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Who was The Bard? What were his best works? How have his plays and poetry persisted into the 21st Century? 

Quotations

Honesty is the best policy. If I lose mine honor, I lose myself.

A list of the best William Shakespeare quotes. List is arranged by which ones are the most famous William Shakespeare quotes and which have proven the most popular with visitors to this page. All the top quotes from William Shakespeare should be listed here, but if any were missed you can add more quotes by William Shakespeare at the end of the list. This list includes notable William Shakespeare quotes on various subjects; if you are looking for subject-specific quotes, those can also be found on Ranker along with the authors name. This list answers the questions, &quot;what is a list of William Shakespeare quotes?&quot; and &quot;what are the most famous William Shakespeare quotes?&quot;Vote on this William Shakespeare quotations list so that only the greatest William Shakespeare quotes rise to the top, as the order of the list changes dynamically based on votes. You can also see the subject these historic William Shakespeare quotes displayed to the right of the quote. Don't let your favorite William Shakespeare sayings get to the bottom of the list! {#nodes}

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King John

This is a list about the best Shakespeare villains; it answers the question, “Who are <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-movies-where-the-bad-guy-wins/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the bad guys</a> in William Shakespeare’s plays?” Every play has a hero and a villain: who, in your book is the top villain of all-times in one of Shakespeare’s plays?While most villains are purely evil, the interesting thing about Shakespeare is that his villains are not always overtly evil. Some of them seem to only be facing a moral dilemma of sorts; they’re not the typical in-your-face evil plotters like other stories usually have. As a result, a lot of Shakespearean villains play very subtle roles. In addition to characters that are dubbed a villain but don’t play the typically evil roles that we think of when we hear that term, Shakespeare’s best plays also included some of the most notoriously evil characters in history, including: Richard III, Iago, Cornwall and Aaron the Moor. He was also notorious for making the audience fine sympathy for the bad guys (like Julius Caesar). The up-and-down emotions he caused the audience to feel are what made him famous. Shakespeare was also known for making his villainous characters seem incredibly real, struggling with common problems we each face like jealousy, heartbreak, greed and bitterness. He seemed to thrive on showing his audience the ironies of being judgmental since we are each the same in the end.

Language

In addition to 36 plays teenagers&nbsp;are forced to read in high school, William Shakespeare also wrote something like 1,700 English words for the very first time. While many were new verb or adjectival forms or even just compound words he squished together, others, like &quot;articulate,&quot; were brand new inventions The Bard pulled from Latin roots and also sometimes out of nowhere. This list of words Shakespeare invented includes some personal favorites, like &quot;swagger&quot; and &quot;gloomy,&quot; and also some words that just sound great, like &quot;sanctimonious,&quot; &quot;lackluster,&quot; &quot;madcap,&quot; and &quot;blanket.&quot; Who doesn't love a good blanket?Shakespeare worked in a time when the English language was in a state of flux, constantly changing and expanding in the wake of colonization, exploration, and war. Linguists estimate that more than 30,000 new words developed in the English language between the years 1500 and 1650. During his lifetime (1564-1616), Shakespeare published a cool 17,677 unique words, 1,700 of which he coined himself. He also invented a bunch of phrases that are still popular today, including &quot;kill with kindness,&quot; &quot;break the ice,&quot; and &quot;good riddance.&quot; Another is &quot;Knock knock! Who's there?&quot; No joke, that is in Hamlet. (Another is &quot;hoist with his own petard,&quot; which nobody really says anymore.)What's your favorite word made up by Shakespeare? Something majestic, like &quot;majestic&quot;? Something fun to say, like &quot;obsequiously&quot;? Maybe something that otherwise wouldn't have a name at all, like &quot;elbow&quot;? It would have been nice if he also named the inside part of the elbow (&quot;inbow,&quot; hello) and the back part of the knee. Thanks for nothing, Shakespeare. Vote!

In 1600, William Shakespeare claimed the title of the most famous playwright in England, drawing up to 20,000 spectators to theaters in London. But&nbsp;what was the Globe Theatre like? The play-going experience was unique. Women were&nbsp;banned from appearing on stage, so male actors played the roles of Juliet, Ophelia, Lady Macbeth, and Desdemona. And spectators didn&#39;t sit quietly in the audience. In fact, many of them stood during the play, oftentimes drinking beer and&nbsp;throwing things at the actors.

