"The Lion King" and "Hamlet"

“The Lion King” borrows much of its plot from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. The central arc of “The Lion King” mirrors “Hamlet”, where an evil uncle orchestrates the murder of his brother and ascends to the throne, Scar and Mufasa the counterparts to Claudius and Hamlet’s father. Simba’s journey as the main character resembles Hamlet’s attempts at justice and retribution, though Simba fights to reclaim the throne and Hamlet fights to avenge his father’s death. Also, Mufasa’s spirit is reminiscent of Hamlet’s father’s ghost.

"Titanic" and "Romeo and Juliet"

While “The Lion King” traced “Hamlet” closely, in many places “Titanic” deviates from its Shakespearean double “Romeo and Juliet”. While Romeo and Juliet are divided by their warring families, Jack and Rose are divided by class constraints in the early 20th century. Rose’s family opposes her romantic involvement with Jack, who is of a lower class. Cal, who was intended to marry Rose, is a parallel to Paris, who Juliet was meant to marry. The choice to remain on the sinking ship rather than getting on a lifeboat can be seen as Romeo and Juliet’s choice of death over separation. The first letters of their names are also notable and suggest a reversal of Romeo as Rose’s parallel and Juliet as Jack’s, as Rose develops her agency throughout the movie to ultimately take Romeo’s place as the driver of the relationship.

"House of Cards", "Richard III", and "Macbeth"

“House of Cards”, in its characters, themes, and plot, mirrors Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and “Richard III”. “Macbeth” centers around Macbeth’s ambition to become king by killing the current king. Frank Underwood’s desire for power mirrors Macbeth’s, his ruthless tactics taking the form of manipulation and even eliminating his enemies. The relationship between Frank and Claire Underwood, similarly built on mutual ambition, is much like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s. The psychological toll of Frank’s actions is reminiscent of Macbeth’s. Both Richard III and Frank Underwood directly address the audience and share information about their schemes. Richard and Frank also both cultivate a public persona that sharply contrasts to their private actions.

"She's the Man" and "Twelfth Night"

“She’s the Man” is a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” that reimagines the play in a contemporary high school setting. The film follows Viola Hastings as she disguises herself as her twin brother, Sebastian, to join the boys’ soccer team. The characters in the play are mostly preserved in this movie. Duke Orsino’s high school counterpart is Duke, Viola’s roommate, and Malcolm parallels Malvolio.

"O" and "Othello"

“O” is a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Othello” set in a contemporary high school. The film focuses on Odin “O” James, a star basketball player manipulated by his envious teammate Hugo. Odin’s parallel is Othello, and Hugo’s parallel is Iago.