History ReferencedBy / WilliamShakespeare

* ''[[Literature/JeevesAndWooster Thank You, Jeeves]]'' has Bertie trying to quote the "patience on a monument" speech, only to break down when he gets to the word "damask", which Jeeves both supplies and defines.

[[folder:Titus Andronicus]]
* In ''Series/{{Gotham}}'', this is how Penguin deals with his stepfamily [[YouKilledMyFather for what they did to his father in trying to get rid of him]]. [[IAteWhat No points for guessing how the sole survivor reacts to the reveal that she had been tricked into eating her own children before Penguin finishes her off]].
[[/folder]]

[[AC:{{Wrestliing}}]]

* In ''Literature/AdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn'' the Duke's and King's acts are basically mashups of half-remembered lines from Shakespeare plays.
* In one of the nightmare sequences in the original ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984'', Nancy's class is analyzing ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar''. After Nancy starts seeing a corpse talk to her, one of the students quotes a line from ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'':
-->"O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams."
* ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'' did this to varying extents throughout its seasons.
** The original series had a lot of Shakespearean references, particularly to ''Theatre/RichardIII'', given its AlternateHistory premise in which far from being killed, one of the "Princes in the Tower" grew up to be Richard IV, a psychotic BoisterousBruiser (BRIANBLESSED). The end credits even list "Additional dialogue -- Creator/WilliamShakespeare".
*** In more detail: [[Recap/BlackadderS1E1TheForetelling the first episode]] was basically the last act of ''Richard III'' crossed with ''Macbeth'', complete with three witches whose names in the shooting script are those of the princesses from ''Theatre/KingLear''. Some of the more grandiose characters quote directly from ''Theatre/HenryV'' and ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar''. (The account of the King's charge into Constantinople later in the series echoes ''Coriolanus'', but that may be a coincidence.)
** The second series was a ReTool, but one episode ("[[Recap/BlackadderS2E1Bells Bells]]") had Blackadder JumpingTheGenderBarrier and falling in love with [[SweetPollyOliver "Bob"]] (thus referencing ''Theatre/TwelfthNight''), and since Bob was actually named Kate, they used the line [[Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew "Kiss me, Kate.]]" In one episode Percy says "Let us sit upon the carpet and tell sad stories", (a paraphrase of John of Gaunt in ''Theatre/RichardII'': "For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings") and in the finale, Melchett says "Like private parts to the gods are we, they play with us for their sport" (a paraphrase of the Earl of Gloucester in ''Theatre/KingLear'': "As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods, they kill us for their sport.") The episode "[[Recap/BlackadderS2E4Money Money]]" loosely parallels the plot of ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'', and includes a mad beggar who has wandered out of ''Theatre/KingLear'' and quotes from it incessantly. The character of Nursie is a pretty clear tribute to ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''; then there are the names of several unseen characters (Romeo the Builder, Uncle Osric, etc.).
** The third season had [[Recap/BlackadderS3E4SenseAndSenility an episode involving]] [[Theatre/{{Macbeth}} the Scottish Play]] and its related superstitions.
* In ''[[Literature/{{Blackout}} Blackout/All Clear]]'' by Creator/ConnieWillis, Polly Churchill chooses all her aliases from Shakespeare, and she falls in with a famous Shakespearean actor who constantly speaks in allusions to the Bard.
* Quite a lot in ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}''. The poster in the old ladies' apartment reads [[ParallelPornTitles "King Leer"]]. The boy in the uniforms store yelled "My kingdom for a horse!". Several lines from ''Hamlet'' were quoted during the theater scene. And to top it off, Oregon natives will recognize the city the titular character's family moved to as Ashland, Oregon, where the Shakespeare Festival is held annually.

* ''WesternAnimation/DanVs'' "Ye Olde Shakespeare Dinner Theatre" is essentially made of Shakespeare quotes, which makes sense, since Dan's beef is with the terrible acting at a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Shakespeare-themed dinner theater]]. Further, the plot references the Bard multiple times: for example, Dan takes out one of the actors by pouring soda in his ear, referencing the [[ShowWithinAShow play-within-a-play]] from ''Hamlet''. Then he defeats another actor by gluing a donkey mask onto his face, referencing ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. And the trio of tech ladies working at the theatre seem to be modeled after the witches from ''Macbeth''.
* One of the ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'' books explains that Paarfli's verbose and anachronistic writing style is borrowed from the style of the popular play ''Redwreath and Goldstar Have Traveled to Deathsgate''. This page, http://www.speakeasy.org/~mamandel/Cracks-and-Shards/jokes.html#Shakespeare lists several other Shakespearean allusions as well as many allusions to other works.
* The villains of ''Literature/TheFatherLukeWolfeTrilogy'' all have motivations similar to those of a Shakespeare villain; the play featuring that villain is [[{{Foreshadowing}} mentioned throughout the novel]] in Father Wolfe's class discussions. The specific connections are: Dr. Brandt and [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} Claudius]], Allie Carpenter and [[Theatre/{{Othello}} Iago]], and Colonel Stone and [[Theatre/JuliusCaesar Brutus]].
* In ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'', Jason and Marcus begin an attack on Paige with a yell of "Cry havoc, and let slip the bugs of war!" (''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'' III.i) Paige corrects them, saying "It's 'dogs',"... and then they each squirt a bug at her. Jason explains that "Dogs wouldn't fit in our squirt guns." Marcus asks, "Did we shoot [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} two bees, or not two bees]]?"
* 1949 WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes cartoon ''WesternAnimation/AHamInARole'' features a cartoon dog who works for Looney Tunes but really wants to do Shakespeare. The dog even has a portrait of Shakespeare on his wall! Over the course of the cartoon the dog recites from ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', ''Theatre/RichardIII'', and ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar''.
* In ''Literature/TheHungerGames'', Katniss remembers a boy [[EvenEvilHasStandards who was]] [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident eliminated]] from one edition of the games for cannibalism. His name? Theatre/{{Titus|Andronicus}}. There are some other minor characters with names from Shakespeare--Cressida comes to mind, for one and Lavinia, who has no tongue.
* ''Webcomic/HarkAVagrant'': [[http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=300 Bess demands more fart jokes]] in the Bard's next play.
* In ''Film/JesusOfMontreal'', Rene, while narrating a documentary on outer space, quotes "the winter of our discontent" speech from ''Theatre/RichardIII'', and then later, while playing Pilate in the passion play he helps put on, quotes from ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', specifically the "To be or not to be" speech.