People went to the theater for entertainment, and since plays had to compete with bear-baiting, playhouses pulled out all the stops. The Globe pioneered special effects like rockets and occasionally put the entire building at risk. Peasants who had&nbsp;little money <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/how-the-black-death-changed-the-world/kellen-perry" target="_blank">after the Black Death</a>&nbsp;could buy the cheapest tickets and stand in the pit. And visitors even glimpsed Shakespeare on stage from time to time.

He might be&nbsp;known as one of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-writers-of-all-time/ranker-books " target="_blank">best writers of all time</a>, but&nbsp;Shakespeare acted too and even&nbsp;got panned by a critic.

Drama

Romeo and Juliet

This list includes all Shakespeare tragedies, ranked in order of popularity. William Shakespeare's brilliant plays have no equal, period. His contributions to literature and to plays, specifically, are enduring, powerful and timeless. Which of the Shakespearean tragedies is the best? That's a point that can certainly be argued, but this list might help to decide. Are these tragedies better than the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/all-shakespeare-comedies-ranked/bustermcdermott" target="_blank">Shakespeare comedies</a>? It just depends on what you enjoy: everyone living, or everyone dying. Be sure to vote for the William Shakespeare tragedy plays you loved the most, and vote down any that you consider the weakest of the bunch.All of the greatest <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/william-shakespeare_s-plays/lister" target="_blank">William Shakespeare plays</a> contain elements of high drama, though some are certainly more tragic than others. Of all the most memorable Shakespearean tragedies, few can surpass the misery and power of 'Hamlet.' As with all of the best Shakesperean tragedies, you just know that everyone is slowly, horribly, spinning towards their doom.Shakespeare's greatest tragedies feature extremely complex characters struggling with the forces of good and evil -- both external, and within themselves. This is true with all of the Bard's greatest plays, but it is particularly so with the tragedies. Think Macbeth from 'Macbeth' and certainly Coriolanus (from the play of the same name, of course). If you're a William Shakespeare nut who can't get enough, you should check out these lists of the greatest <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/a-list-of-famous-william-shakespeare-quotes/reference" target="_blank">best William Shakespeare quotes</a>, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/william-shakespeare-books-and-stories-and-written-works/reference" target="_blank">books</a> and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-poems-by-william-shakespeare/reference" target="_blank">poems</a>.Let's decide once and for all which William Shakespeare tragedy is the greatest of all time, with votes. And remember: &quot;To thine own self be true.&quot;

Breaking Bad

Here’s to William Shakespeare.&nbsp;May the Bard never fade. TV shows based on or influenced by Shakespeare are <a href="http://www.today.com/popculture/shakespeare-turns-450-modern-movies-tv-are-still-his-stage-1D79568711">perhaps more&nbsp;popular than ever</a> in 2016. There’s something for everyone in these Bard-based series;&nbsp;tragedy, comedy, prophecy, love, <a href="http://www.screenplay.com/downloads/scripts/shakespeareinlove.pdf">a bit with a dog</a>, and bloody quests for power. Which of your favorite shows draw from this&nbsp;rich well? House of Cards,&nbsp;Breaking Bad,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Game of Thrones, to name a few.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; There are the television series Shakespeare adaptations. Have you seen Romeo x Juliet? Juliet’s a vigilante, Neo Verona is a floating island, and there are dragons.&nbsp;If you want another take on the young lovers, try Star-Crossed where Romeo (Roman) is an alien and Juliet&nbsp;a human trying to bridge the gap between the two species.&nbsp;f you’re looking for more Shakespeare adaption TV shows, look no further than Slings and Arrows. The show based each season on a different play, while featuring a troupe of Shakespearean actors. And it’s helmed by Mark McKinney of Kids in the Hall.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; There TV shows inspired by Shakespeare. Twelfth Night on the motocross track? Why not? A twin takes her injured brother’s place in competition as she faces off against a bunch of leather-clad villains who like to cross their arms as they smirk. It’s Motocrossed on the Disney Channel.&nbsp; &nbsp; Which of these TV shows based on Shakespeare resonate&nbsp;most for you? Vote it to the top.&nbsp;SPOILERS throughout the list.&nbsp;

