The same old story
Whether you’re a cinemagoer, a fan of TV drama or you love a good novel, you’ll have seen similar storylines cropping up time and again.
Many writers and academics have asked whether just a few basic plots have ever existed, spanning the centuries from the Minotaur to Mad Max, from Shakespeare to Star Wars.
The 18th Century Italian playwright Carlo Gozzi declared there were 36 possible plots. Two hundred and fifty years later, author Christopher Booker claimed there were only seven.
The seven plots in action
In his book The Seven Basic Plots, Christopher Booker used examples ranging from ancient myths and folk tales to the popular movies and soap operas we watch today.
Select a plot to find out more.
Raising the bard
For most of us these days, screenwriters and directors are our master storytellers. But some of the most popular movie franchises owe a huge debt to literary giants from history, in particular Shakespeare.
Professor Diane Purkiss visits Elstree Studios to explore the similarities between Star Wars and Shakespeare's so-called Henry Plays.
The monster millennia
Ever since human beings started telling stories, we’ve loved tales about monsters – and how we can defeat them. This timeline traces our modern monster movies back to stories told many centuries ago.
Learn more about this topic:
How can I learn to love Shakespeare? document
Russell T Davies and the cast of A Midsummer Nights Dream on the challenges of adapting Shakespeare and the value of letting the Bard into your life.
Why was Shakespeare so special? document
Michael Rosen explores the work of William Shakespeare and his fellow playwrights, and looks at why his plays in particular have stood the test of time.
Was Shakespeare a feminist? document
Discussing how Shakespeare's plays and poems dealt with women's equality in the Elizabethan age.
