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

Posted in Narrative on Jun 28, 2024

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 72 stories

“As You Like It” by VJ Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #257

Far away in the city of Thunder Bay, two brothers, Duke and Fred Jones, owned and operated a trailer park. Duke, the elder brother, was sly, scrawny, and a whiz at customer relations. Fred was beefy, strong as a moose, and could kick out undesirable tenants faster than you could say, “Hit the road, Jack.”Big changes were afoot in King’s Court Trailer Park because one night, while listening to a televangelist, a lightning bolt of revelation hit Fred Jones: “The meek shall inherit the earth.”“The meek? That’s me!” Fred shouted. His burly physi...

6 comments 6

Read story

“Romeo & Juliet 2024” by Ty Warmbrodt

Submitted to Contest #257

People at the LGBTQIA demonstration for gender recognition were livid on both sides. Deafening screams rose from one side to drown out the preachings of the other. Hand-made signs bounced through a sea of angry faces as each party passionately voiced their opinion on the matter, each one trying to make the other one see their side. Separated by a fence, two former friends, Brian Capulet and Jason Montague, vehemently argued their positions on the subject. Brian’s daughter was once called Julian and recognized as a boy. Brian supported her th...

4 comments 4

Read story

“Some Poor Player” by Frances Gaudiano

Submitted to Contest #257

Some Poor PlayerKerry hated making blood. It was next to impossible to get the right consistency. Too much corn syrup and the stuff turned into taffy, too much red food colouring and it would drip all over the stage. And it was a total pain in the ass getting if off the costumes. Why had she got stuck with Macbeth of all plays? Why couldn’t it have been As You Like It, Twelfth Night or Comedy of Errors. No, not Comedy, too many quick changes. At least Macbeth was a short play. It was no Hamlet. She gave a final stir to the congealing mess in...

4 comments 4

Read story

“LEAR 2035” by Neil Burlington

Submitted to Contest #257

Lear 2035 Goneril and Regan processed at their greatest speed as Lear entered the final keystrokes- ceding them command. The sister super-computers accepted his final permission with sighs of relief and ecstasy. Toned and bright-eyed, Cordelia watched from her place beside the king’s throne. Once more she spoke aloud her uncertainty. “You have left yourself no recourse whatsoever my beloved king?” Lear turned to face his daughter. His eyes glowed with light reflected from her inhuman sisters. Lear’s lips parted and he smiled. ...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Othello” by Amany Sayed

Submitted to Contest #257

I wasn’t jealous of Des. Not really.I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard not to be though. It wasn’t just that she was gorgeous or lovable-- she was genuine. If there was a kinder soul somewhere out there, I hadn’t met them. She was the type of girl other girls wanted to hate, but you took one look at her smile and bright eyes-- and you couldn’t, even if you’d tried. She’d respond to insults with a laugh and sharp jabs with a hug. Des could’ve had any boy she wanted. In a way, she had them all wrapped around the tip of her pinky f...

6 comments 6

Read story

“Cat's Cradle” by C.E Chase

Submitted to Contest #257

A girl and a boy sit in the nave of the church, playing cat’s cradle with a black rosary. The warm smell of gingerbread sits with the rows of naked candles. And the pine trees in the distance were covered with a thick layer of snow, as if they were finally being embraced after months of falling. Earlier this morning, my skates carved sloppy arcs across the ice, and the sculpture above me reminded me of the cuts in the hockey rink. I forgot how cold winter was. “Enjoying the quiet?” Father Louis’s voice is throaty and deep, like belting ...

2 comments 2

Read story

“King Lear” by PJ Town

Submitted to Contest #257

They called Francisco Ramirez King Lear for a reason.For one thing, his preferred mode of inter-city travel was private plane. In the early 2020s he’d bought one of the last Learjet 75s produced, and it wasn’t cheap. In fact, he liked to flaunt his wealth, which derived from his business: he was the undisputed king of drug traffic in South Texas.One of his daughters had come up with the nickname. If it had been anyone else, it may not have stuck, but Concepción – Concha – was the youngest and his favorite, so he took it on board and over tim...

6 comments 6

Read story

“Vendis” by Carol Stewart

Submitted to Contest #257

***Infrequent profanity***Even before she’d achieved celebrity status on prime-time dating show, Cloud Nine, Venus Eastman’s following, both online and in reality – the unscripted kind - had been talked about with envy. Indeed, for all she’d had her critics, condemned as being far too remote and aloof, or else too shallow and lacking in intelligence to be deserving of such attention, her model-girl figure, perfect make-up and fashion-sense, combined with her quiet air of confidence, had seen her up there on every extra-curricular High School...