A Midsummer Night's Dream

List of the best Shakespeare film adaptations. There is no single human being in the history of entertainment who has spawned more adaptations than William Shakespeare. This list compiles the absolute greatest big screen adaptations of original Shakespeare works. His plays now live on in these major motion pictures, and are ranked by on this list by the community in order of excellence.Romeo and Juliet began as a tragic play that may have first been published as early as the 1590s. 400 years later, in the 1990s, Baz Luhrmann came adapted the Shakespearean story for his film,&nbsp;Romeo + Juliet, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the title roles. Kenneth Branagh has also made more movie adaptations of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/william-shakespeare_s-plays/lister?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">William Shakespeare plays</a> than just about anyone else between Hamlet, Henry V, and Much Ado About Nothing. The famous Shakespeare drama &quot;Othello&quot; has also been transformed into numerous film adaptations, most notably Tim Blake Nelson's O.Vote up your favorite Shakespearean adaptation below or add the Shakespeare-based films and movies you love that aren't already on the list.

Much Ado About Nothing

This list includes all Shakespeare comedies, ranked in order of popularity. William Shakespeare's comedic plays are among the most famous of all time. Are the Shakespearean comedies better than the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/all-shakespeare-tragedies-ranked/bustermcdermott" target="_blank">Shakespeare tragedies</a>? Fans will, and have, argued this forever. The fact is, if you love great comedy with a lot of wit and some genuine laugh out loud moments, you'll probably love most, if not all, of these <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/william-shakespeare_s-plays/lister" target="_blank">great Shakespeare plays</a>. Vote for your favorites and vote down any you didn't find all that funny.One point should definitely be made: Some of the Shakespeare comedies are so-called &quot;problem plays.&quot; What, pray tell, is a problem play? It's one that is difficult to categorize as a comedy *or* a tragedy, because it contains elements of both. The three main Shakespeare problem plays that are comedies are All's Well That Ends Well, The Merchant of Venice, and Measure for Measure. Each of these plays could certainly be considered comedic, but all of them also contain much darker elements and undertones.The Shakespeare comedies listed here include some of the most memorable, hilarious characters that the famed playwright ever created. Who can deny that Sir Toby Belch from Twelfth Night isn't perfectly, ridiculously hilarious, for example? And Sir John Falstaff, who appears in the notable Shakespeare comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor, is certainly witty. One of the great things about Shakespeare, in addition to his memorable works, was that he actually <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/words-invented-by-shakespeare/carly-kiel">created all kinds of words</a>! Wasn't he cool?!From the downright slapstick comedy of The Comedy of Errors to the witty Much Ado About Nothing and the all-out battle of the sexes in The Taming of the Shrew, this list represents all of William Shakespeare's comedies: The funniest, the most memorable and the plays with the happiest of endings. For more great Shakespeare-related information, and the top Shakespeare plays, check out these lists of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/a-list-of-famous-william-shakespeare-quotes/reference" target="_blank">best William Shakespeare quotes</a>, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/william-shakespeare-books-and-stories-and-written-works/reference" target="_blank">books</a> and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-poems-by-william-shakespeare/reference" target="_blank">poems</a>.

Adaptations

Forbidden Planet

List of the best modernized versions of Shakespeare plays. There are movies out there based on the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/william-shakespeare_s-plays/lister?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">plays of William Shakespeare</a> that came out centuries after the plays were first published. After all, they did not exactly have cameras in the days Romeo &amp; Juliet was first performed, let alone the technology that enabled Tromeo &amp; Juliet to be <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/all-epic-movies-or-list-of-epic-movies?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the epic movie</a> it is today.The most popular example of a Shakespeare modernization is 10 Things I Hate About You.&nbsp;The 1999 teenage rom-com is a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew, starring Heath Ledger. But even widely known, classic movie masterpieces, like West Side Story and The Lion King, are merely modern day renditions of Shakespeare's writing. Ralph Fiennes's Coriolanus&nbsp;and Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho&nbsp;are examples of today's celebrities doing their take on the most classic of classics: the centuries-old theater pieces of William Shakespeare. That is why we see Hamlet&nbsp;set in today's Manhattan, just as we see Macbeth take place in a fast food joint in Scotland, Pennsylvania.Vote up your favorite modern day version of one of Shakespeare's classics, or vote down the films you thought didn't quite translate to today's world.

