Shakespeare's Sources

What are Shakespeare's plays based on? Did he come up with all the storylines himself? Was any of it true? Find the answers to these questions for 37 of Shakespeare's plays here!

The list below is in chronological order by year of first confirmed performance.

Henry VI, Part II

Shakespeare used several different sources for Henry VI, Part II. These include Raphael Holinshed's The Third Volume of Chronicles (1587), Edward Hall's The Union of the Two Noble and Illustrate Famelies of Lancastre and Yorke (1548),  Richard Grafton's A Chronicle at Large and Meere History of the Affayres of Englande (1569), John Foxe's Actes and Monuments (1583), Robert Fabyan's Chronicle (1516), and John Hardyng's The Cronicle of Iohn Hardyng (1543). Note that the titles written here appear in their original, 16th Century English spellings. Henry VI, Part II is at least partially based on true historical events.

Henry VI, Part III

Scholars agree that Shakespeare primarily based this play on two of the sources he also used for Henry VI, Part II: Raphael Holinshed's The Third Volume of Chronicles (1587), and Edward Hall's The Union of the Two Noble and Illustrate Famelies of Lancastre and Yorke (1548). Henry VI, Part III is at least partially based on true historical events.

Henry VI, Part I

Shakespeare used the same two sources for Henry VI, Part I as he did for Part III––that is, Raphael Holinshed's The Third Volume of Chronicles (1587), and Edward Hall's The Union of the Two Noble and Illustrate Famelies of Lancastre and Yorke (1548). Like the other two plays making up the trilogy, Henry VI, Part I is at least partially based on true historical events.

Richard III

For Richard III, Shakespeare likely used Raphael Holinshed's The Third Volume of Chronicles (1587), Edward Hall's The Union of the Two Noble and Illustrate Famelies of Lancastre and Yorke (1548), and The Mirrour for Magistrates (various authors, 1559). Like three Henry VI plays, Richard III is at least partially based on true historical events.

The Comedy of Errors

The Comedy of Errors draws most its source material from the comedy The Menaechmi by Roman playwright Plautus. The Menaechmi contains the material for the presence of the Antipholus twins in The Comedy of Errors. Shakespeare's addition of the Dromio twins was probably inspired by The Amphrituo, another play by Plautus. John Gower's play Confessio Amantis (1390) provided the source material for the characters of Aegeon and Emilia. There is no evidence that The Comedy of Errors is based on true events.

Titus Andronicus

Shakespeare used various medieval and classical myths and legend as source material for Titus Andronicus. The most evident source is the tale of Philomel's rape in Ovid's Metamorphoses. The play Thyestes (1st Century AD) by Lucius Annaeus Seneca––which is based on a play of the same name by Euripides––also served as inspiration for Shakespeare. In addition, the classical tragedy tradition likely influenced Shakespeare, and Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy (1592) would have been available to Shakespeare as he was writing Titus Andronicus. There is no evidence that Titus Andronicus is based on true events.

The Taming of the Shrew

Oral and written stories that could have served as source material for The Taming of the Shrew were abundant in Shakespeare's England (and all across the world). As of today, only one written source has been directly identified as a source for the play: George Gasciogne's play Supposes (1566), a translation of Ariosto's comedy I Suppositi (1506). There is no evidence that The Taming of the Shrew is based on specific true events.

Two Gentlemen of Verona

Scholars debate what source material Shakespeare used for Two Gentlemen of Verona, and to what extent he used that source material. The play was likely based on Jorge de Montemayor's prose romance Los siete libros de la diana (The Seven Books of the Diana, c. 1559). Elements of the play may have come from Arthur Brooke's Romeus and Juliet (1562), Geoffrey Chaucer's The Knight's Tale from The Canterbury Tales (late 14th Century), John Lyly's Euphues (1578) or Midas (c. 1589), and maybe even a lost Queen's Men play called Felix and Philomena (1585). There is no evidence that Two Gentlemen of Verona is based on true events.

Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare's main source for Romeo and Juliet was Arthur Brooke's poem The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet (1562). Brooke wrote his poem based on a French translation of one of the stories in Matteo Bandello's Novelle (1554-73). The story of Romeo and Juliet is likely based on two actual lovers, though scholars argue about the identities of these famous lovers.

Love's Labour's Lost

Shakespeare wrote Love's Labour's Lost without relying on a main source. However, scholars have identified a few possible authors of influence: Sir Philip Sydney, John Lyly, and Peter de la Primaudaye. Scholars suspect that the characters are based on real historical figures. There was a real King of Navarre––he became France's King Henry IV. Three courtier friends of his (the dukes of Biron, Mayenne, and Longueville) probably served as the inspiration for Berowne, Dumaine, and Longaville. And Shakespeare may have used Spanish courtier Antonio Pérez as the model for Don Armado.

