“Bridgerton” Season 2 References Jane Austen and Shakespeare in Creative Ways

“Pride & Prejudice” is the most classic Regency enemies-to-lovers tale, and “Bridgerton” finds way to pay tribute to not only the novel itself, but also the classic 1995 BBC miniseries and the 2005 movie that starred Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen.

Anthony Bridgerton is definitely rocking a better-than-everyone-else Mr. Darcy vibe in the first episode. He’s intent on finding a wife accomplished enough to make his viscountess. He goes on a series of awkward dates with different eligible women, but no matter how smart or talented or pretty they are, none of them meet his incredibly high expectations. It’s quite similar to an early moment in “Pride & Prejudice,” when Darcy and Caroline Bingley recount just what would make a woman accomplished.

Darcy and Caroline declare that for a woman to be truly “accomplished,” she must “have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages … [and] she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions.” Plus, she must be very well read. Elizabeth has the perfect response, saying, “I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any.”

Then, one of Kate and Anthony’s earliest interactions happens at a ball, where Kate overhears the viscount talking to his friends about how no woman has proven up to his exacting standards. It parallels the scene in “Pride & Prejudice” where Darcy complains to Bingley about the women gathered at their country dance. In “Bridgerton,” Kate is caught eavesdropping and confronts Anthony; in “Pride & Prejudice,” Elizabeth must wait to rub her knowledge in Darcy’s face.

The 1995 BBC miniseries is perhaps most famous for one shot – that of Mr. Darcy (played by a young Colin Firth) climbing out of a lake, his shirt soaking wet and leaving little to the imagination. Anthony finds himself in a similar predicament in episode five, when he trips over Kate’s dog, Newton, and lands himself in a lake. He rips off his jacket and climbs out of the water in just his wet, sheer shirt, giving both Sharma sisters an eye full.

The second season also has quite a few references to the “Pride & Prejudice” adaptation. One of the most famous moments from that film is a close-up of Darcy’s hand after he touches Elizabeth, and this season of “Bridgerton” contains many close-up shots of Anthony and Kate’s hands. And at the end of episode five, when Kate and Anthony meet after a sleepless night to discuss their predicament, they give major 2005 “P&P” vibes. In that movie, Darcy proposes to Elizabeth for a final (and successful) time after they both spend a sleepless night apart.

“Sense & Sensibility” is Jane Austen’s tale of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, whose father has died, leaving them and their mother to fend for themselves. The older sister, Elinor, takes on a leading role, and tries to shove her emotions down so she can help out her more emotional younger sister and keep her family from poverty.

There are definitely traces of this tale in the story of the Sharma family and its two sisters, Kate and Edwina (Charithra Chandran). Like Elinor, Kate tries to figure out the best path for her family in the wake of her father’s death, and like the Dashwoods, they must rely on a family friend to provide them with a place to live.

There are also echoes of Austen’s story of destitute sisters and their mother in the story of the Featheringtons.

Watching episode seven, it seems like Kate and Anthony will never find a way to be together and wed. But when Kate falls from her horse and suffers a brain injury, it helps cast their situation in a new light, which ultimately leads to their happy ending.

Austen has also used falls and concussions as a plot device. In “Persuasion,” it’s not the romantic lead, Anne Elliot, who suffers a fall, but her friend Louisa Musgrove. Before her concussion and recovery, Louisa had her heart set on Captain Frederick Wentworth, who Anne secretly pined for. After her recovery, Louisa moves on from him, allowing Anne to seek her happy ending.

There’s a good chance you only know the story of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” from the iconic ’90s classic “10 Things I Hate About You,” which brilliantly adapted it to a high school setting. Shakespeare’s play tells the story of two sisters, Katherina (who goes by Kate) and Bianca. Kate is considered too obstinate and willful to be a good wife, but none of Bianca’s suitors can marry her unless her elder sister marries first. Petruchio torments Kate until she’s “tamed” into wifely material.

Obviously, Anthony does no such thing to Kate Sharma because it would be horribly misogynistic. But like Shakespeare’s Kate, she is a willful woman who always speaks her mind, and she places herself as an obstacle to anyone looking for her sister’s hand in marriage. “Bridgerton” playfully interprets this dynamic into something fun to watch.

“Much Ado About Nothing” is Shakespeare’s classic enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy. It stars Beatrice and Benedick, who trade witty barbs back and forth, not realizing they’re just masking the love they have for each other. Anthony and Kate’s own bickering and the underlying tension mirrors theirs.

But perhaps the biggest homage to “Much Ado About Nothing” comes in episode six, with Anthony and Edwina’s failed wedding. A similar failed wedding happens in “Much Ado About Nothing,” when Beatrice’s cousin Hero is jilted at the altar by her fiancé Claudio, who accuses her of cheating. In “Bridgerton,” it’s Edwina who leaves Anthony at the altar alone.

In “Much Ado About Nothing,” Beatrice and Benedick finally confess their feelings in the aftermath of the dramatic wedding. The scene was beautifully done in 1993’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” starring Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh (who also wrote and directed the film). The pair profess their love and kiss right in front of a cross on the wall.

Kate and Anthony share a steamy, intense kiss on the altar after everyone else has gone, also framed by the splendor of the church.