* The ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'' series has got plenty of them, and I mean PLENTY:
** In ''VideoGame/TheSecretOfMonkeyIsland'', Stan S. Stanman quotes Polonius in saying, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" (''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' I.iii).
** In ''VideoGame/{{Monkey Island 2|LeChucksRevenge}}'', if the player has Guybrush examine the skull in his inventory, he says, "Alas, poor Dad", in a spoof of ''Hamlet'' (V.i).
** In ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland'', a character decides to rewrite various Shakespeare plays to better suit the local pirates' tastes, mangling not only famous Shakespeare quotations but entire plotlines, resulting in lines such as "Wherefore art thou treasure, Romeo?", "Spot, ye blasted dog, get out of me bloomin' garbage! OutDamnedSpot!" and "Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him...and his two pals!", the latter spoken while juggling three skulls (one of them being Murray, of course).
*** Speaking of Murray, if the player tries having Guybrush use him anywhere else, he'll say, "Alas, I can't use Murray with that" (another spoof of ''Hamlet'' (V.i)).
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfMonkeyIsland'' has a few of the shout-outs to Shakespeare:
*** At the beginning of the intro to Chapter 2, the Voodoo Lady quotes England's deposed king Edward IV's words to Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (a.k.a. just Warwick), before the former is taken captive in ''Theatre/HenryVIPart3'': "What fates impose, that men must needs abide; / It boots not to resist both wind and tide" (IV.iii). Only her subtitle got it right ("needs"), while her voice got it wrong ("need").
*** In Chapter 4, if the player has Guybrush use one of the severed legs on the altar without dipping it in sugar water, he will quote a few lines in a spoof of "Alas, poor Yorick" from ''Hamlet'' (V.i) (this is done in the [=PS3=] version in order to net the player a "Guybrush Goes Classy" silver trophy).
*** Speaking of [=PS3=] trophies, there are a few trophies that are shout-outs too ("What's in a Name?" from the balcony scene of ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' (II.ii), and "Adieu, Adieu..." which is a reference to Hamlet's father's written line, "Adieu, adieu, remember me," from ''Hamlet'' (I.v)).
*** In Chapter 5, [[spoiler:Morgan]] stabs [[spoiler:[=LeChuck=]]] and calls [[spoiler:him]] a "bunch-backed toad", which is taken from the line from ''Theatre/RichardIII'', in which Queen Margaret, widow of King Henry VI, curses Queen Elizabeth (wife of King Edward IV) with: "The day will come that thou shalt wish for me / To help thee curse that poisonous bunch-backed toad" (I.iii).
* ''VisualNovel/OtobokuMaidensAreFallingForMe'' is a gender flipped TwelfthNightAdventure (right down to the most powerful cast member getting the WholesomeCrossdresser) that quotes ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' ("To be, or not to be" in Japanese) and has ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' as the class play.
* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': As his literature turns out to be Tim's worst class, because he hates reading plays which means he never quite gives enough of his very limited time to doing the homework, he ends up having to go to a "Shakespeare in the Park" production for extra credit. Later on he helps an acquaintance understand homework by quoting a bit of the Bard's poetry, which he appreciates far more than reading plays.

* In ''Theatre/{{Ruddigore}}'', Robin quotes "Alas, poor ghost!" from ''Hamlet''. Also, his faithful servant Adam is named after a similar character in ''As You Like It''.
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Rupert}}'' episode "Rupert and Algy's Misadventure" had a scene where Algy Pug tried to stall for time by quoting various works by Shakespeare, including ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' and ''Theatre/RichardIII''.
* ''Film/TheatreOfBlood''. GiftedlyBad actor Edward Lionheart becomes a SerialKiller and disposes of the critics who demolished his reputation via murders that are inspired by the Bard's tragedies (and he's quoted liberally throughout). In order: ''Julius Caesar'' (stabbed 22 times with knives), ''Troilus and Cressida'' (speared to death and dragged behind a horse), ''Cymbeline'' (decapitated while sleeping), ''The Merchant of Venice'' (heart cut out, serving as a "pound of flesh" here), Richard III (drowned in a barrel of wine), ''Romeo and Juliet'' (sword fight), ''Othello'' (murder of the guy's wife by himself, believing her to be unfaithful), ''Henry VI Part 1'' (burning, via electrocution here), ''Titus Andronicus'' (being fed his "children" - his dogs - in a pie, force-fed till death) and ''King Lear'' (blinded with with red-hot daggers).
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' ("[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS19E8FuneralForAFiend Funeral for a Fiend]]"), when Sideshow Bob attempts to blow the Simpson family up:
-->'''Sideshow Bob:''' Let's not tarry. As Shakespeare said, "If it were done--when 'tis done--then 'twere ''best'' / It were done quickly." Power on! ''[turns on the laptop as a detonator and [[EvilLaugh laughs maniacally]]]'' This time I've made no mistakes.\\
'''Lisa:''' Actually, you made one. What Shakespeare really said was, "'twere ''well'' / It were done quickly."\\
'''Sideshow Bob:''' Yes, I'm sure you've studied the immortal bard extensively under your "Miss Hoover." ''[leaves and shuts the door]''\\
'''Lisa:''' ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'', Act I, Scene vii. Look it up.\\
'''Sideshow Bob:''' ''[reenters the room]'' I shall! ''[takes the laptop]'' Come on, Wiki/{{Wikipedia}}. Load, you unwieldy behemoth!\\
''[the laptop explodes, and Bob falls to the ground]''\\
'''Sideshow Bob:''' [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} "Hoist on his own petard."]]\\
'''Lisa:''' ''[corrects him again]'' It's "[[HoistByHisOwnPetard Hoist with his own petard]]".\\
'''Sideshow Bob:''' Oh, get a life!

