"Romeo and Juliet" (1980): The ultimate take on puppy love has been referenced in countless pop songs, but never better than in Dire Straits' heartbreaking ballad, which owes as much to the 1597 original as it does to "West Side Story."
"O" (2001): Julia Stiles, who had starred in "The Taming of the Shrew" adaptation "10 Things I Hate About You," plays the doomed object of Josh Hartnett's affection in the treacherous trenches of a U.S. high school.
"Sons of Anarchy" (2008-14): If Hamlet had access to a motorcycle, he probably would have joined the biker gang led by Jax, a California outlaw with more than a few Oedipal issues of his own.
"House of Cards" (2013- ): Kevin Spacey just can't shake Richard III. His politically savvy Frank Underwood has more than a little in common with the deceitful warrior, whom Spacey portrayed on stage around the world before starring in the Netflix series.
"Vinegar Girl" (2016): Minneapolis-born Anne Tyler re-imagines "The Taming of the Shrew" in contemporary Baltimore as part of a new campaign to have popular novelists offer their spins on Shakespeare favorites. Out in hardcover June 21.
