In maybe the most fun COVID-related news this year, the second person to get the new coronavirus vaccine in the U.K. was . . . William Shakespeare.

The 81-year-old Shakespeare was vaccinated at University Hospital Coventry, just 20 miles away from the other Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon. And Bard enthusiasts everywhere jumped at the opportunity to pun on the situation:

Some riffs were stranger than others:

Regardless of whether it’s a psyop, I think Shakespeare deserves to be in the first tier of vaccinations. After all, he did write King Lear in quarantine. And more importantly, his family members can’t wait to hug him.

Walker Caplan

Walker Caplan

Walker Caplan is a Staff Writer at Lit Hub and a writer/performer from Seattle.