* In the first episode of ''Series/{{Westworld}}'' the, apparently malfunctioning, Peter Abernathy threatens Ford and Bernard saying: "By most mechanical and dirty hand I will have such revenges on you both. What they are yet I know not, but they will be the ''terrors'' of the earth." before he is shut down. The first sentence is taken from a scene in Henry IV where Pistol tells Fallstaff to take revenge for the imprisonment of Doll, a prostitute he loves. The second is King Lear rebuking his daughters.
** The phrase that seems to trigger sentience in the hosts is "these violent delights have violent ends" from ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''.
* ''ComicBook/TheSimpsons'' story "Bard Boiled" revolves around parodies of ''Theatre/AntonyAndCleopatra'', ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'', ''Theatre/HenryV'', ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', ''Theatre/TheTwoGentlemenOfVerona'', ''Theatre/RichardIII'', ''Theatre/TitusAndronicus'', and ''Theatre/KingLear''.
* Fanfic ''Fanfic/MuchAdoAboutShakespeareLovesLaboursWon'' has bucketloads and bucketloads of Shakespeare's quotes, puns and allusions. The title itself refers to two Shakespeare's plays and Archie quotes so many of Shakespeare's plays and poems which he knows by heart. Several sonnets appear in full. Horatio and Archie go to a bookseller's and read lines. Horatio buys a copy of sonnets as an apology gift for Archie. Basically this fic is one large appreciation of the Bard's genius and especially Archie's love for his work. And also the fandom's appreciation of this character trait of Archie's. He paraphrases Shakespeare in canon, too, but in fandom he's a major bookworm, major theatre geek and Shakespeare's most devoted admirer. This fic takes it UpToEleven.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': William Shakespeare]]:
** Three of the episode titles are "[[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} Perchance to Dream]]", "[[Theatre/RichardII The Purple Testament]]" and "[[Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice A Quality of Mercy]]"; Rod Serling even quotes Portia's words to Shylock at the end of the latter episode ("The quality of mercy is not strained, / It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven / Upon the place beneath: it is thrice blessed, / It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes"; ''The Merchant of Venice'', IV.i).
** A running joke in "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS4E120TheBard The Bard]]" (in which the hack would be TV writer Julius Moomer brings Shakespeare to life and puts him to work writing for television) has Shakespeare quoting his plays, title and verse. At one point the Bard says, "To be or not to be - that is...." looks confused, and then exits.

GoodNightSweetPrince and AlasPoorYorick are subtropes. When an entire work is adapted from a Shakespearean source, see TheBardOnBoard. See also JustForFun/TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples. For characters speaking in quotes of other authors or sources, see SpeaksInShoutOuts.

[[folder:King Lear]]
* As if "[[Music/MagicalMysteryTour I Am The Walrus]]" wasn't bizarre enough, at the end part of a BBC radio production of ''King Lear'' was mixed in live. The part they got was Act 4, Scene 6, from Oswald's FinalSpeech to Edgar saying, "Sit you down, father; rest you."
* In the first episode of ''Series/GarthMarenghisDarkplace'', a title card appears (in the middle of a scene), reading "This cold night will turn us all to fools and madmen." It's actually somewhat appropriate, which is immediately ruined by the fact it cites ''King Lear'', '''p46''' rather than an act and scene, demonstrating just how much of a hack writer Garth Marenghi is.
* In ''[[Franchise/JurassicPark The Lost World]]'', the T-rex attacks a San Diego video store, in which a poster for [[DifferentWorldDifferentMovies a King Lear movie]] starring Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger can be briefly glimpsed.
* In the graphic novel ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'', protagonist Jesse Custer greets a storm with a cry of "blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow! You cataracts and hurricanoes!" and a sheepish admission of "always wanted to do that".
* President Bartlet on ''Series/TheWestWing'' has three daughters, but it's the middle one, Ellie, with whom he has the difficult relationship. In the episode named after her, the Surgeon General says in an Internet chat that generally speaking marijuana isn't worse for you than cigarettes, and the White House is planning to fire her when Ellie (a medical student herself) sticks her oar in by telling the press her father would never fire a doctor for giving accurate if impolitic medical information to the public. Bartlet has a fight with her, assuming she did it just to give him a hard time and demanding to know why she isn't always on his side like her sisters. Later, reflecting, he mentions ''King Lear'' and says that, after all, it was actually a ''nice'' thing she said about him.
** ''Series/TheWestWing'' borrows a lot from King Lear, especially in the earlier seasons. Leo takes the Earl of Kent's role (Bartlet's oldest friend, more pragmatic where Bartlet is idealistic), Charlie is the Fool (younger and less educated than other characters but wise, father-son relationship with Bartlet), the Vice President is Edmund (hungry for power that he feels he is owed, somthing of a schemer).
* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', one character is described as "a king in every inch of him."
* Creator/ScottKeith titled his rant about Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s decline in the early 1990s [[https://blogofdoom.com/index.php/2012/12/09/six-million-pageview-request-king-lear/ "The King Lear Rant"]].
[[/folder]]

* [[{{Webcomic/Narbonic}} Helen B. Narbon]] is named after Helen de Narbon, who likewise is the daughter of a notable doctor and has inherited their skills. The Shakespearean version isn't a MadScientist, though.

* The {{Music/Muse}} song "Music/KnightsOfCydonia" contains the lyrics:

* ''{{Series/Blackadder}}'' did this to varying extents throughout its seasons.

* The villains of Literature/TheFatherLukeWolfeTrilogy all have motivations similar to those of a Shakespeare villain; the play featuring that villain is [[{{Foreshadowing}} mentioned throughout the novel]] in Father Wolfe's class discussions. The specific connections are: Dr. Brandt and [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} Claudius]], Allie Carpenter and [[Theatre/{{Othello}} Iago]], and Colonel Stone and [[Theatre/JuliusCaesar Brutus]].
* In ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'', Jason and Marcus begin an attack on Paige with a yell of "Cry havoc, and let slip the bugs of war!" (''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'' III.i) Paige corrects them, saying "It's 'dogs',"... and then they each squirt a bug at her. Jason explains that "Dogs wouldn't fit in out squirt guns." Marcus asks, "Did we shoot [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} two bees, or not two bees]]?"

* ''VisualNovel/OtomeWaBokuNiKoishiteru'' is a gender flipped TwelfthNightAdventure (right down to the most powerful cast member getting the WholesomeCrossdresser) that quotes ''{{Theatre/Hamlet}}'' ("To be, or not to be" in Japanese) and has ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' as the class play.

* In ''{{Theatre/Ruddigore}}'', Robin quotes "Alas, poor ghost!" from ''Hamlet''. Also, his faithful servant Adam is named after a similar character in ''As You Like It''.

* ''Comicbook/TheSimpsons'' story "Bard Boiled" revolves around parodies of ''Theatre/AntonyAndCleopatra'', ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'', ''Theatre/HenryV'', ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', ''Theatre/TheTwoGentlemenOfVerona'', ''Theatre/RichardIII'', ''Theatre/TitusAndronicus'', and ''Theatre/KingLear''.

* The {{Music/Muse}} song "Music/KnightsOfCydonia" contains the lyrics:
-->How can we win / when fools can be kings?/ Don't waste your time/ or time will waste you.

* Many of the grisly deaths in ''Film/TheatreOfBlood'' (though not the overarching plot itself) were drawn directly from Shakespeare's tragedies, and he's quoted liberally throughout.