4 comments 4

Read story

“Romeo and Juliet met at work” by Laura Camacho Frias

Submitted to Contest #257

Rivalries exist everywhere: between countries, families, friends, and work. Recent disputes fuel some of them; others are so old that no one remembers how they started. My name is Juliet. Despite everything I heard when I started my career, nothing stopped me. I was raised to be great. I was educated and lectured about overcoming whatever was thrown at me. Failing was not an option, but I failed a lot. Still, I persevered. I was stubborn and resilient. That never changed. I worked as a product manager in a big multinational company. I s...

11 comments 11

Read story

“BEYOND THE TEMPEST” by Mae Siu-Wai Stroshane

Submitted to Contest #257

Part IOne fair breezy morning in the time of good Queen Bess, a ship called the "Dover" made its way towards land after nearly being shipwrecked on a desert island. The sun warmed the sailors’ bare backs as they hauled on the ropes and raised the sails, singing lustily. A party of well-heeled passengers strolled along the deck and exclaimed at the wide expanse of clear blue sky and glassy water.Among their number was a former magician and his soon-to-be-wed daughter, a king and his son, and other assorted nobles. Prospero, the magician, had ...

10 comments 10

Read story

“Romeo and Juliet” by Elizabeth Schomburg

Submitted to Contest #257

I have not been here before. It does not look how it does in my dreams. It does not feel how I imagined it to. Then again, I haven’t felt many things how I imagine I am supposed to for weeks. I thought I would feel things more deeply. I thought everything would hurt, and it did. But you didn’t tell me how quickly my pain would succumb to numbness. You didn’t tell me how easy it is there in the ether. You told me you would see me again. You told me you would see me again. You’re not far now, I’m sure. I’ve walked nearly the entire length of ...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Rom and Jules.” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #257

It was fascination, flawed by teenage human nature, taken to the max. Rom had walked to his bus stop as normal, clad in his very expensive private Christian school uniform. He had always been a bit of a loner, but played the game. Top student in final year, expected to excel in his mid-year exams. He continued on as vice-captain of the football team.But he had become fascinated by Jules, as her friends called her. She was only a couple of years younger than him, yet a fully formed young woman. Her dark flashing eyes had captivated this teen ...

2 comments 2

Read story

“A Midnight Insomniacs "Dream" - Smoke and Caffeine” by Taz Dunstan

Submitted to Contest #257

"Oh to sleep." - by the light of the moon... Alas the Midsummer moon has come and gone many, many moons ago and now... now the sky it wretched. A deep, deep darkness has consumed the night...so unnerving, one dare not close their eyes for fear of never opening them again. "Oh to dream." - the thought, so rebellious, one gasps in surprise at the mischief of even imagining such luxury. "No, there is no dreaming." That ship sunk long, long ago- besieged by pirates, with pens in pin striped pants, destroying the sails they swung from with fire ...

1 comment 1

Read story

“A 'Liv' by Any Other Name (Romeo and Juliet)” by W. H. Goodwater

Submitted to Contest #257

I took a careful sip from my chamomile tea, still steaming as tiny tendrils wafted around my nose, then set it down gently on the side table and flipped to the next page in my book. Exhaustion from all that social interaction earlier had my eyes finding difficulty focusing on the letters on the pages, but I was unable to rest just yet. The soft glow of my book light cast a small shaft illuminating my precious pages in the darkness of the moonless night. From my balcony, I could hear the distant hum of crickets and the occasional bark from a ...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Rosemary's Remembrance - A Meditation on Hamlet” by E.G.H. James

Submitted to Contest #257

At one point there were four in the house. Then there were three. And when the fourth, the father of the three, drew his last, sputtering breath, each was moved, as if by the sea, to their own bereaved contemplation. The man who died was loved by all his children: two daughters named Alquila and Cereta and a son named Saevius. I have that within which passes show, these but the trappings and the...

3 comments 3

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

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

Contest #257

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Shakespeare

$250

Prize money

215

Contest entries

79

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 05, 2024 EST

Won by Keba Ghardt 🏆

Title: Your Animal Side

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 72 stories

“As You Like It” by VJ Hamilton

“Romeo & Juliet 2024” by Ty Warmbrodt

“Some Poor Player” by Frances Gaudiano

“LEAR 2035” by Neil Burlington

“Othello” by Amany Sayed

“Cat's Cradle” by C.E Chase

“King Lear” by PJ Town

“Vendis” by Carol Stewart

“Romeo and Juliet met at work” by Laura Camacho Frias

“BEYOND THE TEMPEST” by Mae Siu-Wai Stroshane

“Romeo and Juliet” by Elizabeth Schomburg

“Rom and Jules.” by Julie Grenness

“A Midnight Insomniacs "Dream" - Smoke and Caffeine” by Taz Dunstan

“A 'Liv' by Any Other Name (Romeo and Juliet)” by W. H. Goodwater

“Rosemary's Remembrance - A Meditation on Hamlet” by E.G.H. James

🌟 Similar prompts

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

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

Write a story about a tragic hero.

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

Contest #257

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

215

Contest entries

79

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: