View source for William Shakespeare

[[File:Shakespeare.jpg|right|thumb|William Shakespeare, circa 1610.  Lived 1564 - 23 April, 1616.]]

'''William Shakespeare''' was an [[England|English]] writer and dramatist who, in his life, was one of the most highly respected playwrights of the {{w|Elizabethan era|Elizabethan}} and {{w|Jacobean era|Jacobean}} eras and, today, is recognized as perhaps the greatest writer in the history of the [[English language]].  Born in {{w|Stratford-upon-Avon}}, he moved to [[London]] as an adult to build a career as an actor and writer, and became the author of at least {{w|Shakespeare's plays|38 plays}}, {{w|Shakespeare's sonnets|154 sonnets}}, and many poems.  Shakespeare's works and influence have lived long beyond the man himself, making their way into all parts of the world.  ''[[Futurama]]'' is no exception, having referenced Shakespeare and his works multiple times, which will be listed here.

== William Shakespeare in ''Futurama'' ==
=== [[Season 1]] ===

* {{e|1ACV04}}
** The title refers to Shakespeare's comedic play ''{{w|Love's Labour's Lost}}''.

=== [[Season 2]] ===

* {{e|2ACV16}}
** As Giant [[Bender Bending Rodríguez|Bender]] dies, [[Philip J. Fry|Fry]] says the phrase "Goodnight, sweet prince" to him.  The phrase was spoken by Horatio as Prince Hamlet dies in Act V, Scene II of ''{{w|Hamlet}}''.

* {{e|2ACV19}}
** A defrostee says that he froze himself to meet Shakespeare, figuring that time was cyclical.  Fry, however, said that time was a straight line.

=== [[Season 3]] ===

* {{e|3ACV19}}
** The title refers to Shakespeare's play ''{{w|All's Well That Ends Well}}''.

=== [[Season 4]] ===

* {{e|4ACV17}}
** Fry, Bender, and [[Turanga Leela|Leela]] visit "[[The Beast With Two Bucks]]", a sex shop.  The name of the store refers to the phrase "the beast with two backs", a slang term for sexual intercourse which was used in Shakespeare's play ''{{w|Othello}}''.  The phrase pre-dates Shakespeare as a French phrase ("la beste à deux doz"), but was first used in English by Shakespeare.

=== [[Films]] ===

* {{f|2}}
** The title makes the same reference to ''Othello'' as "Spanish Fry", referring to the phrase "the beast with two backs".

* {{f|4}}
** As Fry and Leela are bidding goodbye to one another outside [[Planet Express]], Leela says to Fry "Goodbye, sweet goofbag".  This could refer to the "Goodnight, sweet prince" line from ''Hamlet'', which was previously referred to in "Anthology of Interest I".

=== [[Season 6]] ===

* {{e|6ACV11}}
** When Leela believes Fry has been killed by [[Lrrr]], she remarks "Goodnight, dumb prince", which is another reference to "Goodnight, sweet prince" from ''Hamlet''.

* {{e|6ACV25}}
** One of the [[Overclockwise#Bender's reading list|books that Bender speed-reads]] is called ''Shakespeare Typed By Monkeys - Volube 78'' (sic).  This refers to the the infinite monkey theorem which states that, given an infinite amount of time, a monkey at a typewriter will eventually write the complete works of Shakespeare.

=== [[Season 7]] ===

* {{e|7ACV04}}
** [[Calculon]] re-enacts a scene from ''{{w|Romeo and Juliet}}'' in the acting competition against [[Langdon Cobb]]. Bender mis-pronounces the title of the play as "Rome-O and Julie-T", Leela then corrects him and tells him it was written by "{{w|will.i.am}} Shakespeare".

== See also ==

* {{w|William Shakespeare}} at [[Wikipedia]]
* [[Calculon Is HAL 9000]]

[[Category:Allusions]]