (Verona) and Patricks surname.

Apart from his plays Shakespeare has had a huge influence on the language we use and the way we speak to each other. Words that you use everyday can originate from Shakespeare but you might just not know it. Here are some of the most common:

Aught: Should.

Behold: Look.

Charged: Burdened with.

Cousin: A relative.

Fare well: Goodbye.

Hail: Respectful greeting.

Hence: There fore.

Mark: Notice.

So. Is Shakespeare just another dead white guy?

In my opinion he defiantly is not. Although his plays and language are hundreds of years old they still have relevance in this day and age. Themes and plots are still used to make modern day movies and plays that can still relate to the world we live, his language we still use in our conversation today.