Taylor Swift or Shakespeare? Play Along With Katie in This Harder-Than-Expected Battle of the Bards

Taylor Swift and William Shakespeare

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All the world’s a stage, and Taylor Swift is probably performing a sold-out concert on it.

One of them has written timeless words that have inspired generations to think differently about love, life, and themselves. The other is William Shakespeare. And the line between them is a lot narrower than you might expect.

Of course, we’re only kidding about putting Taylor Swift on a Shakespearian level of literary greatness, but we’re totally serious that it’s not as easy as it sounds to separate one of their writings from another. How do we know this? Our very own Katie Couric just learned it for herself!

As you’re likely aware (unless you live in an off-the-grid survival shelter), Swift is currently everywhere. The reaction to her long-anticipated Eras Tour was so massive that it caused a Ticketmaster meltdown, which became such a big deal that it prompted a Congressional hearing. She was TIME‘s Person of the Year in 2023, and broke the record for most Album of the Year wins at the 2024 Grammys — where she also announced her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, out April 19.

To mark the occasion, some of the Katie Couric Media staff decided to test our namesake on how well she knows the work of these two unforgettable poets. Wondering how you would do? Play along with Katie in the video below and see if you’re able to separate Swift’s lyrics from Shakespeare’s centuries-old classic writings.