Support slides on lecture about the film "Shakespeare in Love" by John Madden (USA, 1998)

3. Synopsis A young and broke Shakespeare falls in love with a woman, inspiring him to write "Romeo and Juliet." It is the summer of 1593, and the rising young star of London's theatre scene. While the great Elizabethan age of entertainment unfolds around him, Will is without inspiration on material. What Will needs is a muse--and in an extraordinary moment in which life imitates art, he finds and falls for a woman who draws him into his own dramatic adventure of star-crossed love. It all begins when Lady Viola , desperate to become an actor at a time when women were forbidden from such depravity, disguises herself as a man to audition for Will's play. But the guise slips away as their passion ignites. Now Will's quill again begins to flow, this time turning love into words, as Viola becomes his real-life Juliet and Romeo finds his reason to exist. Unfortunately Lady Viola must marry the insufferable Lord Wessex .

4. Movie details Directed by John Madden Written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard Starring Gwyneth Paltrow Joseph Fiennes Geoffrey Rush Colin Firth Ben Affleck Judi Dench Tom Wilkinson Imelda Staunton Rupert Everett USA – 1998 Running time: 122 min.

5. The Plot To settle his debt to businessman Hugh Fennyman (Tom Wilkinson), Shakepeare's patron Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush) offers Fennyman, a model of a sixteenth-century loan shark, a partnership in the upcoming production of Shakespeare's newest comedy, Romeo and Ethel The Pirate's Daughter. This play will later be renamed Romeo and Juliet and be reworked into a tragedy. The playwright William Shakespeare is caught with writer's block and searching for a new muse, which he finds in Viola de Lesseps, a young girl inspired by his work and in love with his rhymes. Although forbidden by the laws and customs of the 16th century Viola dresses as a man and auditions for a part in Shakespeare's new play under the alias Thomas Kent. After receiving the part of Romeo, she continues her ruse. She is eventually found out by the playwright, and the two share a secret affair.

6. The Plot Shakespeare begins writing feverishly, and thanks to the pressures of his romance with Viola, who is soon to be married, produces a tragedy instead of the promised comedy. Viola plays the part of Romeo throughout the rehearsals, but through her pillow-talk with William, learns Juliet's lines as well. Around this time, the pair must travel to meet the Lord Wessex (Colin Firth), a poor colonist, and Queen Elizabeth I (Judi Dench). Shakespeare dons a woman's disguise during the meeting. At one point, Viola states that she believes a play can capture the nature of true love. Wessex loudly disagrees, and Shakespeare bets an astronomical sum-fifty pounds-that such a play exists. The Queen, who loves Shakespeare's plays, agrees to be a witness to the wager. Afterwards, Wessex proposes marriage to Viola; the action breaks both her and Shakespeare's hearts.

7. The Plot The climax of the film comes days before Viola's wedding to Lord Wessex and the opening night of the play. The Lord of Revels, an official of the Queen, discovers that there is a woman in the playhouse and shuts down the entire company. Left without a stage and a leading role, all hope seems lost. All hope is lost for the two lovers when Viola is married. However, Shakespeare is offered one last chance by the owner of the competing theatre, an offer that allows him to play his story on a different stage. Viola receives news that the play will be acted on the day of her wedding and escapes her new husband (with the help of her nurse, portrayed by Imelda Staunton) to rush to the theatre. There, she plays Juliet to Shakespeare's Romeo and their passionate portrayal of two lovers inspires the entire audience. The Lord of Revels and Wessex, who has deduced his new bride's whereabouts, arrive at the theatre; the Lord invokes the name of the Queen to arrest all there. Suddenly, Elizabeth I's voice rings out from the back of the theatre. She secretly witnessed the whole play.

8. The Plot Elizabeth has guessed at Thomas Kent's true identity, but she chooses to hold her tongue, as she "knows something of a woman in a man's position." However, even a Queen is powerless to break an official marriage of the Church. She orders Thomas to fetch Viola, and tells Wessex that Romeo and Juliet has truly represented a case of ultimate love. Wessex is forced to pay Shakespeare the fifty pounds, which are funds enough to own his own theatre. The Queen then commissions Shakespeare to write something "a little more cheerful next time, for Twelfth Night ." Viola and Shakespeare part, and he promises to immortalize her by making the main character of his new play a beautiful, strong young woman named Viola.

9. Characters Gwyneth Paltrow as Viola De Lesseps Joseph Fiennes as Will Shakespeare

10. Characters Colin Firth and Judy Dench as Lord Wessex and Queen Elizabeth I

11. Characters Rupert Everett as Christopher Marlowe Joe Roberts as John Webster

12. Quotations The romance between the two shows obvious allusions to scenes in Romeo and Juliet, including the ballroom scene from act 2 and the balcony scene immediately following it. The element of forbidden love forms the basis of Shakespeare's inspiration, and many of their conversations later show up as some of the most famous quotes in the play. (eg. "anon, good nurse" "What light through yonder window breaks?" "It is moonlight".) Words, words, words - (Hamlet, 2.2.191)

14. Romeo and Ethel PETER to HENSLOWE) The Friar married them in secret, then Ned gets into a fight with one of the Capulets, Romeo tries to stop them, he gets in Ned's way, I mean in Mercutio's way, so Tybalt kills Mercutio and then Romeo kills Tybalt. Then the Prince banishes him from Verona. HENSLOWE (much relieved) That must be when he goes on the voyage and gets shipwrecked on the island of the Pirate King.

15. Quotations Viola is the main character in Twelfth Night , a comedy by William Shakespeare, named after the Twelfth Night holiday of the Christmas season. It was written around 1601, and was first published in the First Folio in 1623 Like many of Shakespeare's comedies, this one centres on mistaken identity. The leading character, Viola, is shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria during the opening scenes. She loses contact with her twin brother, Sebastian, whom she believes dead. Posing as a man and masquerading as a young page under the name Cesario, she enters the service of Duke Orsino. Orsino is in love with the bereaved Lady Olivia, whose brother has recently died, and decides to use "Cesario" as an intermediary. Olivia, believing Viola to be a man, falls in love with this handsome and eloquent messenger. Viola, in turn, has fallen in love with the Duke, who also believes Viola is a man, and who regards her as his confidant.

16. Elizabethan Actors (1568-1619) was the leading actor in the Lord Chamberlain's - King's Men, playing the dramatic leads, including Richard III, Hamlet, Lear and Othello. He may have begun his career as early as 1584; ten years later he rivalled Edward Alleyn as the greatest English tragedian. He continued to perform until his death in 1619 Richard Burbage Martin Clunes as

17. (1566-1626) was the leading player in the Admiral's Men, and was considered by many to have been the greatest actor of his time. His credits include the title roles in Tamburlaine and Dr. Faustus, and Barabas in The Jew of Malta. Edward Alleyn Ben Affleck as Edward Alleyn

18. Entrepreneurs Philip Henslowe (c. 1550 - 1616) was an Elizabethan theatrical entrepreneur and impresario. Henslowe's modern reputation rests on the survival of his Diary, a primary source for information about the theatrical world of Renaissance London. Geoffrey Rush as Philip Henslowe

19. Entrepreneurs Hugh Fennyman is an invented character . He plays a businessman in partnership with Philip Henslowe to produce Shakespeare's newest comedy, Romeo and Ethel The Pirate's Daughter at the Rose Theatre. Tom Wilkinson was Hugh Fennyman