Dirty Pop; Shakespeare's Influence On Popular Culture

Is our culture manipulative, deceptive, "dirty", for using the works of an established artist to propel buyer to pay attention? Is it dirty to gain a profit by using a familiar name? Let's discover a few reasons as to why society has used, and continues to use, references to Shakespeare in mass marketing.

> Why Shakespeare Is Referenced When Promoting Ideas Of Pop Culture

The visual clip below is a compilation of television, cinema, music and other elements of media that use Shakespeare as a marketing tool. You may be surprised at the number of references you have been exposed to.

Nothings Original

This includes Disney production, The Lion King. 

The following scene is an exact simulation of Act 1, Scene 5 of Hamlet

Shakespeare: The Clothes Make The Man

Gladiator sandals and Roman influences, hammered gold jewelry seem to evoke antiquity and the Bottega Vega bag is an Italian staple. This is a modern rendition of the seemingly feministic, Julius Caesar. 

In a classic Star Trek episode, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise beams down to the surface of an unknown planet. Once on the ground, they are confronted by three witches who chant: "Winds shall rise / and fog descend / So leave here all / or meet your end." At this point, the logical character Commander Spock replies, "Very bad poetry, Captain." Thus, we have a reference to Shakespeare's Macbeth. Shakespeare and the science fiction series Star Trek have always been linked together in an almost symbiotic bond.


Shakespeare is used as a device to establish moral ambiguity. The use of Shakespeare in the original Star Trek series served as endorsement for the male-centric, Americanized ideal of a typical Shakespeare hero. Within the progress of the series, the lead character of Captain James Kirk "becomes" Macbeth, Hamlet, Ferdinand, and Petruchio. Always the hero, he has the ability to defeat the villain, even when his Shakespearean counterpart could not.

Yes, Seinfeld Too.

Both Shakespeare and Seinfeld were successful, admired by all levels of society. Traveling players brought Shakespeare throughout England. TV gave Seinfeld a global impact.

Minor characters played an important part in the success of both. Shakespeare created Dogberry, Jaques, Bardolph, the Gravedigger, Autolycus, and Caliban. Seinfeld gave us Newman, Peterman, Mr. Pitt, Kenny Bania, and the Soup Nazi.

There are the parents who dislike each other: the Montagues and Capulets in Romeo and Juliet; the Constanzas and the Seinfelds inSeinfeld. Lovesick Orlando in As You Like It is matched by lovesick George in many Seinfeld episodes. In All's Well that Ends Well, Bertram doesn’t appreciate the beautiful Helena, nor does fickle George, the beautiful Susan.

Both Shakespeare and Seinfeld provide practical jokes. In The Merry Wives of Windsor, the amorous Falstaff ends up in a basket as part of the wives' practical joke. Seinfeld's Elaine records an anonymous tape, for Jerry, passionately expressing her attraction to him.

Shakespeare has enriched the English language with a flood of new words. Seinfeld has provided "yada, yada, yada." Shakespeare has given us "All the world's a stage." Seinfeld came up with "Not that there's anything wrong with that." Julius Caesar has "It's all Greek to me." Seinfeld has "No soup for you!"


Both Shakespeare and Seinfeld displayed a ruthless honesty. They observed human nature objectively, without sentimentality. They relished satire, poking fun at stereotypes. 

> Want To See More?

Check out this hip-hop site that bases its rhyme of reason off the history and development of Shakespeare!