[[folder:The Tempest]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'', when Bonk gets angry at the Joker and calls him a fake, the Joker replies, "Ah, brave new world...that has such [putzes/yutzes] in it." This is a parody of a line spoken by Miranda in ''Theatre/TheTempest'': "O, wonder!/How many goodly creatures are there here!/How beauteous mankind is! ''O brave new world''/''That has such people in't''" (V, i).
* Miranda's speech is, in fact, the TitleDrop in ''Literature/BraveNewWorld''. The Savage really knows his Shakespeare.
** Arguably, "Brave New World" is almost the opposite of "To thine own self be true" nowadays. Whereas "to thine own self be true" was meant as ironic (in context), it is now used seriously. Whereas "brave new world" is meant to be said seriously, but chances are, if something's described as a "brave new world" in fiction, something is—or will soon be—GoneHorriblyWrong (most likely because Huxley's dystopian novel has become [[SmallReferencePools more well-known]] than the play it got its title from.
* Chapter Sixteen of the original WebAnimation ''WebAnimation/BrokenSaints'' is called "Tempest".
* Another little one in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'': while the player is being led into the inner sanctum of the Pentagon by Robert [=McNamara=], the clearance codes he gives at the checkpoints are "Sycorax" and "Prospero".
* ''Literature/TheCollector'': The main female character is called Miranda, and she gets kidnapped by Frederick who sees himself and introduces himself as Ferdinand, because he would like to invoke a romance between them, based on the couple. Miranda thinks of him as monster and calls him Caliban.
* Music/TheDecemberists' {{epic|Rocking}} song "The Island" is a retelling of ''Theatre/TheTempest'' InTheStyleOf Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer (well, ProgressiveRock more generally, too).
* ''Film/DaughtersOfTheDust'': As the boat Viola's in approaches the island, where she grew up but moved away from years ago, Viola says "What's past is prologue."
* Exception: In the ''Series/DoctorWho''/''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' crossover ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNewAdventuresAllConsumingFire All-Consuming Fire]]'', Watson uses the line straight, to describe a future "that has such people" as Franchise/BerniceSummerfield.
* The ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' universe has planets named Ariel and Miranda, after characters in ''The Tempest''. Moreover, Miranda's most famous line in ''The Tempest'' is "O brave new world, that hath such people in it!", and the planet Miranda was at one time a ''Literature/BraveNewWorld''-like dystopia. If one wants to stretch it a bit, the Reavers could be seen as a reference to Caliban.
* There's a little one in ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear''. A long-dead witch went by the name of Sycorax.
* In ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' Zaphod wants to trip the light fantastic with Questular.
* Prospero's "We are such stuff as dreams are made on" was paraphrased by Creator/HumphreyBogart for his iconic final line in ''Film/{{The Maltese Falcon|1941}}'': "The stuff that dreams are made of".
* In ''Theatre/OnTheVerge'', Alex does the "O brave new world" line straight, only to be immediately lampshaded as a plagiarist by Fanny.
* The ''Literature/{{Relativity}}'' villain, Phanthro, is a big fan of Shakespeare. In his introductory story, "Pressure Cooker", all of the clues he gives the heroes are in the form of "Tempest" quotes. [[Film/ForbiddenPlanet His outfit even indirectly references the play.]]
* ''Rain of the Ghosts'' takes place on ''Prospero'' Keys and features a character named Miranda among other references.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' did it with "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E21ThreeMenAndAComicBook Three Men and a Comic Book]]", Martin Prince also paraphrases Prospero's line when he touches the pages of the comic book "Radioactive Man # 1":
--> '''Martin Prince''': ''(Clearly moved and respectful): "This is the stuff that dreams are made of"''
* In the movie ''Film/TimeAfterTime'', [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy time-travelling H. G. Wells]] says "O brave new world that hath such people in it" as he observed 1980s Los Angeles.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'': The Primarch Magnus was found on the planet Prospero, known these days as the Planet of the Sorcerers, while Lion'el Jonson was found on Caliban. There is also a planet named Sycorax, a psychic storm-plagued DeathWorld that serves as TrainingFromHell for psykers.
* Both Ariel and Miranda are moons of Uranus in real life, as well as Caliban, Sycorax, Prospero, Setebos, Stephano, Trinculo, Francisco, Ferdinand, [[Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream Titania, Oberon, Puck]], [[Theatre/KingLear Cordelia]], [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} Ophelia]], [[Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew Bianca]], [[Theatre/TroilusAndCressida Cressida]], [[Theatre/{{Othello}} Desdemona]], [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet Juliet, Mab]], [[Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice Portia]], [[Theatre/AsYouLikeIt Rosalind]], [[Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing Margaret]] [[Theatre/TheWintersTale Perdita]], and [[Theatre/TimonOfAthens Cupid]]. In fact, according to Wiki/{{Wikipedia}}, Ariel was one of the few moons of Uranus that ''wasn't'' initially named after a Shakespeare character--the first four were Titania and Oberon (after ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'') and Ariel and Umbriel (after Alexander Pope's ''Literature/TheRapeOfTheLock''). It just so happened that when they started finding more moons, Pope only got one more shout-out (Belinda) and Shakespeare got a couple dozen or so, with ''The Tempest'' alone receiving nine, ten if you include Ariel as a Tempest shout-out as well.
* The opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were packed with references to ''The Tempest'', including Creator/KennethBranagh quoting at length.
* A plot point in the ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6TheSeries'' episode, "Big Problem". A monster who was attacking various locations in the city growled out such cryptic comments as "All the Devils are here", "This thing of darkness I acknowledge as mine" and "What's past is prologue." Honey Lemon realized these were quotes from ''The Tempest'', which helped the team uncover the monster's identity and the reasons for his attacks.
* In the novel ''Literature/ReadyPlayerOne'', a clue to the Crystal Key is "I must uneasy make, lest too light winning make the prize light". Parzival recognises this as "a quote from Shakespeare" and reckons that it simply implies that getting the Crystal Key won't be easy, but [=Art3mis=] corrects him, pointing out that it is a quote from ''The Tempest'' and is a clue that to earn the Crystal Key, players have to play ''{{VideoGame/Tempest}}''.
* {{Literature/Discworld}}:
** Octarine, which can only be seen by magic-capable creatures (such as wizards and cats), is described as [[Literature/TheColourOfMagic the colour of magic]] and [[Literature/TheLightFantastic the light fantastic]] -- the latter being a quote from ''The Tempest''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Othello]]
* ''{{Series/Angel}}'''s "[[{{Recap/AngelS04E11Soulless}} Soulless]]" includes Angelus comparing Gunn and (Wini)Fred to Othello and Desdemona, respectively, and Wesley to Cassio. They were involved in a love triangle for over a season, in which Fred chose Gunn over Wes, but Wes and Fred had feelings for each other at this point and Gunn recently walked in on them kissing. This is also a reference to Angelus pitting the team against each other (like Iago) and Gunn who is the black guy and feels as though his skills are going unrecognized.
* In ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'', the villain's [[TalkingAnimal parrot sidekick]] is named Iago. Which, considering it's set centuries before Shakespeare was even born, is just another ingredient of the delicious AnachronismStew that Aladdin serves up.
* One of the Dino Attack agents in ''Roleplay/DinoAttackRPG'' is named Desdemona.
* In ''Literature/DomCasmurro'' the main character watches it in the theater.
* Iago from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' is very much like his namesake from ''Othello'', being an adviser who hates the main character and tries to make them as miserable as possible.
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' arc involving Coldstone borrows heavily from ''Othello''. Coldstone is in the role of Othello, Goliath is Cassius, the antagonist gargoyle (Coldsteel) is credited as Iago initially, and the female (Coldfire) is credited as Desdemona originally.
* The father in Eugene O'Neill's ''Theatre/LongDaysJourneyIntoNight'' professes a love for Shakespeare, and for ''Othello'' in particular. [[spoiler: The reason for this is because he "bought the play," meaning that he'd make a lot of money but he would have to do the same play for the rest of his acting career.]]
* Baron Sardonicus and Sir Cargrave bring up Iago while discussing about evil characters in Shakespeare's work during dinner in ''Film/MrSardonicus''.
* The titular character of ''Mrs. Dalloway'' by Virginia Woolf quotes Othello when she thinks to herself that "if it were now to die 'twere now to be most happy."
* In one scene in ''The Man From Mukinupin'', a group of travelling actors perform an abridged version of ''Othello'' in the Mukinupin town hall. Among other things, it's one of the places where the playwright, Dorothy Hewett, was poking at the commissioning body's rules about representation of colored people (the actor playing Othello is white and does the role in {{blackface}}, which was apparently more acceptable to the commissioning body than having an actual person of color in the play).
* In ''Film/ThePunisher2004'', the title character's plan for revenge against the man who killed his family is very similar to Iago's plan against Othello.
* ''{{Theatre/Tosca}}'': In his first scene, Scarpia explicitly compares himself to Iago, apparently for no other reason than to make sure that the audience knows who the bad guy is from the start.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Merchant of Venice]]
* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'':
-->'''Roslin:''' You have your pound of flesh.
* In the second expansion to ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} V'', Venice's unique replacement for the Great Merchant unit is called a Merchant of Venice.
* In the ''[[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]]'' episode "[[{{Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E19IOnlyHaveEyesForYou}} I Only Have Eyes For You]]", a poltergeist is haunting Sunnydale High, and it turns out to be the ghost of a student who had an affair with his teacher, only to kill her and himself when she rejected him. Buffy has no sympathy for the student, saying he should spend the rest of his life in prison. Xander's reaction is, "The quality of mercy is not Buffy".
* In ''Film/{{Cinderella}}'' by Creator/RodgersAndHammerstein, the wicked stepsisters have different names in various productions. In the 1957 original, they are Joy and Portia, both of which are {{Ironic Name}}s: Joy is a GrumpyBear and Portia, named for the clever lawyer, is a DumbBlonde.
* Website/{{Cracked}} has one in a parody in "[[http://www.cracked.com/article_20460_the-9-most-utterly-insane-products-released-by-famous-brands.html The 9 Most Utterly Insane Products Released by Famous Brands]]":
-->"If you prick us, do we not stomp your teeth into the curb?"
* ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'':
-->'''Creator/KeanuReeves:''' ''(as Shylock in a film adaptation)'' Hath not a dude eyes? If you prick us, do we not get bummed? If we eat bad guacamole, do we not blow chunks?
* [[http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/1999-10-26/ This]] ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' comic.
-->'''Tina:''' If you prick us, do we not bleed like engineers?
* And in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''.
-->'''Rock:''' If you prick us, do we not bleed?\\
'''CMOT Dibbler:''' Err, no. You're made of stone.\\
'''Rock:''' Aha, but if I had blood, I'd bleed buckets!
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''
-->'''Brian''': Does a dog not feel? If you scratch him, does his leg not shake?
* This speech is parodied by the gargoyles in Disney's ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame''.
* An episode of the German import of ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' featured a scene of ''Venice''... as performed by cows.
* Subverted in ''Literature/{{Neverwhere}}''.
-->'''Mr. Croup:''' ... if you prick us, do we not bleed?\\
'''Mr. Vandemar:''' Erm, [[RhetoricalQuestionBlunder no]].
* The ''New Yorker'' satirized [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._Federal_Election_Commission the Citizens United ruling]] with a cartoon where a lawyer asks the judges, "If you prick a corporation, does it not bleed? If you tickle it, does it not laugh? If you poison it, does it not die?"
* In ''Film/OSS117LostInRio'', a Nazi says: "I am a Nazi. Hath not a Nazi eyes? Hath not a Nazi hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? If you prick us, do we not bleed?"
* "If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?" (III.i) is quoted in ''Film/ThePianist''. Later, a character is seen reading the play; he bought it because it was appropriate for the situation.
* The lines "The quality of mercy is not strain'd/It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven" is quoted in several books by Creator/PGWodehouse.
** "The man that hath no music in himself/Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils" also comes up a few times; in ''[[Literature/JeevesAndWooster Thank You, Jeeves]]'' Bertie quotes it to defend his banjolele-playing when the neighbors in his flat start complaining.
** This line is also paraphrased by {{Psychopomp}} Mr. Coffee in ''Theatre/OnTheVerge''.
* In ''Film/SchindlersList'', when Nazi commander Amon Goeth is about to kiss his Jewish maid:
-->'''Goeth''': Hath not a Jew eyes?
* In ''Film/{{Se7en}}'' the serial killer literally takes a pound of flesh from a victim. He makes the guy chose the spot it is taken from, just like in the play.
* ''Literature/SilverOnTheTree'':
-->'''Merriman''': If you prick us, we bleed, if you tickle us, we laugh--only, if you poison us, we do not die, and there are certain feelings and perceptions in us that are not in you.
* In the play and the movie version of ''Six Degrees of Separation'', Elizabeth is an aspiring actress, and she delivers part of "The quality of mercy" speech to show off her acting abilities. Becomes an IronicEcho in the movie when she bitterly delivers it to the Kitteridges' doorman.
* That quote is something of an arc-word in the dark comedy ''Film/ToBeOrNotToBe'', and it's ironically paraphrased at one point by TheQuisling to argue that "Nazis are people too".
* ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'' is one of the few films to quote The Merchant of Venice but NOT "If you prick us..." Wonka's line "So shines a good deed in a weary world" comes from Act 5, Scene 1.
* Beast quotes the same speech during his trial in an early episode of ''WesternAnimation/XMen''.
-->'''Beast:''' ... if you prick us, do we not bleed?\\
'''Judge:''' Don't tempt these people, Mr. [=McCoy=].
* Also parodied in ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' when Harry interrupts a sci-fi convention to rave about their portrayal of aliens. ("Hath not an alien eyes or buttocks?")
* In the third season of ''Series/VeronicaMars'', Veronica mentions how Parker's parents are extracting their pound of flesh from the university administration after [[spoiler: Parker gets raped]].
* ''Series/BabylonFive'' has an episode called "[[{{Recap/BabylonFiveS01E21TheQualityOfMercy}} The Quality of Mercy]]".
* One of the songs for the soundtrack of ''Dead Man Walking" (by Michelle Shocked) is called "The Quality of Mercy".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Julius Caesar]]
* In ''VideoGame/AdVerbum'', one of the characters is a pig wearing a Roman senatorial toga who only responds if spoken to in PigLatin. If you figure this out, the resulting status message says that he's "willing to lend you an ear".
* A RunningGag in ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' is that Caesar is ''always'' saying "Et tu, Brute?", and it's getting on Brutus's nerves. "One of these days, I'll..."
* ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'': "Et tu, Jimmy?"
* The title of the Creator/FrederickForsyth novel ''Literature/TheDogsOfWar'' is taken from the line "Cry 'havoc', and let slip the dogs of war." (3.1 273)
* The 1984 Creator/CharlesBronson action movie ''Film/TheEvilThatMenDo''.
** In ''Film/AllAboutEve'', Margo remembers the first part of the "evil that men do" quote, but can't quite remember the second part.
* ''Series/EnemyAtTheDoor'': The episode "Treason" revolves around a German officer who is secretly part of a conspiracy to assassinate Hitler before he brings ruin down on Germany. Officially, Major Richter and Major Freidel know nothing of this, but at the end of the episode Richter, speaking of the officer and one of his co-conspirators, paraphrases Marc Antony's description of Caesar's assassins as "honorable men" before sharing a meaningful look with Freidel.
* ''Theatre/TheFantasticks'': when Henry boasts of his acting ability El Gallo asks him to do "Friends, Romans, Countrymen." Henry fucks it up.
* ''Literature/TheFaultInOurStars''' title comes from a line in Act I, Scene II.
* Music/IronMaiden has a song called "The Evil That Men Do". Music/BruceDickinson sometimes uses the quote "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones" (3.2 77-8) with the two lines reversed.
* "Et tu, Humanite?" from ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode [[Recap/JusticeLeagueS1E8And9InjusticeForAll "Injustice For All".]]
* In a form of ShoutOutThemeNaming, the dub-name of the main character's father from ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion'' is named Caesar, while a villain who had a bitter past with him is named Cassius.
* In an early episode of ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'', Sara delivers a RousingSpeech to quell a fan war between longtime and more recent fans of ''[[ShowWithinAShow The Doctor Zone Files]]'':
--->'''Sara:''' Oldbies, newbies, lend me your ears! ''(A cosplayer [[VisualPun hands her the prosthetic ears]] from his costume)'' No, not literally.
* The ''WesternAnimation/MrBogus'' episode "[[Recap/MrBogusS1E4EtTuBrattus Et Tu, Brattus?]]" is a reference to the line from Act III Scene I, "Et tu, brute!"
* "Et tu, Gabby Gums?" from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E23PonyvilleConfidential "Ponyville Confidential"]].
* In an episode of ''Theatre/TheOddCouple'' the TriggerPhrase for Oscar's post hypnotic suggestion to be neat is "The fault likes not in our stars but in ourselves."
* A Comicbook/PatsyWalker comic has Hellcat quoting mostly right a Brutus soliquoy from Act 4 [[http://www.readcomics.tv/images/manga/patsy-walker-hellcat-2008-2009/4/7.jpg while being swept by a wave]]:
-->There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the [[SomethingSomethingLeonardBernstein something something is uh,]] tied to shallows and in miseries. [...] On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves or lose our ventures.
* In ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'', Rat gets a job writing horoscopes and writes, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in the stars, but in ourselves." When Goat tells him that Shakespeare already wrote that, he responds, "Good literature is not a race."
* One of Ray Stevens' albums is titled ''Lend Me Your Ears''.
* Unlike ''Film/ConquestOfThePlanetOfTheApes'', where [[MeaningfulName Caesar]] is given that name after he picks out of a dictionary, ''Film/RiseOfThePlanetOfTheApes'' has the chimp being named by the father of the human protagonist starting to quote ''Julius Caesar'' once he sees the baby ape.
* Done interestingly in ''Series/{{Rome}}''. The scene of Caesar's death is an incredibly tense, violent and brilliantly acted scuffle, almost free of dialogue -- Caesar doesn't say "Et tu, Brute?" or anything else while he's dying, since he's too busy spasming and bleeding to death all over the marble senate floor. Instead they went with Plutarch's version of events, where he pulls his toga over his face (or tries to). However, once he's twitched his last and the conspirators are standing around shaking and silent, Cassius raises Brutus' arm and declaims, "Thus ever for tyrants!" [[HeroicBSOD Brutus doesn't take it well.]]
