Shakespeare in Love(1998)

Plot Summary

• In the glory days of Elizabethan theater, 2 playhouses fought for writers and audiences. North of the city was Curtain Theater, home to England's most famous actor Richard Burbage. Across the river was the competition, built by Philip Henslow, a businessman who was having cash flow problems.William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is a poor playwright for Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush), owner of The Rose Theatre, in 1593 London. Suffering from writer's block with a new comedy, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter, Shakespeare attempts to seduce Rosaline (Sandra Reinton), mistress of Richard Burbage (Martin Clunes), owner of the rival Curtain Theatre, and to convince Burbage to buy the play from Henslowe. Shakespeare receives advice from friend and rival playwright Christopher Marlowe (Rupert Everett) but is despondent to learn Rosaline is sleeping with Master of the Revels Edmund Tilney.The desperate Henslowe, in debt to ruthless moneylender Fennyman (Tom Wilkinson), and begins auditions anyway. Fennyman was ready to cut off Henslowe's nose and ears over non-payment of his debt. Henslowe offers him a partnership in the new play that Shakespeare is writing.A young man named Thomas Kent is cast in the role after impressing Shakespeare with his performance and his love of Shakespeare's previous work. Kent is actually Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), the daughter of a wealthy merchant who desires to act but, since women are banned from the stage, she must disguise herself. Kent gains Shakespeare's interest with a speech from Two Gentlemen of Verona, but runs away when Shakespeare questions her. He pursues Kent to Viola's house and leaves a note with her nurse, asking Kent to begin rehearsals at the Rose.Shakespeare sneaks into a ball at the house, where Viola's parents arrange her betrothal to Lord Wessex, an aristocrat in need of money. Dancing with Viola, Shakespeare is struck speechless. Confronted by Wessex, Shakespeare introduces himself as Christopher Marlowe. Wessex ejects "Marlowe" and threatens to kill him. Shakespeare finds Viola on her balcony, where they confess their mutual attraction before he is discovered by her nurse and flees.After Shakespeare discovers his star's true identity, he and Viola begin a passionate secret affair. Inspired by her, Shakespeare writes quickly, and benefits from the advice of playwright and friendly rival Christopher 'Kit' Marlowe (Rupert Everett).Inspired by Viola, Shakespeare quickly transforms the play into what will become Romeo and Juliet. Rehearsals begin, with Thomas Kent as Romeo, the leading tragedian Ned Alleyn (Ben Affleck) as Mercutio, and the stagestruck Fennyman in a small role.Shakespeare and Viola know, however, that their romance is doomed. He is married, albeit long separated from his wife, while Viola's parents have arranged her betrothal to Lord Wessex (Colin Firth), an aristocrat who needs money.When Viola is summoned to the court of Queen Elizabeth I (Judi Dench) to receive approval for her proposed marriage to Wessex, Shakespeare dons a woman's disguise to accompany her as her cousin. At court, he persuades Wessex to bet 50 pounds that a play cannot capture the nature of true love. If Romeo and Juliet is a success, Shakespeare as playwright will win the money, the amount Shakespeare requires to buy a share in the Chamberlain's Men. The Queen, who enjoys Shakespeare's plays, agrees to witness the wager.Burbage learns Shakespeare has seduced Rosaline and cheated him out of payment for the play, and starts a brawl at the Rose with his company. The Rose players repel Burbage and his men and celebrate at the pub, where a drunken Henslowe lets slip to Viola that Shakespeare is married, albeit separated from his wife. News arrives that Marlowe has been murdered. A guilt-ridden Shakespeare assumes Wessex had Marlowe killed, believing him to be Viola's lover, while Viola believes Shakespeare to be the victim. Shakespeare appears at her church, allaying Viola's fears and terrifying Wessex, who believes he is a ghost. Viola confesses her love for Shakespeare, but both recognize she cannot escape her duty to marry Wessex.John Webster, an unpleasant boy who hangs around the theatre, spies on Shakespeare and Viola making love and informs Tilney. Edmund Tilney (Simon Callow), the Master of the Revels, the Queen's official in charge of the theaters, learns that there is a woman in the theatre company at The Rose playhouse, and orders the theatre closed for violating morality and the law. Left without a stage or lead actor, it seems that Romeo and Juliet must close before it even opens, until Richard Burbage (Martin Clunes), the owner of a competing theatre, the Curtain, offers his stage to Shakespeare.Shakespeare assumes the lead role of Romeo, with a boy actor (Daniel Brocklebank), playing Juliet. Viola learns that the play will be performed on her wedding day, and after the ceremony secretly travels to the theatre. Shortly before the play begins, the boy playing Juliet starts experiencing the voice change of puberty. Viola replaces him and plays Juliet to Shakespeare's Romeo. Their passionate portrayal of two lovers inspires the entire audience.Tilney arrives at the theatre with Wessex, who has deduced his new bride's location. Tilney plans to arrest the audience and cast for indecency, but the Queen is in attendance. Although she recognizes Viola, the Queen does not unmask her, instead declaring that the role of Juliet is being performed by Thomas Kent. However, even a queen is powerless to end a lawful marriage, so she orders "Kent" to fetch Viola so that she may sail with Wessex to the Colony of Virginia. The Queen also states that Romeo and Juliet has accurately portrayed true love so Wessex must pay Shakespeare 50 pounds, the exact amount Shakespeare requires to buy a share in the Lord Chamberlain's Men. The Queen then directs "Kent" to tell Shakespeare to write something "a little more cheerful next time, for Twelfth Night".Viola and Shakespeare part, resigned to their fates. The film closes as Shakespeare begins to write Twelfth Night, Or What You Will imagining his love washed ashore in a strange land after a shipwreck and musing, "For she will be my heroine for all time, and her name will be...Viola", a strong young woman castaway who disguises herself as a young man.