Celebrity Facts

Hamlet is one of William Shakespeare's most notable tragedies. Many famous actors have portrayed the complicated title character. Several actors have even directed the productions of Hamlet in which they starred. One Academy Award winning actor passed out on stage during a production of the famous play. This list of actors who have played Hamlet is loosely ranked by fame and popularity.&nbsp;Shakespeare's Hamlet is a tragedy, was written sometime between 1599 and 1602 and centers on the title character Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark. Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play, dramatizing Prince Hamlet's revenge on his uncle Claudius, who murdered Hamlet's father. The play follows Hamlet's descent into madness and is one of Shakespeare's most performed plays, even to this day.Many famous actors have played Hamlet, but who is the most famous? Mel Gibson tops our list. Gibson played Hamlet in Franco Zeffirelli's 1990 film.&nbsp;Oscar-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis played Hamlet at the National Theatre in London in 1989. An exhausted Day-Lewis collapsed during the pivotal scene where the ghost of Hamlet's father first appears. Day-Lewis later claimed to see the ghost of his own dead father during the incident. He has not returned to the stage since that fateful performance.Which legendary actor do you think portrayed Hamlet the best? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Literature

Sonnet 44 - If the dull substance of my flesh were thought

Which are the best of Shakespeare's sonnets? This list includes the best of The Bard's 154 sonnets. These are all poems that deal with love, beauty, the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/sad-songs-about-time/ranker-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">passage of time</a>, and mortality. It is likely these touchy subjects that continue to drive our fascination with Shakespeare’s sonnets, as they are still popular today.&nbsp;Shakespeare's sonnets almost all follow the same structure. The consist of three quatrains of four line stanza, and a final couplet written in iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme Shakespeare used for his sonnets was: abab cdcd efef gg. Though a few sonnets are exceptions to this rule (99, 126, 145) most of the sonnets are strictly &quot;Shakespearean.&quot;The sonnets were first published in 1609 by Thomas thorpe, though it remains unknown as to whether the manuscript Thorpe used was authorized or not.Vote up the best of William Shakespeare's sonnets below or add your favorite Shakespearean sonnet, if it isn't already on the list.

While Shakespeare is normally thought of for his boundless imagination, a lot of his work&nbsp;is actually pulled straight from&nbsp;other sources. There's a lot of <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/british-history/william-shakespeare">history in Shakespeare</a> and&nbsp;you can even find whole passages cut out of historical texts like&nbsp;Holinshed's Chronicles and Plutarch's Lives—often with word-for-word transplants. He may have been a genius, but a lot of his work was done for him.&nbsp;Seriously—if you think Romeo and Juliet is an epic love story the Bard dreamt up, check out&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tragical_History_of_Romeus_and_Juliet">Romeus and Juliet</a> written by Arthur Brooke right before Shakespeare. Or the Italian story written before that.&nbsp;But when it came to history, Shakespeare didn't always feel the need to stay close to the facts.&nbsp;Shakespeare's plays understandably make for the most entertaining version of history, but that doesn't mean that they're the most accurate. Timelines are shortened, historical figures are ignored or created, and some things are just completely made up. These&nbsp;<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/william-shakespeare/10106855/Shakespeare-did-he-get-his-history-right.html">historical inaccuracies in Shakespeare</a>&nbsp;make the plays a lot more interesting to watch, but be careful before you quote him on your next history exam.&nbsp;Here are Shakespeare's craziest historical reimaginings, because you can make anything better with a pinch of murder.

Othello is one of William Shakespeare's most notable tragedies. It addresses themes of racism, love and betrayal that are as relevant today as they were when the work was first published in 1565. Several famous actors have played Othello on the stage and on the silver screen. This list of actors who have played Othello is loosely ranked by fame and popularity.&nbsp;Who is the most famous actor who has played Othello? Anthony Hopkins tops our list. Anthony Hopkins played Othello in a 1981 TV movie directed by Jonathan Miller. James Earl Jones was originally cast in the production, but British Equity refused to issue Jones an acting permit because they wanted someone British to play the iconic role. Jones has portrayed Othello on several occasions, the first being in 1955 at the Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee, Michigan.Laurence Fishburne played Othello in the 1995 film directed by Oliver Parker. This movie marked the first time that Othello was played by an African American actor on film.Who do you think did the best job portraying Othello? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Poetry

List of popular poetry by William Shakespeare, listed alphabetically. William Shakespeare is one of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-poets/ranker-books?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">most famous poets of all time</a>, having written hundreds of poems that have been enjoyed by people all over the world. William Shakespeare is known for various types of poetry, such as prose, limerick, haiku and various other types. If you're an aspiring poet or just a poetry lover than use this list of popular William Shakespeare poems to find a few that you've never read before.This list answers the question, "What are William Shakespeare's <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-poems-of-all-time/ranker-books?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">most famous poems</a>?"

