Shakespeare in Love is a comedy about a play, and a play about a comedy. John Madden’s film, written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, follows William Shakespeare as he struggles to write his latest comedy, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter, before the play is finished. When noblewoman Viola de Lesseps auditions for a role, the two fall into forbidden love, and the comedy transforms into tragedy — Romeo and Juliet.
The story is set in 1593 London, where Shakespeare is a sometime player in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and playwright for The Rose theatre owner Philip Henslowe. He suffers from writer’s block, attempts to seduce Rosaline, and deals with advice from friend and rival playwright Christopher Marlowe. Viola, daughter of a wealthy merchant, disguises herself as a man named Thomas Kent to audition. She delivers a speech from The Two Gentlemen of Verona and catches Shakespeare’s attention, but flees when questioned. He pursues her, and she confesses her true identity on her balcony.
The cast is led by Joseph Fiennes as Shakespeare and Gwyneth Paltrow as Viola, with Geoffrey Rush as Henslowe, Tom Wilkinson as Fennyman, Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth, and Colin Firth as Lord Wessex. The film draws on Shakespeare’s plays throughout, with lines and plot devices that allude to them.
Trailer, via YouTube Movies.
The Triangle and the Title
Rosaline is mistress to Richard Burbage, owner of the rival Curtain Theatre. Shakespeare attempts to woo her and convince Burbage to buy the play. When he learns Rosaline is sleeping with Master of the Revels Edmund Tilney, the plan fails. Henslowe, in debt to ruthless moneylender Fennyman, begins auditions anyway.
The film’s title comes from Shakespeare’s own blocked comedy, which the story transforms into Romeo and Juliet. The title Shakespeare in Love is a double reference — the play’s title and the romance itself.
The Ball and the Betrothal
Shakespeare sneaks into a ball at Viola’s house, where her parents arrange her betrothal to Lord Wessex, an aristocrat in need of money. Wessex ejects Shakespeare when he introduces himself as Marlowe and threatens to kill him. Shakespeare finds Viola on her balcony, confesses his love, and flees when discovered by her nurse.
Comedy and Tragedy
The film’s central joke is that the play Shakespeare writes is a comedy that becomes a tragedy. Viola’s disguise as a man named Thomas Kent keeps her in the company, and Ned Alleyn plays Mercutio while Fennyman takes a small role. After Shakespeare discovers Viola’s true identity, the play’s shape is fixed.
A Long History of Shakespeare
After the film’s release, Private Eye noted strong similarities between the story and the 1941 novel No Bed for Bacon, by Caryl Brahms and S. J. Simon. Ned Sherrin, Private Eye insider and former writing partner of Brahms, confirmed he had lent a copy to Stoppard, but said the basic plot was independently developed by Marc Norman.
The Kellerman Lawsuit
The writers were sued in 1999 by bestselling author Faye Kellerman, who claimed the plotline was stolen from her 1989 novel The Quality of Mercy. Miramax spokesman Andrew Stengel called the claim “absurd” and argued it was a publicity stunt. The parties settled out of court, with the sum indicating the claim was “unwarranted.”
The Numbers and the Awards
The film grossed $289 million against a $25 million budget and was the ninth-highest-grossing film of 1998. It won three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress for Paltrow. It also earned two Screen Actors Guild Awards and four British Academy Film Awards.
The Academy Awards gave the film seven wins out of thirteen nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress for Paltrow, Best Supporting Actress for Dench, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Art Direction, and Best Costume Design.
Our Verdict
Shakespeare in Love is a clever, warm film that uses period setting as a stage for character comedy. The source material is a tale of love, disguise, and inspiration, and the film carries it well. Fiennes and Paltrow are the center of the story, and the supporting cast gives them room to play.
The film is not a biography, and it does not pretend to be. It is a comedy about a writer who finds his voice in love, disguised as a man named Thomas Kent. The story has a long tradition in fiction, from Alexandre Duval’s Shakespeare amoureux ou la Piece a l’Etude (1804) to the 1941 novel No Bed for Bacon, and the film takes its place in that tradition without apology.
Shakespeare in Love is a delightful, funny, romantic film about the power of love to change a writer’s words. It earns its title, and it earns its place among the best films of its year.
“Love is the only inspiration.”
The film is a comedy, a history, and a romance that works on all three terms at once. The cast is strong, the writing is sharp, and the story holds together. It is a film about a play, and a play about a love story, and it succeeds on both counts.
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