'Hamnet' and 10 other films based on, depicting Shakespeare

William Shakespeare grieves the loss of his son, Hamnet, in the film of the same name, which arrived in theaters in November and stars Paul Mescal as the famous playwright.

The movie shows Will's courtship with Jessie Buckley's Agnes and the family that follows. Life is upended, however, when 11-year-old Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe) dies.

The film is adapted from Maggie O'Farrell's work of historical fiction about Shakespeare's real-life loss.

O'Farrell worked with director Chloe Zhao to write the screenplay.

The feature follows the writer as he creates his most iconic play, Hamlet, inspired by his late son.

Hamnet, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, also stars Olivia Ltynes and Bodhi Rae Breathnach.

Several movies have examined the life and works of Shakespeare. Read on for 10 selected titles.

West Side Story

The West Side Story musical, based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, was adapted for film in 1961 and 2021.

In the more recent version, Rachel Zegler portrayed Maria while Ansel Elgort played Tony.

Maria and Tony are members of warring New York gangs but that doesn't stop their affection for one another.

Ariana Bose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Josh Andres Rivera, Ana Isabelle, Corey Stoll and Rita Moreno also star in the Steven Spielberg film.

All is True

Kenneth Branagh, Sam Ellis, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Lydia Wilson, Kathryn Wilder and Gerard Horan star in this 2018 feature about Shakespeare's life following the loss of his Globe Theatre.

"Devastated, Shakespeare returns to Stratford, where he must face a troubled past and neglected family," an official synopsis states. "Haunted by the death of his only son, Hamnet, he struggles to mend the broken relationship with his wife and daughters."

A preview for the film shows the playwright (Branagh) navigating life back home.

"You went to London and became this great writer with a wife at home. You were hardly here. To us, you're a guest," his wife (Dench) said in the trailer.

Macbeth

Justin Kurzel's 2015 retelling of Shakespeare's play stars Michael Fassbender in the titular role and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth in "the classic tale about an ambitious Scottish lord who seizes the throne with the help of his wife."

A trailer for the film shows scenes of violence as viewers hear people chant "Hail Macbeth."

Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Elizabeth Debicki, Jack Reynor and David Thewlis also star.

Hamlet

Ethan Hawke seeks to avenge his father's (Sam Shepard) death in Michael Almereyda's 2000 adaptation, which takes place in New York.

"Rather than the isolation of a fractured royal household, this Hamlet inhabits a typical contemporary urban existence of anonymity amid a miasma of humanity," a synopsis reads. "His dead father is not a ghostly apparition on the castle ramparts, but rather a haunting memory on a video monitor."

The film also stars Kyle MacLachlan, Diane Venora, Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles, Steve Zahn and Billy Murray.

10 Things I Hate About You

The 1999 film from director Gil Junger adapts Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and stars Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Krumholtz, Andrew Keegan and Larisa Oleynik.

Godon-Levitt portrays Cameron, who is desperate to date Oleynik's Bianca. The only problem is that Bianca is forbidden to go out until her sister Kat (Stiles) does. So Cameron enlists Patrick (Ledger) to court Kat.

The movie follows Patrick's endeavors to woo her.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Michael Hoffman's 1999 film adaptation of the Shakespeare play takes place in Tuscany and stars Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer and Stanley Tucci.

"When two pairs of star-crossed lovers, a feuding pair of supernatural sprites and a love potion gone awry all come together in an enchanted moonlit forest, the result is a delightful mix of merriment and magic," per an official synopsis.

Calista Flockhart, Rupert Everett, Christian Bale, David Strathairn, Sophie Marceau, Bernard Hill, Anna Friel, Dominic West and Roger Rees also star in the film.

Shakespeare in Love

This 1998 feature follows the playwright (Joseph Fiennes) as he attempts "to stage his latest comedy before it's even written," per an official synopsis.

"When a lovely noblewoman auditions for a role, they fall in love," the description continues.

Gwyneth Paltrow's portrayal of that noblewoman (Lady Viola) earned her an Academy Award.

"If felt like something immense had happened. There was this massive energetic shift, and it was very overwhelming," she said in a recent interview for Variety. "I was only 26."

The film also starred Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, Judi Dench, Simon Callow, Jim Carter, Martin Clunes and Antony Sher.

Romeo + Juliet

The 1996 adaptation of Shakespeare's 1597 play of the same name stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes as the iconic star-crossed lovers.

"But the setting has been moved from its Elizabethan origins to the futuristic urban backdrop of Verona Beach," an official synopsis states.

Their love story is complicated by "a long-standing gang rivalry," a description reads.

John Leguizamo, Harold Perrineau, Pete Postlethwaite, Paul Sorvino, Brian Dennehy, Paul Rudd, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Miriam Margolyes also star.

The Lion King

The 1994 animated feature takes its inspiration from Shakespeare's Hamlet.

The Disney classic follows Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick) as he grieves the death of his father Mufasa (James Earl Jones), who was murdered by Simba's uncle, Scar (Jeremy Irons).

Simba follows Scar's instructions to run away, and he spends time with Timon (Nathan Lane) and Pumba (Ernie Sabella) before ultimately returning home to reclaim his place at Pride Rock.

The voice cast also included Rowan Atkinson, the late Robert Guillaume, Moira Kelly, Whoopi Goldberg, Jim Cummings and Cheech Marin.

Much Ado About Nothing

The 1993 film is based on Shakespeare's play published in 1600.

"Hero (Kate Beckinsale) and her groom-to-be, Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard), team up with Claudio's commanding officer, Don Pedro (Denzel Washington), the week before their wedding ot hatch a matchmaking scheme," an official synopsis reads. "Their targets are sharp-witted duo Benedick (Kenneth Branagh) and Beatrice (Emma Thompson) -- a tough task indeed, considering their corresponding distaste for love and each other."

A trailer for the feature illustrates Beatrice's frustration with Benedick.

"All women shall pardon me. I will live a bachelor," Benedick announces.

"A dear happiness to women," she responds.

Branagh also directs and Michael Keaton and Keanu Reeves also star.