If William Shakespeare’s most famous characters were your housemates at university, the 8 you would find

You’ll be surprised at just how many are relevant to today’s youth

April 23 marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare (Hulton Archive/Getty)

University has its fair share of big characters and drama. As this month commemorates the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, it seems apt to create a list comparing characters from some of the Bard’s most well-known plays to today’s housemates.

You’ll be surprised at just how many are relevant to today’s youth, so find out which immortal character you and your housemates would be from the English playwright’s works, from tragic Juliet, to tempestuous Caliban. How will you fare?

1) The intense couple
Titania and Oberon (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

Like Titania and Oberon, no one is quite sure how they got together, but “winged Cupid [is] painted blind” so you just have to grin and bear it. Not only do you have to deal with living with two intense individuals, you have to endure the inevitable fallouts. Famously, the pair had an argument over a Changeling boy which was so intense that it disturbed the natural order of the world. Your flatmate couple can clear out the kitchen on a bad day, arguing over who now owns that battered old sweater.

It’s not all bad, though, when your loved-up friends “restore amends,” it’s great having a couple up for a laugh - even if there’s a bit more PDA than you’d like. The course of true love did never run smooth.

2) Friends who act like they were separated at birth
Viola and Sebastian (Twelfth Night) / Dromio and Antipholus (The Comedy of Errors)

Titania and Oberon, but platonic and with less drama. Shakespeare loved using twins to wreak havoc in his plays, just as these two have loved doing every single activity together since day one. Their bond is so tight, you simply assume they were close in another life - or maybe separated at birth.

Either way, since they met, these two have been inseparable; sharing clothes, private jokes, and nap time - but never lovers. Their unbreakable bond is something you can only dream of until you find your university other half - unless you’re the flat Malvolio.

3) The house party DJ
Bottom (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

This flatmate thinks they’re God’s gift to house music, much in the same way Bottom thought he was the most talented thespian in all of Athens. Truth is, they’re not. You may agree to let your flatmate DJ at your house party, but they’ll only make an ass out of themselves.

That said, though, the commitment and passion they have for their ‘craft’ is admirable, so it’s probably best to let them get on with it. After all, Bottom’s troupe’s cheery performance of Pyramus and Thisbe was enjoyed by all - even if it was just to laugh at.

4) The sleeper
Juliet (Romeo and Juliet)

Juliet couldn’t get away with sleeping through Act 5 Scene 3, and your sleeper friend probably won’t get away with missing all those 9am lectures. It’s nothing to be proud of - your friend was passed out for the exam preparation seminar; Juliet caught up on her “two and forty hours” whilst her lover poisoned himself. The only consolation to take is that at least they look good next to their sleep-deprived, grade-conscious pals - but it’s not much. Never was there a story of more misery, than that of Juliet and her third-class degree.

5) The local
Caliban (The Tempest)

There’s always one flatmate who couldn’t leave home, and don’t you know it. Initially, they were your guide to the city, but the tides turned when you started discovering it for yourself. ‘Oh, you like that club?’ ‘Yah, it was fab in 2013 when I used to get in with fake ID’. Secretly, you think you’re better than they are for going to uni further from home but, in reality, you aren’t, and you appreciate their insider knowledge on the city. Caliban (very understandably) resents the occupiers of his Island for most of The Tempest, but accepts their presence just before they were due to leave. Sound familiar?

6) The one you’re not sure how they even got in
Richard II (The Tragedy of King Richard II)

Cocky, frivolous, utterly impractical - you don’t wish to be a snob, but you do wonder how Richard ended up at the same university as you. Asking if you can revise politics together (he needs to touch up on his Machiavelli), you start to become aware of his shortcomings on the subject, despite his way with words. Richard feels the weight of his family name, and also believes success is his birthright. However, soon he is found out and finds himself dethroned i.e. failing first year.

7) The party animal
Prince Hal (Henry IV part 1)

If there was ever a Shakespeare character to spend his late-teens/early adulthood taking advantage of the range of nightlife in Britain’s former industrial cities, it would be the future Henry V. A disappointment to his parents, maybe, when Hal and his Falstaffian friends want have fun, you just want to get some sleep ahead of your 9am classes.

However, with the great battle of third year looming, you’re on the edge of your seat to know whether or not your Prince Hal will remember his responsibilities in time to save the realm i.e. his degree.

8) The spoiled rich one
Lady Macbeth (Macbeth)

All the perfumes of Arabia would not be good enough for them. They want it all, they want it now - and they don’t care for the cost. Your university Lady Macbeth is never satisfied: if you shop in All Saints, she’d have to top that by buying only Alexander McQueen. Yet, once she finally realises her privilege, she’ll start feeling guilty - and start spouting confessional gibberish about secretly loving Primark. Next thing you know, she’s on a flight to Thailand (not from a castle wall) to discover herself, paid for on her parents’ credit card.