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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#257: Shakespeare

He's the writer who requires no introduction. Probably the world's most famous playwright and poet, Shakespeare's tragedies, comedies, and sonnets have been studied and performed for the last 400 years. You'll be hard pressed to find someone who wasn't forced to read 'Sonnet 18' in English class, or to appear in a regrettable high school production of Romeo and Juliet. But he's a mainstay of our literary education for a reason. His writing is ubiquitous and seminal, and there's really no overstating the influence Shakespeare has had on art, literature, and even our day-to-day speech.

It's almost unbelievable that, in the hundreds of short story contests we've hosted, we've never dedicated one to the Bard himself — and so, this week is the week...

This week's prompts

Write a story named after, and inspired by, one of Shakespeare's plays. Think modern retellings, metanarratives, subversions, etc.

Narrative – 72 stories

Write your story in the form of a script, complete with stage directions.

Narrative – 33 stories

Write a story in which a case of mistaken identity plays a pivotal role.

Funny – 24 stories

Write a story about a tragic hero.

Dramatic – 57 stories

Set your story during rehearsals for a production of a Shakespeare play.

High School – 29 stories

Stories

“Midsummer (4th of July, Really) Night’s Dream (or A Psychedelic’s Fault)” by HH The Author

Submitted to Contest #257

Someone was not straight with me on Tuesday. Or Wednesday. And now it was Thursday, early in the morning, and I couldn’t join the festivities unless I went shopping on this holiday I hadn’t planned on.So, I went shopping for three with two: Eldest and Youngest. As they were blithely doing their do, independently, I was in angst about what to do at checkout. When I arrived there, I decided I would be 100. So, I rang up, erected, and told the guy, ‘No bag.’Registers stopped talking, people stopped pressing flesh to muted machines, and all came...

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“Romeo and Juliet The Story of Two Binary Stars” by Morgan Robin99

Submitted to Contest #257

Romeo and JulietThe Story of Two Binary Stars The Prologue Two scientists, both aligned in research,In Caltech, where we begin our workday,From Greek scholars to modern scientists,Where ancient studies inspire new research.From the barycenter of SiriusA pair of stars will take each other’s lives;Whose supernova ends their common orbitDo with its explosion ends the stars light.The supernova will be violent,And the light of the brightest star in the sky,Which nothing but the stars death can remove,Is now the two years of our team's research;Th...

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“Titus Andronici” by Ava Mack

Submitted to Contest #257

TW: Language & Animal Cruelty. Enter Titus, like a cook, placing the meat on the table– Titus Andronicus Act V, Scene IIII. If you’re going to be broken-up with by your girlfriend of six years, the girlfriend you lived with for five of those six years, the girlfriend you recently bought a ring for and hid in the back of your sock drawer, the girlfriend who broke up with you, moved out, and forced you to...

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“A Midsummer Night at The Rumble Zone” by Safari J Zimmet

Submitted to Contest #257

Tunnels of every color and shape snake around The Rumble Zone. Even though we have the place to ourselves tonight, we won’t have time to explore them all. They looked a lot bigger when we were six or seven and starting out in the Boys & Girls Club.Ten years later, one of us might get stuck.“Okay!” Max says. “Here’s how this is going to work. Two teams. Red and blue. You can hide your flag anywhere inside the tunnels, but the ball pits are off-limits. If you get tagged in enemy territory, you have to go back to your home base for a minute...

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“The Shakespeare Channel” by Caroline Jenner

Submitted to Contest #257

The Shakespeare Channel CharactersBeatrice : known as Bee, a feisty individual who spends all her time arguing with BennyBenedict : known as Benny, who thinks he is better than Bee and doesn’t need her on the showClaudio : known as Claude, the anchorman of the show, a rather narcissistic man who always appears a little bored.Iago: the v...

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“Some.body” by Caroline Jörgensdotter

Submitted to Contest #257

ALEXIS, 20-SOMETHING, IS SITTING IN A MEDICAL BED. HER HAIR IS WET AND SHE HAS A TOWEL AROUND HER SHOULDERS. THE WHITE BEDDING SHINES BRIGHT IN THE OTHERWISE QUITE DARK ROOM. A RADIO PLAYS CLASSICAL MUSIC IN THE BACKGROUND. ALEXIS: Once, I had a body. It was a fairly ordinary body with all the parts that usually belong. You know, head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes. The whole kit and caboodle. I didn't particularly like or dislike it. It just was there, doing what it was supposed to. Taking me where I wanted to go. It's not that ...

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“Six-ish Characters in Search of a Decent Author” by Sam Everard

Submitted to Contest #257

ACT IScene 1Setting: A spacious, upscale restaurant in the centre of London. Early evening. A man and a woman, GRANT and JENNIFER, are sat at a table centre stage. There are two more tables dotted around them with other couples, and two waiters attending to them. They aren’t talking when the curtain rises, but the tables around them are. The FIRST WAITER approaches the table FIRST WAITERGood evening, can I get either of you anything to drink? GRANTUmm…maybe two more minutes? FIRST WAITERNo problem, whenever you’re ready GRANT and ...