** It gets better. Instead of seeing Brutus and Antony give the legendary speeches to the plebeians, we see the aftermath, where a smug Antony sarcastically consoles Brutus for giving a good speech but perhaps "a bit too cerebral" for the crowd to appreciate. Later, a pleb describes the speeches to his friends, showing yet another perspective of these famous monologues without showing us exactly what happened.
** In the next episode when Brutus goes home -- thoroughly regretting his part in the whole thing -- and realizes his co-conspirators are considering killing Antony too, his mother encourages him to do it, and he responds, "You too, Mother?"
* "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!" The first part is occasionally left out.
** Harry in ''Half A Sixpence''
** Robin in ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights''
--->'''Robin:''' Lend me your ears!\\
''(popping sounds, followed by ears being thrown at him)''\\
'''Robin:''' ... That's disgusting.
** Warren in ''Roman Scandals''
** Major Hogan in ''Sharpe's Eagle''
** [=SpongeBob=] in ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'': "Friends, students, juvenile delinquents..."
** Elan in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''.
** Phineas in ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': "Friends, bullies, [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg Irving..."]]
** ''[[Series/WayneAndShuster Rinse the Blood Off My Toga]]'':
--->'''Mark Antony:''' I'm Mark Antony.\\
'''Flavius:''' Mark Antony?\\
'''Mark Antony:''' Yes. I just made a speech over the body of Caesar. I said, "Friends, Romans and countrymen, lend me your ears!"\\
'''Flavius:''' Yeah... What have you got in that sack?\\
'''Mark Antony:''' Ears.
* Mrs. Henscher, the local drama teacher in ''WesternAnimation/{{ParaNorman}}'', yells the famous "dogs of war" line at one point, only to discover her compatriots aren't familiar with the reference.
-->'''Mrs. Henscher''': ({{beat}}) Let's tear 'em apart!
* The ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "Improbable Cause" opens with Garak and Bashir having one of their literature discussions over lunch. Garak, hailing from a society where everyone really is out to get you, views Caesar's blind spot regarding Brutus as farcical instead of tragic. In the following episode "The Die is Cast", however, Garak's former boss Enabran Tain makes a similar mistake.
* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In the final scene of "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E69ThePassersby The Passersby]]", [[spoiler:UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln]] quotes the following line from Act II, Scene II: "Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, it seems to me most strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Henry V]]
* The title ''Series/BandOfBrothers'' comes from the Saint Crispin's Day speech: "we few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother".
* The Saint Crispin's Day speech is (mis)quoted in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' (episode "[[{{Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS5E22TheGift}} The Gift]]"):
-->'''Giles:''' We few, we happy few...\\
'''Spike:''' We band of buggered.
* In ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'', one of the SpaceMarine commander's lines is, "Who stands with me shall be my brother".
* In ''Literature/TheDinosaurLords'', when the FinalBattle of book 2 is about to commence, Rob murmurs to himself "once more unto the breach", even though there's no breach in sight.
* ''Fanfic/HiddenFrontier'' has a fan-favourite speech in which 'Once more unto the breach' is used to inspire the Starfleet crews to similarly defend their homes and families. Which is odd, because the breach in question is one the ''English'' have made in the walls of Harfleur, so that they can attack ''French'' homes and families.
* In ''Series/HoratioHornblower'', Midshipman Kennedy's line "we few, we fortunate few! Keene has recommended our transfer to the... ''Indefatigable''" very much resembles King Henry's line "we few, we happy few, we band of brothers".
* ''{{Webcomic/Jailbreak}}'': The hero attempts to quote Shakespeare and was clearly going for ''Henry V'', but [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=1&p=000109 doesn't actually know any lines]].
* Zaheer's speech in the finale of book three of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', about ending the avatar cycle, is rather reminiscent of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Crispin%27s_Day_Speech Saint Crispin's Day Speech]].
-->So we lucky[[note]][[ShownTheirWork which is what the original's "happy" meant in Shakespeare's time]][[/note]] few, this BandOfBrothers and sisters [...]
* In ''Fanfic/TheLegendOfTotalDramaIsland'', Noah rallies his team with an original blank verse speech based on the "St. Crispin's Day" speech.
* When Wrestling/MickFoley was being interviewed as Mankind, relatively early in his WWF/WWE run, he was asked about taking part in death matches, barbed wire matches, and the like. Foley responded with the St. Crispin's day speech -- not perfectly, but close enough -- and making it creepy as hell.
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...[[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and the girl across the street."]]
* In ''Series/SportsNight'', Dan reminds Casey that he once recited the St. Crispin's Day speech when they were first paired together as anchors. Later in the episode, Casey apparently does it in the broadcast to fill up time, though we don't see it.
* The Saint Crispin's Day speech is performed by Mr. Fabian on stage in the film ''Film/{{Tombstone}}''.
* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
** "Once more unto the breach, dear friends" (Act III, Scene 1) shows up in quite a few ''Star Trek'' settings, including words uttered by Chang in ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry'' and as the title of an episode in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''.
** The ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Next Generation]]'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E10TheDefector The Defector]]" begins with Data performing ''Henry V'' (to Picard's approval) as part of his ongoing attempts to understand the human condition. The rest of the episode alludes to the play's KingIncognito plot multiple times, with Picard quoting it directly once.
--->'''Picard:''' "Now if these men do not die well, it will be a black matter for the king that led them to it."
* ''VideoGame/EmpireEarth'' has a level where you play as Henry V, so includes a few of the play's lines as dialogue.
* The Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures novel ''So Vile a Sin'' takes its title from a line in the play, among other references.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:As You Like It]]
* Irish poem An Chead Drama (The First Play/Drama) by Seán Ó Coisdealbha is based entirely on this, where life is a play written and directed by God, and Satan is the prompter trying to lead the actors astray.
-->Chum Dia dráma "gleann na ndeor"
-->Agus thug sé páirt ann do go leor
-->Dráma fada ar stáitse mór
-->An Domhan.
** (''God composed this drama "valley of tears" / And gave everyone a part / Long drama on the big stage / The world.'')
* "All the world's a stage, its inhabitants merely actors. And thus, by definition, ponces," says the League Against Tedium in ''Attention Scum''.
* ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical'' has a subtle one (apparently an ActorAllusion): "Snape is at the door and much importunes access to you."
* The basis of an observation in ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes''.
-->'''Calvin''': "They say the world is a stage. But obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines."
-->'''Hobbes''': "Maybe that's why it's hard to tell if we're living in a tragedy or a farce."
-->'''Calvin''': "We need more special effects and dance numbers."
* The same line is repeatedly quoted in ''Idlewild''.
* "The world is a stage, and the play is badly cast." Creator/OscarWilde.
* In ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'', the dumb crocodiles try to get a "smart" croc to intimidate their would-be prey, the Zebra, with words. Instead, he apologizes to Zebra: "When I look upon my crocodile bretheren, I am reminded of the words of William Shakespeare, who said, to wit, 'Here come a pair of very strange beasts, which in all tongues are called fools.'"
* {{Music/Rush}}, "Limelight:" "All the world's indeed a stage / and we are merely players / performers and portrayers / each another's audience outside the gilded cage."
* In [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E9HideAndQ the same episode]] of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' that provides the ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''-quoting PatrickStewartSpeech below, Q begins the discussion of Shakespeare by misquoting ''As You Like It''. Picard corrects him.
-->'''Q:''' Hear this, Picard, and reflect: "All the galaxy's a stage."\\
'''Picard:''' "World," not "galaxy;" "all the world's a stage."\\
'''Q:''' Oh, you know that one. Well, if he was living now, he would have said "galaxy."
* "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages." Dr Henry Killinger in ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' Very chillingly delivered.
* From ''Comicbook/VForVendetta'' (graphic novel), V to Evey as he prepares to meet Prothero: "All the world's a stage, and everything else...is vaudeville."
* "I believe it was Shakespeare who said, 'All the world's a stage, [[SophisticatedAsHell and you're crap!]]'" said Colin Mochrie in ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway''.
* All the {{Literature/Disc|world}}'s a stage, and all men and women merely players. [[strike: Except for those who sell popcorn]]." - Hwell the Playwright, ''Literature/WyrdSisters''.
* Denis Norden may have originated the joke: "If all the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players, where do all the audiences come from?"
* And, of course, several of Shakespeare's shows themselves requote this line. ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'', for example.
[[/folder]]

* [[VideoGame/{{Bully}} Et tu, Jimmy?]]

[[folder:A Midsummer Night's Dream]]
* When Emma Woodhouse from ''Literature/{{Emma}}'' imagines that her matchmaking goes along splendidly, she quotes "the course of true love never did run smooth" and jokes that this line would require a note in Highbury edition of the play.
* Oberon, Titania, and Puck all make an appearance in ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' (WordOfGod is that God really likes Shakespeare) and Oberon is king of [[TheFairFolk the Third Race]].
* In ''Theatre/{{Iolanthe}}'', a spoken selection of the Act One finale has the fairy queen laying down the new Parliamentary order to the horrified Peers in couplets of trochaic tetrameter, a verse form also used by Shakespeare's fairies (particularly Puck). Sullivan's composition of "Tripping hither" is also reminiscent of Mendelssohn's famous incidental music for Shakespeare's play.
* The Literature/{{Discworld}} novel ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'' has several references, most notably the Lancre Morris Men as the Rude Mechanicals ("[[StealthPun Bum]]!") and the final confrontation between the Elf King and the Elf Queen involving "something about meeting by moonlight".
* A ''[[WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse Mickey Mouse Works]]'' short of the same name spoofed this play, with Mickey and his friends taking on the roles of the characters in a dream sequence.
* The one-act play ''Perchance To Dream'' is centered around a rather terrible production of ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'', and characters frequently quote other plays by Shakespeare as well.
* In ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'''s StorybookEpisode "Excaliferb", Candavere demands to know: 'What flaxen homespun have we swaggering here?!"
* ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' had an episode with a girl named Hermia ([[CompositeCharacter who dresses like a donkey and calls herself Bottom]]) who was in love with a man named Lysander.
* In the ''Literature/RainbowMagic'' series, the fairy king and queen are named Oberon and Titania. The ball in the first series of books is the Midsummer Ball, as well.
* The school play in ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' is ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream''. Green Goblin even quotes a few of Puck's lines. Oh, did we mention the guy writing this episode is [[WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}} Greg Weisman]]?
** Weisman loves this trope so much he actually used it for '''''foreshadowing.''''' In the school play, Harry Osborn was to play the role of Puck, and was one of the big suspects for being the Green Goblin. At the time of the play, Harry was absent (which forced them to use the understudy) and the Goblin was off doing evil and quoting Puck. [[spoiler: Turned out to be a RedHerring, but excellent touch.]]
* In one episode of ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'', the titular boys and their classmates are performing ''Midsummer'', which goes horribly OffTheRails when Cody's crush (playing Hermia) is cast opposite Zack as Lysander, while Cody (playing Bottom) gets stuck with Zack's AbhorrentAdmirer as Titania.
* ''Series/TheOtherKingdom'' has the fairy king and queen named Oberon and Titania, and the first episode is titled "What Fools These Mortals Be."
* In ''VideoGame/{{Unavowed}}'', the ArcVillain for the Wall Street mission turns out to be one of TheFairFolk, going by the human identity "[[LouisCypher Roy Fellows]]". In fact it turns out that Mr. Fellows is actually [[spoiler:Robin Goodfellow aka Puck himself]].
[[/folder]]

