Film adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays are quite prevalent in popular culture. Modern film makers and story tellers often use Shakespeare as a launching point for their own stories and films. Some of our most famous modern stories are actually filled with Shakespearean plot elements. From the obvious adaptation of Romeo and Juliet in Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story to the elements of Hamlet and Richard III found in Disney’s The Lion King, the performing arts owe a great deal to Shakespeare. This is not a novel idea; the many adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays have been well documented. However, while considering all of these works influenced by William Shakespeare an important question comes to mind: where did Shakespeare receive his inspiration? To better understand Shakespeare and his work I would like to examine the works of writers and historians that predate Shakespeare; namely Arthur Brooke, Saxo Grammaticus, and also the works contained in the Gesta Romanorum. By examining the works that inspired Shakespeare we will widen the pool from which modern filmmakers and storytellers can draw for their own inspiration.
First body - Arthur Brooke
a. influence on Shakespeare
b. other works
c. other poets and/or play-writes of influence
c. potential for modern application
second body - Saxo Grammaticus
a. influence on Shakespeare
b. other writings
c. other early known world historians
d. potential for modern application
third body - Gesta Romanorum
a. influence on Shakespeare
b. influence on other authors of Shakespeare's time
c. other works like it
d. potential for modern application
fourth body
a. compare modern 'Shakespeare' adaptations with earlier, non-Shakespearean works
b. possible influence on Hollywood
conclusion
a. discuss what effect this has on Shakespeare
b. creative possibilities for modern story-tellers
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