Richard II

Shakespeare's main source for Richard II was Holinshed's Chronicles (1577), containing historical accounts of England, Scotland, and Ireland until the mid-16th Century. Scholars have suggested that Shakespeare also used Edward Hall's The Union of the Two Noble and Illustrate Famelies of Lancastre and Yorke (1548), and Samuel Daniel's poem The First Four Books of the Civil Wars (1595). Richard II is at least partially based on true historical events.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

The idea of transformation in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream came from Ovid's Metamorphoses (which also contains the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, and the name "Titania").  For the character of Theseus, Shakespeare referred to The Knight's Tale in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales (late 14th Century) and Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans (translated into English in 1579). There is no evidence that A Midsummer Night's Dream is based on true events.

King John

Shakespeare used John Foxes's Actes and Monuments (1563), commonly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, and Holinshed's Chronicles (1577) as a source for King John. He likely also used an anonymous history play called The Troublesome Reign of King John (1589), though this is debated. Reprinted in 1622, the work was attributed to Shakespeare, but most scholars believe that this attribution is false, and was printed to increase sales. King John is at least partially based on true historical events, as there was an actual King John. 

The Merchant of Venice

Shakespeare's main source for The Merchant of Venice was Ser Giovanni Fiorentino's tale Il Pecorone, in which a young man borrows money from a Jewish person with a pound of human flesh as security. Stephen Gossen's play The Jew (1579), which received much acclaim in its time, likely influenced Shakespeare––but scholars do not know to what extent, because that play is now lost. The idea of the three caskets is found in the Gesta Romanorum (late 13th or early 14th Century). There is no evidence that The Merchant of Venice is based on true events.

Henry IV, Part I

Shakespeare used two main sources for Henry IV, Part 1: Holinshed's Chronicles (1577) and the third book of Samuel Daniel's poem The First Four Books of the Civil Wars (1595). Shakespeare also made use of an anonymous play called The Famous Victories of Henry the Fifth (1598). Henry IV, Part I is at least partially based on true historical events.

Henry IV, Part II

Shakespeare used the same sources for Henry IV, Part II as he did for Part I––that is, Holinshed's Chronicles (1577), the third book of Samuel Daniel's poem The First Four Books of the Civil Wars (1595), and The Famous Victories of Henry the Fifth (1598). Henry IV, Part II is also partially based on true historical events, though the Gloucester scenes are almost certainly Shakespeare's own invention.

Much Ado About Nothing

The Hero and Claudio plot of Much Ado About Nothing comes from Lodovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso (translated into English in 1591). Orlando Furioso is reworked in Matteo Bandello's Novella (1554), which is set in Messina. The source material for the Beatrice and Benedick plot of Much Ado About Nothing perhaps came from Baldassare Castilgione's The Courtier (translated into English in 1561). Much Ado About Nothing is very loosely based on true events (there was a real Orlando in the 8th Century CE who inspired Ariosto who inspired Bandello who inspired Shakespeare).

Henry V

Shakespeare's two main sources for Henry V were Holinshed's Chronicles (1577) and the anonymous play The Famous Victories of Henry the Fifth (1598)––both of which he had also made use of in Henry IV, Part I and Henry IV, Part II. Henry V is at least partially based on true historical events.

Julius Caesar

Shakespeare used Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans (translated into English in 1579). Therefore, Julius Caesar is at least partially based on true historical events.

As You Like It

Shakespeare's source for As You Like It was Thomas Lodge's Rosalynde (1590), which was in turn based on a poem entitled The Tale of Gamelyn (c. 1350). Rosalynde contains early in the work the phrase that likely inspired Shakespeare's title: "If you like it, so." The characters of Jacques and Touchstone––as well as Audrey, Le Beau, and Amiens––were Shakespeare's own invention. There is no evidence that As You Like It is based on true events.

Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night was inspired by an entire chain of literature. Shakespeare used the story "Apolonius and Silla" in Barnaby Rich's Rich his farewell to militarie profession (1581). Rich's story is based on a story from Matteo Bandello's Novelle (1554-73). Bandello's story is based on another source––a comedy called Gl'ingannati (The Deceived), written by a collective (1537). There is no evidence that Twelfth Night is based on true events.

Hamlet

Scholars agree that the main source Shakespeare used for Hamlet is an earlier play with the same plot, probably written by Thomas Kyd. Unfortunately, that play is lost. Elements of the plot can be found in Saxo Grammaticus's Historia Danica (12th Century), François de Belleforest's Histoires Tragiques (1570), and even Thomas Nashe's Pierce Pennilesse His Supplication to the Devil (1592). Scholars also believe that the character of Hamlet was largely inspired by Michel de Montaigne in his Essays (1580). Hamlet may be loosely based on true historical events.

The Merry Wives of Windsor

The Merry Wives of Windsor appears to be original––that is, it has no one identifiable major source. Some elements may have come from Barnaby Riche's story "Of Two Brethren and Their Wives" in Rich his farewell to militarie profession (1581), "The Tale of Two Lovers in Pisa" from Tarlton's Jests and News out of Purgatory (1590), Ser Giovanni Fiorentino's Il Pecorone (1558), and Luigi Pasqualigo's Il Fedele (1585). Some scholars suggest that Shakespeare was inspired by people he knew and settings––the Garter Inn and Winsor Park––that really existed at the time. The Merry Wives of Windsor may or may not be based on true events.