<a href="https://www.folger.edu/macbeth" target="_blank">Macbeth </a>is one of William Shakespeare's darkest tragedies. It tackles political themes and the lengths&nbsp;men will go to in order to achieve power. Several famous actresses have taken on the role of Lady Macbeth.&nbsp;The character of Lady Macbeth is incredibly challenging for actresses to take on. She is the wife of the title character Macbeth and becomes Queen of Scotland. Lady Macbeth is a powerful presence in the first two acts of the play and is often seen as a personification of the conflict between femininity and masculinity in cultural norms.Who is the most famous actress who has played Lady Macbeth? <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/macbeth/marion-cotillard-interview/" target="_blank">Marion Cotillard </a>tops our list. Cotillard played&nbsp;Lady Macbeth in a 2015 film adaption simply titled Macbeth, directed by Justin Kurzel. Most recently, English actress <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/07/16/537509464/florence-pugh-on-her-role-in-lady-macbeth" target="_blank">Florence Pugh</a> took on the leading role in William Oldroyd's&nbsp;2016 independent drama&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lady_macbeth" target="_blank">Lady Macbeth</a>. Her performance won her the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress.Which actress do you think did the best job portraying Lady Macbeth? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Shakespeare in the Park festivals are popular all over the world. In cities like New York City, several famous actors and actresses have given memorable performances of some of Shakespeare's most beloved characters. In recent years, many Shakespeare festivals have opened up to plays by other notable playwrights. Several Academy Award winners have appeared in New York's Shakespeare in the Park productions. This list of actors who have done Shakespeare in the Park is loosely ranked by fame and popularity.&nbsp;Who is the most famous actor who has done Shakespeare in the Park. Natalie Portman tops our list. The Oscar-winner appeared in a Shakespeare in the Park production of Chekhov's The Seagull in New York in 2001. The production featured an all-star cast that included Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, John Goodman, and Marcia Gay Harden. Al Pacino appeared in several Shakespeare in the Park productions in New York including Julius Caesar in 1987 and The Merchant of Venice in 2010.Denzel Washington appeared in a Shakespeare in the Park production of Richard III in 1990. Zach Braff appeared in a Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night in New York in 2002.Which Shakespeare play is your favorite? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare's darkest tragedies. It tackles political themes and the lengths that men will go to in order to achieve power. Several famous actors have taken on the role of Macbeth. One famous actor is appearing in a 2015 film adaption of the classic play. This list of actors who have played Macbeth is loosely ranked by fame and popularity.&nbsp;Written sometime between 1599 and 1606, Macbeth reflects Shakespeare's relationship with the royal family and the ruling class, specifically James I, who was a patron of Shakespeare's acting company. Macbeth is the shortest of Shakespeare's tragedies, telling the story of a Scottish general (Macbeth) who receives a prophecy that he will one day become King of Scotland.Who is the most famous actor who has played Macbeth? Michael Fassbender tops our list. Fassbender is playing Macbeth in a 2015 film directed by Justin Kurzel. Michael Fassbender isn't the only X-Men actor to take on Macbeth. Patrick Stewart played Macbeth in a 2010 TV movie for the BBC and James McAvoy played Macbeth at the Trafalgar Studio in 2013.Which actor do you think did that best job portraying Macbeth? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Funny

Star crossed memes are coming your way!

Memes

By the pricking of our thumbs, some hilarious memes this way come...

Fictional Characters

Portia

List of William Shakespeare's best characters. Shakespeare wrote between 37 and 40 plays (depending on who you ask), and they are filled with many, many colorful and memorable characters. From heroes, heroines, villains, historical figures, and young lovers, which Shakespeare characters are the best?Shakespeare's greatest characters are listed here, along with the famous play (or plays) in which each one appeared. Vote up the best characters below or add a character you think is the best, though they must have had spoken lines in at least one of Shakespeare's works.Many of these characters have been played by <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/actors-who-have-done-shakespeare-in-the-park/celebrity-lists">celebrities who have done Shakespeare in the Park</a>, or even on screen in a <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-shakespeare-film-adaptations/ranker-film">film adaptation of Shakespeare</a>.

