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Shakespeare in Popular Culture: Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 as an Inspiration for American Teen Drama Television Series My So-Called Life

William Shakespeare is regarded as one of the most popular authors of all times, and today his works serve as inspiration for many popular adaptations, productions, and citations. Although modern movies usually use one of Shakespeare’s plays as the main source of inspiration, in this paper, we will show how Shakespeare’s sonnet sequence (1609) with the main focus on sonnet 130, also known as “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,” influenced the creation of an American teen drama television series My So-Called Life (1994). Besides the obvious example of sonnet 130 citation in episode 12 of My So-Called Life, we will refer to many other similarities between the two while underlying all the differences between them as well. Further, the nature of this essay requires closer perusal of Shakespeare’s own life since it still represents one of the greatest mysteries in the world of literature, which also reflects on his works. At the same time, his Sonnet Sequence is no exception.