Storyline

• William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is a known but struggling poet, playwright, and actor, who has not only sold his next play to both Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush) and Richard Burbage (Martin Clunes), but now faces a far more difficult problem: he is bereft of ideas and has yet to begin writing. He is in search of his muse, the woman who will inspire him, but all attempts fail him until he meets beautiful Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow). She loves the theatre and would like nothing more than to take to the stage, but is forbidden to do so as only men can be actors. She is also a great admirer of Shakespeare's works. Dressing as a man and going by the name of "Thomas Kent", she auditions and is ideal for a part in his next play. Shakespeare soon sees through her disguise and they begin a love affair, one they know cannot end happily for them as he is already married and she has been promised to dour Lord Wessex (Colin Firth). As the company rehearses his new play, William and Viola's love is transferred to the written page, leading to the masterpiece that is "Romeo and Juliet". — garykmcd In 1593 London, Master William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes), an up-and-coming playwright and sonneteer, is not nearly as well-known as his counterpart, Christopher Marlowe (Rupert Everett), so William's current writer's block does not help him or the owner of the Rose Theatre, Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush), for whom Will generally writes his plays--when the plague, or Henslowe's financial problems, has not closed the theater. That current unwritten play commissioned is a comedy tentatively titled "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter". Will's block is partly due to the loss of his muse, his mistress, who he caught in bed with another man, he having a mistress. Will begins to write again, and passionately, when he falls in love with Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), who comes from a well-respected, well-off family. Shakespeare also learns that Viola and Thomas Kent, the young man who recently joined the company of the Rose, are one and the same, Viola masquerading as a man to infiltrate the theater world, a domain purely for the male sex, as she is in love with the written word, especially Shakespeare's. She also falls in love with Shakespeare the man and Shakespeare the writer. Without telling Henslowe or egotistical actor Ned Alleyn (Ben Affleck), an egotistical actor, Will is realizing that the play is neither the comedy "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter" nor one called "Mercutio"--the name of Alleyn's character--but is morphing into a love story called "Romeo and Juliet", the love based on his mutual feelings for Viola. Beyond her continuing to masquerade as Thomas Kent, their own love story has a major obstacle in that she is betrothed to Lord Wessex (Colin Firth), a man she detests and a union sanctioned by her merchant father and Queen Elizabeth (Dame Judi Dench) primarily for financial and business purposes. The mounting of the play, Viola and Will's personal love affair, and their professional collaboration as playwright Will Shakespeare and actor "Thomas Kent" are set against the cutthroat business side of 16th-century English show business. — Huggo Romantic comedy set in London in the late 16th century: Young playwright William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) struggles with his latest work "Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter". A great fan of Shakespeare's plays is wealthy young Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is about to be married to cold-hearted Lord Wessex (Colin Firth), but constantly dreams of becoming an actress. Women were not allowed to act on stage at that time and female roles were played by men, but dressed as a lad, Viola successfully auditions for the part of Romeo. Soon she and William are caught up in a forbidden romance that provides rich inspiration for his play. — Armin Ortmann