| William Shakespeare | |
|---|---|
 William Shakespeare in "Fern and the Case of the Stolen Story" | |
| Gender | Male |
| Animal | Aardvark |
| Hair color | Gray |
| Job | Playwright |
| Cartoon debut | "Fern and the Case of the Stolen Story" |
| Voiced by | Bruce Dinsmore (s16) |
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright. His work has been referenced multiple times in the Arthur series:
- Catherine tries to read Shakespeare while Francine turns the lights on and off in "Francine Frensky, Superstar"
- Fern imagines seeing the Bard several times throughout "Fern and the Case of the Stolen Story". He criticizes her work and tells her it's okay to sometimes get writer's block.
- In "Fern's Flights of Fancy", a picture of Shakespeare is seen in an ad for a young writers contest.
Hamlet[]
- In "Elwood City Turns 100!", Mr. Ratburn remembers his one-man Hamlet puppet show.
- Buster mentions that he has a yam named "Yamlet" in "Prunella the Pack Rat," a reference to Hamlet. Also, when he receives a beet from Prunella, he remarks "To beet or not to beet."
- Buster's yam Yamlet is featured again in the special "Arthur's First Day."
- A line from Shakespeare's Hamlet, "To be or not to be", is referenced in the titles of "To Beat or Not to Beat" and "To Eat or Not to Eat".
- In "Carl's Conerto", Wally suggests performing Hamlet at the BAYFAF event.
Julius Caesar[]
- In "Arthur's Knee", Arthur and Brain build a chariot for Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar.
- The title of the episode "Lend Me Your Ear" is a reference to a line of Julius Caesar ("Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ear").
King Lear[]
- The episode "Never, Never, Never" has a plot line similar to King Lear. The title references a line from act 5, while D.W. has a soliloquy similar to Lear's in act 3 ("Go ahead and blow, wind!").
- In "Around the World in 11 Minutes" Pal quotes King Lear slightly inaccurately ("Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!").
Macbeth[]
The witches from Macbeth
- In the opening of "Popular Girls", Arthur, Francine, Fern, and Sue Ellen are performing Macbeth.
- The episode "MacFrensky" has a plot line similar to Macbeth, with its title also referencing the play.
- The episode title "Sleep No More" may refer to a line from Macbeth: "Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep!"
The Merchant of Venice[]
- In MacFrensky, Mr. Ratburn quotes The Merchant of Venice, saying "truth will out, as the Bard says".
Romeo and Juliet[]
- In the opening of "Kiss and Tell," D.W. appears as Juliet from Romeo and Juliet. D.W. waits for Romeo on the balcony, but Prince Charming shows up instead.
- Also in "Kiss and Tell", it is mentioned that Arthur's class is reading Romeo and Juliet. Arthur tells D.W. a bit about the plot, and the book and a picture in it is seen.
The book Romeo and Juliet
An image from the book Romeo and Juliet
D.W. as Juliet
The Tempest[]
- In the opening of the episode "The Secret Life of Dogs and Babies," the red Vidibooby on the TV recites several lines from The Tempest.
- In "Carl's Concerto", Wally quotes The Tempest ("Be not afeard! The woods are full of noises, sounds and sweet airs.")
The Winter's Tale[]
- In the opening to "S.W.E.A.T.", Arthur follows Shakespeare's famous stage direction from The Winter’s Tale and exits the stage pursued by a bear.