The movie, Shakespeare in Love, directed by John Madden is a movie of the Elizabethan time. However, it also seems to have its contemporary elements within its production. The central plot of the film is the bringing about of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and how the poet was inspired to produce this tragedy. The two themes of the movie help to unfold the main plot of the film; the first is the portrayal of William Shakespeare as a struggling poet who is looking for his inspiration, next is the presentation of the heather of the Elizabethan Era and finally the parallel between Shakespeare’s famous play “Romeo Juliet” with his relationship with Viola De Lesseps.
In the play, we see Shakespeare as a poet who is struggling to find his ‘muse’ that will allow him to write a play, which would amaze his audience. At the beginning of the scene where he talks with his benefactor, he says, “it is all locked in here… as soon as I find my muse…” we see that he is looking for the inspiration that would help him to write a play that would save both him and his benefactor. Later when Will goes to his ‘weekly confession’ he says, “Words… Words… Words… Once I had a gift…” Once again we see how he is going through a writer’s block, where his words are trapped inside his head, and he seems like he just cannot get it out. Although this is a very contemporary portrayal of a writer, we can assume that poets of the Elizabethan Era, even Shakespeare himself, would go through a time where they would need a muse to help them write their work. But what Will in this movie does not realize in the beginning is that everything around him is an inspiration for him to write the tragedy that will change the Elizabethan Theatre, that is more used to comedies. Another characteristic we see of Will in the movie is his passionate and dreaming side. In the scene where Will and ‘Tom,’ are talking on the boat, Will says, “Love knows nothing of rank or riverbank… It will spark between the queen and the poor vagabond who plays the king… And their love should be bonded by each…” We can see that will believe in unconditionally love, a love that ‘overthrows lives’ like the love of Romeo and Juliet. Will is passionate and dreaming about the concept of love; he does not seem to have his two feet on the ground. However, he is also not crazy. In the movie he focuses on how to find his muse, that is all he cares about; while his benefactor is on the verge of being thrown out of the Theatre society since the Rose Theatre was closed for 12 weeks. Will seems to be careless of this fact in the beginning, even when he tries to make a deal with Burbage. Later into the plot, Shakespeare will become even more passionate and above the clouds as he starts to have an intense relationship with Viola, who will be his muse for his well-received play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
The movie centers on the Elizabethan Theatre and its components that make it an essential and integral part of the society. The beginning of the film states the condition of the1593 London Elizabethan Theatre: “In the glory days of the Elizabethan theatre, two playhouses were fighting it out for writers and audiences.” The movie, however, is not concerned with the fact of the theatre. Instead, the film tries to show the Elizabethan Theatre through the portrayal of William Shakespeare and how he struggled to create one of his masterpiece, Romeo&Juliet. The London of this era is shown to be a small hamlet. Within this setting, we see the struggle of theatre, and how people are enthusiastic about the entertainment, it brings about. The striking rehearsal scenes in the Rose Playhouse show the traditional Elizabethan Theatre, both in its structure and in its rules. The wooden structure is that of a stage that stands out in the center, wooden benches that are uncomfortable to sit and trap doors beneath the stage for swift actions. Among the rules of the Theatre is the practice of women not given roles. This practice is broken when Viola who comes to the theatre dressed as a man, acts out so well that she is given the role. No-one, including Shakespeare, does know that she is a woman, until the very end. Her true identity is revealed in the scene where the soldiers come into the Rose Theatre. Once again we see the strict rules of the theatre, she is banned from the stage and from what she wants to do only because she is a woman. The movie shows the fundamentals of the Elizabethan Theatre in its entirety; where its structure and principles are kept intact, until the end when Viola goes on stage to be Juliet. Even then, the audience is shocked to see a woman on stage. Nevertheless, she continues to act and is applauded in the end. This applause makes us think, could the view of women have changed, if women were encouraged rather than subjugated? The central theme of the play is the bringing about of Romeo and Juliet; how it was written, perceives, and acted out. Beneath this central umbrella, we see the struggle of William Shakespeare, who is shown to be like any other poet. He struggled with finding a muse, he makes deals with benefactors to sustain his living, he receives advice from his peers, like Christopher Marlowe providing Shakespeare with the name of ‘Mercutio’ and he has a passionate relationship like any other person would do. We also see the struggle of the theatre of the era, how the owners of the theatre compete to be better but also can come together when there is a masterpiece like Romeo and Juliet. The movie, irrespective of the facts of its era, gives its audience the idea of how the public was in the 16th century and how they expected plays from struggling poets.