William Shakespeare

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Prince Hamlet

Hamlet is a fictional character from the 1973 film One Hamlet Less.

Iago

Iago is a fictional character in Shakespeare's Othello. The play's main antagonist, Iago is the 'Ancient' of General Othello as well as being husband of Emilia, who is in turn the attendant of Othello's wife Desdemona. Iago hates Othello and devises a plan to destroy him by making him believe that his wife is having an affair with his lieutenant, Michael Cassio.
The role is thought to have been first played by Robert Armin, who typically played intelligent clown roles like Touchstone in As You Like It or Feste in Twelfth Night.
The character's source is traced to Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio's tale "Un Capitano Moro" in Gli Hecatommithi. There, the character is simply "the ensign".

Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth is a fictional character from Macbeth.

Macbeth

Macbeth is a fictional character from Macbeth.

King Lear

King Lear is a fictional character from the 2011 film Self Made.

Mercutio

Mercutio is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's 1597 tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. He is a close friend to Romeo and Benvolio and a blood relative to Prince Escalus and Count Paris. As such, being neither a Montague nor a Capulet, Mercutio is one of the few in Verona with the ability to freely float around both houses. The invitation to Capulet's party states that he has a brother named Valentine.
Though often fun-loving and witty, the latter demonstrated in his Queen Mab speech in the first act, Mercutio's sense of humor can at times be facetious or even coarse, much to his friends' annoyance. Moreover, he is moody and given to sudden outbursts of temper, one of which sets a key plot development in motion.

Puck

Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow, is a character in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream that was based on the ancient figure in English mythology, also called Puck.
Puck is a clever, mischievous elf or sprite that personifies the wise knave. In the play, Shakespeare introduces Puck as the "shrewd and knavish sprite" and "that merry wanderer of the night" in some scenes it would seem that he is longing for freedom and he is also a jester to Oberon, the fairy king. Puck and Bottom are the only two characters who interact and progress the three central stories in the whole play; Puck is the one who is first introduced in the fairies' story and creates the drama of the lovers' story by messing up who loves whom, as well as by placing the ass on Bottom's head in his story. Similarly, Bottom is performing in a play in his story intending it to be presented in the lovers' story as well as interacting with Titania in the fairies' story.

Falstaff

Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character from the 2013 film H4.

Viola

Viola is the heroine and protagonist of the play Twelfth Night, written by William Shakespeare.
Viola's actions produce all of the play's momentum. She is a young woman of Messaline, a fictional country invented by Shakespeare, although some believe that this country really did exist. In the beginning Viola is found shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria and separated from her twin brother, not knowing whether he is alive or dead, the Sea Captain that tells her that this place is ruled by the Duke Orsino, who is in love with the Countess Olivia. Viola wants to serve her, but, finding this impossible, she has the Sea Captain dress her up like a eunuch, so she can serve the Duke instead.
Viola chooses the name Cesario, which in Italian means 'little Caesar', and secures a position as a page working for the Duke. He then entrusts Cesario to express his love for Olivia.

Othello

Othello is a fictional character from the 1990 film Othello.

Beatrice

Benedick

Benedick is a fictional character from the book Much Ado About Nothing, appearing in several related movies and plays.

Richard III

Ophelia

Ophelia is a fictional character from the 1964 film Hamlet at Elsinore.

Prospero

Prospero is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

Three Witches

The Three Witches or Weird Sisters are characters in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. Their origin lies in Holinshed's Chronicles, a history of England, Scotland and Ireland. Other possible sources, aside from Shakespeare's imagination itself, include British folklore, such contemporary treatises on witchcraft as King James VI of Scotland's Daemonologie, Scandinavian legends of the Norns, and ancient classical myths of the Fates: the Greek Moirai and the Roman Parcae. Productions of Macbeth began incorporating portions of Thomas Middleton's contemporaneous play, The Witch, circa 1618, two years after Shakespeare's death.
Shakespeare's witches are prophets who hail Macbeth, the general, early in the play, and prophesy his ascent to king. Upon killing the king and ascending the throne of Scotland, Macbeth hears them ambiguously prophesy his eventual downfall. The darkly contradictory witches, their "filthy" trappings and supernatural activities, all set an ominous tone for the play.
Artists in the eighteenth century depicted the witches variously, as have many directors since.

