“What’s in a name?” – Shakespeare as a Brand

Abstract

With the question “What’s in a name?” (Romeo and Juliet, II. 2, 46) as a guideline, this dissertation aims to analyze how either Shakespeare’s or his plays’ names function as a brand. Understanding brands not only as objects of discourse but also as cultural constructions, this dissertation explores the processes of canonization of Shakespeare, from the 17th to the 19th centuries, which culminated in the formation of the Shakespearean brand. Since in the process of fashioning this brand some cultural agents proved to be more relevant than others, a special attention was given to the role of film industry in the 20th century, highlighting its impacts on the contemporary perception and understanding of the Shakespearean brand. With the objective of discussing how the Bard’s brand operates within cinema, providing a set of positive characteristics that add value to these cultural products and enhance the desire for their consumption, a case study, comparing and contrasting two teenage filmic adaptations, Baz Luhrmann’s William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Gil Junger’s 10 Things I Hate about You (1999) is also presented