7 films you didn’t know were based on Shakespeare plays

The Leaving Cert is upon us once again, and while for many of us Shakespeare is a distant memory, thousands of young people around the country will have his quotes drilled into their heads at the moment.

Most people will swear that they'll never have anything to do with Shakespeare and his plays after the exam is over but what many people don't know is that some of their favourite films are actually based on the plays we all resented during our school years. Here are seven films that are based on Shakespearean plays, with a surprising amount of chick-flicks making the list.

The Lion King

Based on: Hamlet The Lion King doesn't differ much from the play other than the species swap. Some of the the most obvious similarities include; Scar being the evil uncle who kills his own brother to become king just like Claudius in Hamlet, both evil uncles send their nephews away and Mufasa appears as a ghost to Simba just like Hamlet's father in the play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw0DXswF5MI

10 Things I Hate About You

Based on: The Taming of the Shrew The names of the main characters only change slightly for the film. Katherine becomes Kat, Petruccio becomes Patrick, and Kat's sister is still called Bianca. In both versions, the father of the main character demands that Bianca cannot be in a relationship until her sister is too. The men in both pay a friend to go out with Kat so they have a chance with Bianca. Both plots take of from there with very similar results. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znynbVoRlbo

Warm Bodies

Based on: Romeo and Juliet It may seem pretty obvious considering the main characters names are R and Julie. This movie is basically just the classic story of star crossed lovers but Romeo is a zombie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lJELsqo3E4

Forbidden Planet

Based on: The Tempest  The films setting, Planet Altair IV is similar to Prospero’s island, Dr. Edward Morbius lives there with just his daughter like Prospero and Miranda. The film see's Morbius master technology to control things whereas Shakespeare's Prospero acquires magic. While the lessons learned by the end of each version are quite different, the similarities between the premise of the film and the play, are hard to ignore. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diRx8nRk6e0

She's the Man

Based on: Twelfth Night  The basic plot, and many of the characters names are the same. Viola, the main character in both, is disguised as a man when she falls in love with Duke. The movie however, is heavily based around Viola's love for football, which obviously isn't in the play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DlfD2Ob5Gc

Men of Respect

Based on: Macbeth This is basically Macbeth but with gangsters. In the film, Mike listens to a spiritualist who tells him he can become head of his 'family' - much like the Weird Sisters tell Macbeth he will be king. So naturally his only option is to kill loads of people, much like the tormented Macbeth in the play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDIZ9CjZGAE And although it's an obvious one, this next one deserves an honourable mention.

Romeo and Juliet

Based on.. you guessed it. Baz Luhrmann's modern-day adaption of the famous play deserves a mention for its sheer brilliance. Although the storyline and plot remains the same, everything from the soundtrack to the setting to the costumes breathes new life into the story without abandoning the original script and language. If you haven't seen it, you should, even if you hated the play in school. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JoOpx6VwHk