Shakespeare, of course, is widely regarded as one of history's greatest English-language writers and is perhaps the most well-known dramatist in the world. (You can probably name at least three of his plays right off the top of your head.)
While historians continue to debate how much of Shakespeare's work might have been borrowed or adapted from that of other writers, one thing is certain: other writers have definitely been borrowing from Shakespeare for centuries. The MRC (and Central Library) have copies of basically all of Shakespeare's original works (both his poetry and his plays), but here's a short list of several "inspired by" novels written by others that you can find in MRC....
- Romiette & Julio, by Sharon Draper (Romeo & Juliet)
- Street Love, by Walter Dean Myers (Romeo & Juliet)
- Exposure, by Mal Peet (Othello)
- Othello: A Novel, by Julius Lester (Othello)
- Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty, by Jody Gehrman (Much Ado About Nothing)
- Ophelia: A Novel, by Lisa M. Klein (Hamlet)
- Joker, by Ranulfo (Hamlet)
- Enter Three Witches, by Caroline B. Cooney (Macbeth)
- Ariel, by Grace Tiffany (The Tempest)
- Prospero's Daughter, by Elizabeth Nunez (The Tempest)
- A Thousand Acres, by Jane Smiley (King Lear)