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“AREA 1805-1” by Roderick Chambers

Submitted to Contest #257

CHAD: A woman in love with 80’s dancing and living life to the fullest. There is seemingly no stress in her life. TIM: The smartest and shortest. Easily dispirited and annoyed. Guides his brothers and the most responsible. ANTHONY: The middle child. Very curious. The problem solver and mediator of the group. GREGORY: Likes to make sure everyone is on the same page. Puts others first. Great with tech but prefers nature. ALIEN LORD: An Alien from across a couple galaxies. Smart. Thinks humans are lowly creatures. Wants to eat them. ACT ONEScen...

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“Alcibiades” by Adam Alonzi

Submitted to Contest #257

Scene I: Cutting through the Aegean under a cloudless sky, Alcibiades stands at the bow of a red-eyed trireme, arms outspread, flamboyantly clothed in Persian attire. Kūfa, an emissary of the Hellespontine satrap, anxiously scans for unfriendly ships from the stern. Gulls cry as the Phrygian coast fills the horizon. Alc: Those men say they will die happy,Content in having, for a span, lived in full.How noble! To leave what is their unknown.Yes, the world they had has passed and is gone.So their farewells are in truth a relief:A mere de...

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“Swipes and Struggles: A Coastal Connection” by Neena Albarus

Submitted to Contest #257

Since my high school sweetheart migrated hastily to work, I found myself swiping right on Tinder with a regularity I would be slow to admit. One restless night, as the unyielding drone of late-night traffic bustled outside my window and the light from my phone bathed my face, I was adrift in a sea of profiles for a much-needed distraction from the gnawing sense of loneliness and boredom that had become all too familiar to me, especially at this time of night. My attention was snagged by a strikingly chiselled man with starter locs whose misc...

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“Vengeance for the Dead” by David Jones

Submitted to Contest #257

Vengeance for the Dead Tom Jacobs was an ordinary man living an ordinary life. He had a wife, Sarah, and two children, Emma and Jake, both in high school. Every day, Tom woke up at 6:00 am, had breakfast with his family, and then left for his 9 to 5 job selling family burial plots. It wasn’t glamorous work, but it paid the bills and allowed him to provide a comfortable life for his loved ones. One Monday morning, Tom received an email from his boss about a week-long conference in a neighboring city. The conference was mandatory, and althou...

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“Michael the Fireman ” by Elle Sanchez

Submitted to Contest #257

"I am not going," she yells. "Yes, you are," he yells back. "It's Michael's funeral." Ten days ago, was the day of the Summer City Festival mass shooting. Ten people were killed including Michael Bridge Langley. He was a brother, and a husband, and a fireman who used his body as a human shield before succumbing to his wounds. "Michael would understand," Michael's wife argues. "I am not doing this alone," Michael's brother finally pleads. "Our parents are dead. I am burying my little brother. Please? As my sister and the only family that I ha...

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“Behind the Smile” by Sally J Martin

Submitted to Contest #257

Warning: contains themes of bereavement, suicide and mental health. Behind the Smile This was his favourite time of day. The start of his first shift with a second to look forward to later in the afternoon. He donned his high-viz jacket and headed out the door, grabbing his lollipop on the way.He liked to arrive early to greet the children as they arrived. He knew their faces would light up when they saw him, “Mr Parker!” they would shout with beaming smiles. He would let the group waiting to cross build up before moving into the road to sto...

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“Haunting of Love's Folly” by Elizabeth Pena

Submitted to Contest #257

Haunting of Love’s FollyWritten by Elizabeth J PenaPart OneThe lights that stalk the street have begun to dissipate. The moon's cyclical nature represents the same as the sun, working in tandem with her defeat. The grand halls of her estate echo with trepidation at her entrance as if they know. Know of the Lord's presence hounding her thoughts. He is anything but useful to her, but at night alone in her chambers, Lady Elise Tribune yearns for the touch of a once familiar connection.Getting settled into her bed, the Lady’s thoughts resurface ...

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“Kneel” by Mindy Reed

Submitted to Contest #257

Fall on your knees was the favorite line from my mother’s favorite Christmas carol. “Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices.” As a kid, I wondered if the angels could only hear you if you were kneeling. Is there any more vulnerable position than on your knees? “Get down on your knees and pray the Lord will forgive you,” my mother said when I was put in a “time out.” Kneeling is not natural or comfortable especially when you are the only one on your knees. Any songs the angels may have been singing were drowned out by the relentless b...

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$250

Prize money

215

Contest entries

79

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 05, 2024 EST

Won by Keba Ghardt 🏆

Title: Your Animal Side

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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