Shakespeare in Star Trek

(Video Link)

It's good to delve into the classics. A couple years ago, I decided to read and watch several plays by William Shakespeare. Then, this year, I decided to re-read the plays that I had read in high school. One of the results is a heightened awareness of how much the Bard of Avon has shaped our language and storytelling, from high culture to low.

The writers of Star Trek were often classically educated. Shakespeare had been woven into their minds, which you can see in the narrative tapestries that they created. In this video essay, Chris Miller argues that a great way to introduce people to the works of Shakespeare is through his references in Star Trek, such as William Shatner rapping Marc Antony's funeral oration from Julius Caesar.

You can watch an extended version of Miller's argument here.