 Although Gene Rodenbarry's classic long-running series is famous for using philosophical ideologies, Rodenbarry also used Shakespearean plots in the show as well. In some episodes, Captain Kirk is Macbeth, or Hamlet. In others, DATA is King Henry IV, or Richard the II. But then there are the Caesars, Brutus' Casca's and Antonys.
As Sean Hall points out in his essay, "ALL THE GALAXY'S A STAGE": SHAKESPEARE IN THE STAR TREK UNIVERSE,the lead character of Captain James Kirk (William Shatner) "becomes" Macbeth, Hamlet, Ferdinand, and Petruchio. Always the hero, he has the ability to defeat the villain, even when his Shakespearean counterpart could not. For example, Dutta points out that in the episode "Catspaw," Kirk is essentially Macbeth (Dutta 40), yet here he has the ability to resist the evil pressure of the Lady Macbeth figure of Sylvia, unlike the original Macbeth."
Hall also cites specific references to Julius Caesar within Star Trek Episodes--for example, "The Undiscovered Country." Besides the fact that the title is taken from Hamlet (III.i.80), General Chang (Christopher Plummer) constantly quotes from Julius Caesar (III.ii.168; III.i.60; III.i.274). You can read more about all of the connections between Shakespeare and Star Trek at the site by Marg Petersen called "Shakespeare in Star Trek."
The link between Star Trek and Shakespeare is so strong, that one dedicated fan went as far as to theoretically write a Shakespearean version of a Star Trek episode; you can read it HERE.
|
