10 Essential Ingredients to a Shakespearean Play

Like every one of us, Shakespeare had interests and obsessions. He regularly interacted with many of the same theatrical and thematic motifs, and that is one of the reasons why he has such a signature style. So what are the essential ingredients to a Shakespearean play?

1. The Fool

Comedy or tragedy, history or drama, you need a fool. Way wiser than everyone else.

2. The Forest

A great place to get lost or take on a new identity. Also a favorite site for all things supernatural.

3. The Letter

From a falsely written one to the one that reveals it all, the letter is a critical element of Shakespeare's plays. Often, the letter features heavily in the dénouement––the part of the play where misunderstandings get unraveled, mysteries get revealed, and matters get solved.

4. The Family Squabble

A favorite conceit of Shakespeare's is two families at war, or brother against brother: think Romeo and Juliet with the Montagues and Capulets; As You Like It, with Duke Senior and Duke Frederick; or King Lear with Lear and his three daughters.

5. The Long-Lost Relative

Another familial motif that Shakespeare uses and reuses, often ending in reunion. Bonus points if the reunion involves long-lost twins.

6. The Reference to Destiny

The stars are either with you or against you, and there's not much you can do about it. Unless you believe Cassius, when he says that "the fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars but in ourselves, that we are underlings" (Julius Caesar, I.2.231-2).

7. The Liar

Another character that you need to stir up drama. Or to drive someone crazy––perhaps turn them into a green-eyed monster.

8. The Nobility

It's very important to have people of high status. Maybe they don't even know it yet. Either way, essential.

9. The Creative Insults

This one is fair game for any character. Call someone an egg or tell them they're a carbuncle in your corrupted blood. The weirder the insult, the better it lands.

10. The Play-Within-a-Play

Metaphors connecting people to actors and plays put on by the characters all add to the entertainment value. After all, where do you think Kiss Me, Kate came from?