* All the {{Literature/Disc|world}}'s a stage, and all men and women merely players. [[strike: Except for those who sell popcorn]]." - Hwell the Playwright, ''Discworld/WyrdSisters''.

* The Literature/{{Discworld}} novel ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies'' has several references, most notably the Lancre Morris Men as the Rude Mechanicals ("[[StealthPun Bum]]!") and the final confrontation between the Elf King and the Elf Queen involving "something about meeting by moonlight".

** Octarine, which can only be seen by magic-capable creatures (such as wizards and cats), is described as [[Discworld/TheColourOfMagic the colour of magic]] and [[Discworld/TheLightFantastic the light fantastic]] -- the latter being a quote from ''The Tempest''.

* "All the world's a stage, its inhabitants merely actors. And thus, by definition, ponces," says the League Against Tedium in ''Series/AttentionScum''.

** Harry in ''HalfASixpence''

** Warren in ''RomanScandals''

* The one-act play ''PerchanceToDream'' is centered around a rather terrible production of ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'', and characters frequently quote other plays by Shakespeare as well.

* Both Ariel and Miranda are moons of Uranus in real life, as well as Caliban, Sycorax, Prospero, Setebos, Stephano, Trinculo, Francisco, Ferdinand, [[Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream Titania, Oberon, Puck]], [[Theatre/KingLear Cordelia]], [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} Ophelia]], [[Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew Bianca]], [[Theatre/TroilusAndCressida Cressida]], [[Theatre/{{Othello}} Desdemona]], [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet Juliet, Mab]], [[Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice Portia]], [[Theatre/AsYouLikeIt Rosalind]], [[Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing Margaret]] [[Theatre/TheWintersTale Perdita]], and [[Theatre/TimonOfAthens Cupid]]. In fact, according to Wiki/{{Wikipedia}}, Ariel was one of the few moons of Uranus that ''wasn't'' initially named after a Shakespeare character--the first four were Titania and Oberon (after ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'') and Ariel and Umbriel (after AlexanderPope's ''Literature/TheRapeOfTheLock''). It just so happened that when they started finding more moons, Pope only got one more shout-out (Belinda) and Shakespeare got a couple dozen or so, with ''The Tempest'' alone receiving nine, ten if you include Ariel as a Tempest shout-out as well.

GoodNightSweetPrince and AlasPoorYorick are subtropes. When an entire work is adapted from a Shakespearian source, see TheBardOnBoard. See also JustForFun/TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples. For characters speaking in quotes of other authors or sources, see SpeaksInShoutOuts.

** A phrase which is equalled only by "wherefore art thou Romeo" for 'Shakespearian lines [[CommonKnowledge horribly misunderstood by the general public]]'. The original context gives it quite a different tone: