: Re: How do we draw the line between plagiarism and allusion? It’s no secret that in literature we see characters that remind us of other characters. Furthermore, it’s no secret we see plots

@Gail2416123

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Okay, using William Shakespeare as an example is bad. First off, he has been for centuries and this makes it harder to gauge his authenticity as a writer.
Who could say William Shakespeare retold "Romeo and Juliet" ? Do you see how bad your example is without an historical account or anecdote?

Use something more contemporary cases like Mother of the Matrix, the many cases of James Cameron, Disney, Andre 3000, etc.

What I'm trying to say, if my first paragraph wasn't clear; William Shakespeare has been dead for centuries, we only know from what we're told about him and from what has been left behind. This is why I said it's better to use contemporary cases like those I've listed above, the writer is alive. In this situation, it's not good to use a dead writer, especially one that's has been dead for centuries.

To answer your question, you've already answered it yourself. You can borrow elements from a previous written work, but you make it your own. There's nothing wrong with being inspired by someone's else work.

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