Troilus and Cressida

Shakespeare likely used Homer's Iliad as his source for the Trojan War background of Troilus and Cressida. For the romance between Troilus and Cressida, Shakespeare used Geoffrey Chaucer's poem Troilus and Criseyde (1561) and Robert Henryson's Testament of Cresseid (1598). Troilus and Cressida is at least partially based on true historical events.

All's Well that Ends Well

Shakespeare used Giovanni Boccaccio's Il Decamerone (1353), probably in an English retelling by William Painter in his The Palace of Pleasures (1575). There is no evidence that All's Well That Ends Well is based on true events.

Measure for Measure

Shakespeare's main source for Measure for Measure was George Whetstone's two-part play Promos and Cassandra (1578). He also used the story "Epitia" from the collection of tales Gli Hecatommithi (1565) by Cinthio (Giovanni Battist Giraldi). There were also real life stories from Shakespeare's time that mirror the plot of Measure for Measure very closely. Therefore, Measure for Measure may or may not be partially based on true events.

Othello

Like Measure for Measure, Othello is also based on a story from Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi (1565): "Un Capitano Moro" ("A Moorish Captain"). Shakespeare invented the character of Roderigo, and eliminated the moral lesson of Cinthio's play––that young women should not disobey their parents. There is no evidence that Othello is based on true events.

King Lear

Shakespeare used Holinshed's Chronicles (1577) for the main plot of King Lear. Holinshed himself used Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regium Britanniae (12th Century) as source material. The same story is relayed in Edmund Spencer's poem The Fairie Queen (1590), from whom Shakespeare borrowed the name of the youngest daughter, "Cordelia." Shakespeare was also familiar with the anonymous play The True Chronicle History of the life and death of King Leir and his three Daughters, first performed in 1594. But this play differs from Shakespeare in painting Britain as a strongly Christian state. The Gloucester, Edgar, and Edmund subplot probably came from Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia (1590). Because there was really a King Lear who imprudently divided his kingdom among his three daughters, King Lear is at least partially based on true events.

Macbeth

Shakespeare's main source for Macbeth was Holinshed's Chronicles (1577), specifically the accounts of the reigns of Kings Duncan and Macbeth in The Chronicle of Ireland. Although there are no specific references to the works of Latin author Seneca in Macbeth, scholars believe that he may have inspired the character of Lady Macbeth and the overall mood of the play. Macbeth is largely based on true events. 

Antony and Cleopatra

Shakespeare used Sir Thomas North's 1579 English translation of Plutarch's The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans as his main source of Antony and Cleopatra. Shakespeare chose to focus on the love between Antony and Cleopatra and altered some of the history to serve his purposes. Antony and Cleopatra is partially based on true events.

Timon of Athens

Shakespeare's main source for Timon of Athens was Plutarch's The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans, in English translation by Sir Thomas North (1579). Some scholars suggest that Shakespeare also referred to satirist Lucian of Samosata's dialogue Timon the Misanthrope for material not found in Plutarch's Lives. Timon of Athens is at least partially based on true events.

Coriolanus

Shakespeare used Sir Thomas North's 1579 English translation of Plutarch's The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans as his main source for Coriolanus, specifically the Life of Caius Marcius Coriolanus. He stuck to the source material faithfully, even sometimes following North's very phrasing. Shakespeare expanded the characters of Volumnia, Menenius, and Virgilia. Coriolanus is at least partially based on true events.

Cymbeline

Shakespeare found the setting and the name of his main character for Cymbeline in Holinshed's Chronicles (1577). The story of a man wagering on his lover's chastity was very popular in Shakespeare's time, mostly transmitted orally. But Shakespeare was likely inspired by the version of this tale in Giovanni Boccaccio's Il Decamerone (1353). Cymbeline is loosely based on true events.

The Winter's Tale

Shakespeare's main source for The Winter's Tale was Robert Greene's novella Pandosto: The Triumph of Time (1588). Shakespeare changed the character names, altered the plot, merged two characters into one (Camillo), and introduced three new characters: Paulina, Antigonus, and Autolycus. Shakespeare also introduced the (in)famous bear into the play. There is no evidence that The Winter's Tale is based on true events.

The Tempest

Shakespeare was probably inspired to write The Tempest following a shipwreck in Bermuda, described by William Strachey in a letter in 1610. In terms of specific literary sources, Shakespeare likely turned to Ovid's Metamorphoses for inspiration for Prospero's magic, and perhaps the character of Sycorax. Montaigne's essay On Cannibals (1588) must have also influenced Shakespeare. Although the shipwreck was real, all other elements of the The Tempest are pure invention (that is, not based on true events).

Henry VIII

As for many of his history plays, Shakespeare and Fletcher based Henry VIII on Holinshed's Chronicles (1577). The two playwrights may have also turned to John Stow's The Annales of England (1592) and John Speed's Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain (1611-12) for inspiration. Henry VIII is at least partially based on true events.

Holinshed's Chronicles (1577)
Image credit: The British Library.