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Curated category

British plays adapted into films

  • MacbethWilliam Shakespeare wrote The Tragedy of Macbeth using material from Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles, published in 1587. This history book covered England…
  • HamletThe Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark emerged from a deep well of ancient legends and medieval texts. Scholars point to the 13th-century Life of Amleth by…
  • The TempestThe year 1610 marked the beginning of a creative period for William Shakespeare. Evidence suggests he wrote The Tempest between late 1610 and mid-1611.
  • As You Like ItThe play As You Like It emerged from the creative ferment of late 1598 and early 1599. No quarto edition exists for this work, meaning its first printed…
  • Twelfth NightWilliam Shakespeare wrote Twelfth Night, or What You Will around the year 1601. The play was likely created as a specific entertainment for the close of the…
  • All's Well That Ends WellThe First Folio of 1623 lists All's Well That Ends Well among Shakespeare's comedies, yet scholars cannot agree on when the play was written.
  • Henry IV, Part 1William Shakespeare wrote Henry IV, Part 1 no later than the year 1597. The play dramatizes events from late 1402 to mid-1403, covering the reign of King…
  • Romeo and JulietThe story of Romeo and Juliet did not begin in Shakespeare's mind. It emerged from a long tradition of tragic love stories stretching back to antiquity.
  • Measure for MeasureThe play Measure for Measure first appeared in print within the First Folio of 1623, though scholars believe it was written during 1603 or 1604.
  • Henry IV, Part 2William Shakespeare wrote Henry IV, Part 2 between the years 1596 and 1599. This play serves as the third chapter of a four-part historical cycle that began…
  • Much Ado About NothingWilliam Shakespeare wrote Much Ado About Nothing during the years 1598 and 1599. The play first appeared in print when stationers Andrew Wise and William…
  • The Winter's TaleThe play The Winter's Tale draws its main plot from Robert Greene's pastoral romance Pandosto, published in 1588. Shakespeare made uncharacteristically…
  • Richard III (play)The Tragedy of Richard the Third likely took shape between 1592 and 1594, a period when William Shakespeare was refining his historical narratives.
  • The Importance of Being EarnestOscar Wilde spent the summer of 1894 with his family at Worthing on the Sussex coast. He began work on a new play during this period.
  • OthelloWilliam Shakespeare wrote The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice around 1603. This play draws its core plot from a novella by Giovanni Battista Giraldi…
  • The Merchant of VeniceThe play The Merchant of Venice emerged between 1596 and 1598, a period when William Shakespeare was establishing his reputation in London.
  • Antony and CleopatraThe story of Antony and Cleopatra begins in 1579 with a translation by Sir Thomas North. This English version of Plutarch's Lives provided the raw material…
  • Henry V (play)In early 1599, the Earl of Essex launched a military campaign to quell Tyrone's Rebellion in Ireland. This expedition began in late March and was scuttled by…
  • Richard II (play)On the 9th of December 1595, Sir Robert Cecil watched a performance of King Richard at the home of Edward Hoby in Canon Row.
  • King LearThe Tragedy of King Lear emerged from a convergence of historical chronicles and folk traditions in the early 17th century.
  • A Midsummer Night's DreamFour days before the wedding of Duke Theseus and Queen Hippolyta, Hermia stands in Athens facing a choice that could end her life.
  • CoriolanusThomas North published his translation of Plutarch's Lives in 1579, and Shakespeare mined that volume for the bones of Coriolanus.
  • CymbelineWilliam Shakespeare set his play Cymbeline in ancient Britain, drawing the name of its king from Cunobeline, a real historical figure mentioned by Suetonius…
  • Julius Caesar (play)Thomas Platter the Younger wrote in his diary on the 21st of September 1599 that he saw a tragedy about Julius Caesar at a Bankside theatre.
  • The Taming of the ShrewThe Taming of the Shrew emerged from a foggy period between 1590 and 1592, when William Shakespeare first arrived in London.
  • Henry VIII (play)Scholars examining the text of Henry VIII found that individual scenes bore the distinct fingerprints of two different writers.
  • VolponeThe year 1605 marked the beginning of a theatrical experiment in London. Ben Jonson wrote Volpone to premiere at the Globe Theatre during the spring of 1606.
  • The Comedy of ErrorsWilliam Shakespeare wrote The Comedy of Errors during the latter part of 1594. This play stands as one of his earliest works and remains his shortest comedy…
  • Titus AndronicusPhilip Henslowe's diary entry from the 24th of January 1594 records a performance of Titus Andronicus by Sussex's Men at The Rose theatre.
  • The Two Gentlemen of VeronaShakespeare drew his plot from the Spanish prose romance The Seven Books of Diana by Jorge de Montemayor, published in 1559.