Juliet Capulet

Juliet is the female protagonist and one of two title characters in William Shakespeare's romantic love tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Juliet is the only daughter of Capulet, the patriarch of the Capulet family. The story has a long history that precedes Shakespeare himself.

Rosalind

Rosalind is a the Heroine and protagonist in the play As You Like It by William Shakespeare.
She is the beautiful daughter of the exiled Duke Senior and niece to his usurping brother Duke Frederick. Her father is banished from the kingdom which breaks her heart. She then meets Orlando and falls in love with him. After angering her uncle, she leaves his court for exile in the Forest of Arden. Disguised as a shepherd named Ganymede, Rosalind lives with her sweet and devoted cousin, Celia, and Duke Frederick's fool Touchstone. Eventually, Rosalind is reunited with her father and married to her faithful lover, Orlando.
Rosalind is one of Shakespeare's most recognized heroines. Admired for her intelligence, quick wit, and beauty, Rosalind is a vital character in "As You Like It." Most commonly seen next to her beloved cousin Celia, Rosalind is also a faithful friend, leader, and schemer. She stays true to her family and friends throughout the entire story, no matter how dangerous the consequences. Rosalind dominates the stage.

Cordelia

Cordelia is a fictional character in William Shakespeare’s tragic play, King Lear. She is the youngest of King Lear’s three daughters, and his favourite. After her elderly father offers her the opportunity to profess her love to him in return for one third of the land in his kingdom, she refuses and is banished for the majority of the play.

Portia is the heroine of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. A rich, beautiful, and intelligent heiress, she is bound by the lottery set forth in her father's will, which gives potential suitors the chance to choose between three caskets composed of gold, silver and lead. If they choose the right casket – the casket containing Portia's portrait – they win Portia's hand in marriage. If they choose the wrong casket, they must leave and never seek another woman in marriage. Portia is glad when two suitors, one driven by greed and another by vanity, fail to choose correctly. She favours Bassanio, a young Venetian noble, but is not allowed to give him any clues to assist in his choice. Later in the play, she disguises herself as a man, then assumes the role of a lawyer's apprentice whereby she saves the life of Bassanio's friend, Antonio, in court.
Portia is one of the most prominent and appealing of the heroines in Shakespeare's mature romantic comedies. She is beautiful, gracious, rich, intelligent, and quick-witted, with high standards for her potential romantic partners. She obeys her father's will, while steadfastly seeking to obtain Bassanio.

Shylock

Shylock is a fictional character in Shakespeare's play, The Merchant of Venice. A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal antagonist. His defeat and conversion to Christianity forms the climax of the story.
Typically played as a villain until the nineteenth century, Shylock has been increasingly portrayed as a semi-tragic figure whose vengeful acts arise from his victimisation.

Titania

Titania is a character in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream. In the play, she is the queen of the fairies. Due to Shakespeare's influence, later fiction has often used the name "Titania" for fairy queen characters.
In traditional folklore, the fairy queen has no name. Shakespeare took the name "Titania" from Ovid's Metamorphoses, where it is an appellation given to the daughters of Titans.
Shakespeare's Titania is a very proud creature and as much of a force to contend with as her husband Oberon. She and Oberon are engaged in a marital quarrel over which of them should have the keeping of an Indian changeling boy. This quarrel is the engine that drives the mix ups and confusion of the other characters in the play. Due to an enchantment cast by Oberon's servant Puck, Titania magically falls in love with a "rude mechanical", Nick Bottom the weaver, has been given the head of a donkey by Puck, who feels it is better suited to his character. It has been argued that this incident is an inversion of the Circe story.

Horatio

Horatio is a fictional character from the 1973 film One Hamlet Less.

Noah Albino

Julius Caesar

Gaius Julius Caesar (12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. In 60 BC, Caesar, Crassus and Pompey formed the First Triumvirate, a political alliance that dominated Roman politics for several years. After assuming control of government, Caesar began a program of social and governmental reforms, including the creation of the Julian calendar. Caesar was an accomplished author and historian as well as a statesman; much of his life is known from his own accounts of his military campaigns. Caesar is considered by many historians to be one of the greatest military commanders in history. He has frequently appeared in literary and artistic works, and his political philosophy, known as Caesarism, inspired politicians into the modern era.

Nurse

The Nurse is a fictional character from Romeo + Juliet.

List of William Shakespeare's best characters. Shakespeare wrote between 37 and 40 plays (depending on who you ask), and they are filled with many, many ...