Shakespeare has had a profound influence on our daily lives, ranging from the speech we utter to the music we listen to and play. Several classical composers have used the Bard’s plays as the central focus in their compositions. Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet remains popular to this day as are pieces by classical composers such as Mendelssohn in his work, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” As for Hamlet, the British composer, Frank Bridge, wrote “There is a willow grows aslant a brook” in an attempt to capture the tone of Gertrude’s lament which follows the death of Ophelia in act 4 scene 7. Listen to the piece by following the link below and then comment on how Frank Bridge achieves the desired effect by examining the rhythm, tempo, key signature and orchestration in his work: