Mad about the Bard

Medieval History

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Medieval History

Mad about the Bard

Dateline: 01/10/99

Oh, blessed, blessed night, I am afear'd.
Being in night, all this is but a dream,
Too flattering-sweet to be substantial.

Romeo and Juliet
Act II, Scene II

Recently, two films set in Elizabethan England have made their way to the theaters, and since my love for movies rivals my passion for history, I made a point of seeing both. Unfortunately, Elizabeth was plagued with inaccuracies large and small which, I admit, colored my opinion of the movie as a whole.

I will not share my thoughts on its value as film here, as I have become a harsh critic and I don't want to prejudice anyone. However, if you choose to see the film, keep in mind that very little on the screen actually happened in the manner in which it is portrayed. And after you watch it, be sure to check out the websites and books listed at the Liz Quiz in order to get a handle on the real Queen Elizabeth I.

As for Shakespeare in Love, I can say what I think in two words:

See it.

It's true that this delightful film is wholly fiction, and it, too, has historical inaccuracies. Why, then, do I recommend it so heartily? Perhaps it is because Shakespeare in Love makes no pretense to history. Through the deliberate use of amusing anachronisms (a mug bearing the inscription, "A present from Stratford-on-Avon" rests on the playwright's desk), the point is made with a sly grin: this is a fable, a fantasy. This didn't really happen. But oh, don't you wish it did?

The film-makers are aided by the fact that so little is really known about Shakespeare's life. (In fact, a controversy persists over who actually wrote the corpus of works attributed to him.) In addition to a span of seven years in which virtually nothing is known of his activities, much of his early years in the London drama milieu are sketchy at best. In this wide-open framework the director, John Madden, and the writers, Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, were free to spin any tale they chose. Yet the story they weave -- which they do with brilliant dialogue and charming characterizations -- is not a preposterous piece of whimsy but a plausible yarn, richly textured with humor, pathos, and romance.

Even as it assures the audience of its status as fable, Shakespeare in Love offers realistic Elizabethan settings and costumes and makes use of actual historical events: the playhouses are closed due to a plague; young Christopher Marlowe (later killed in a tavern) is a notable success while Shakespeare is only just gaining recognition. A palatable form of Elizabethan English -- comprehensible to modern ears yet close to that actually spoken in the sixteenth century -- draws us neatly into the past.

And the plot is something, well, right out of Shakespeare.

By now you probably know the premise: at a time when females are forbidden to take the stage, the beautiful Lady Viola passes herself off as a young man so that she may act. Will Shakespeare, who casts her alter ego in his latest play, discovers her secret, and they fall madly in love. But status and society work to keep them apart. As this sexy, funny and touching affair progresses, Will invests his own emotions and experiences into the play he is writing, a true masterpiece whose title isn't settled until the production is nearly ready for the stage.

The performances are all wonderful. Gwyneth Paltrow is vibrant as Viola and wholly believable as the "actor," Thomas Kent. Joseph Fiennes brings Shakespeare to life with such energy and flair that I had no trouble accepting him as a man of whom I, and I'm sure many others, have strong preconceptions. Ben Affleck shines as actor Ned Alleyn and Geoffrey Rush steals scenes right and left as the bumbling, desperate producer Henslowe. And in three short sequences Judi Dench brings Queen Elizabeth so forcefully to the screen that you'll be as captivated by her presence as you would be by Gloriana herself.

You'll see numerous elements so favored by Will in many of his plays: star-crossed love, fencing, dreadful puns, cross-dressing, a play-within-a-play, even a ghost -- well, sort of. And the complex interweaving of Shakespearean dialogue with events on the screen is superbly achieved. Yet Shakespeare in Love is not an adaptation or even an amalgamation of the Bard's works, nor is it merely a tribute to the immortal playwright. Rather, it is an original creation infused with the shimmering spirit of drama -- the kind of drama that was born in the sixteenth century and has survived, evolved, and flourished to this day.

For although the social commentary, the high concepts, and the splendid poetry are all part of what makes Shakespeare great, his immortality lies not in these aspects of his art. It lies in the eternal way he touched the human heart, and inspired other writers to do the same. Shakespeare in Love reminds us of this by touching our hearts in the finest Shakespearean tradition, making us all just a little mad about the Bard.

What do you think? Please feel free to visit our bulletin board and post your opinion on Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth, or any other film concerning the middle ages, or share your thoughts on the Bard himself.
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Updates

Shakespeare in Love is now available on Video and DVD, and you can buy it online. Compare prices and formats through mySimon .

The Academy Award for Best Picture went to the producers of Shakespeare in Love, David Parfitt, Donna Gigliotti, Harvey Weinstein, Edward Zwick and Marc Norman. Other Oscars went to:

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen:: Marc Norman & Tom Stoppard
Best Actress: Gwyneth Paltrow
Best Supporting Actress: Dame Judi Dench
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration: Martin Childs & Jill Quertier
Best Costume Design: Sandy Powell
Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score: Stephen Warbeck

Jenny Shircore won an Academy Award for Best Makeup for her work in Elizabeth.

For more information, check out the Academy Award information page at the Internet Movie Database.

On January 24th, 1999, Shakespeare in Love won the Golden Globe Award for Best Musical or Comedy Motion Picture. Gwyneth Paltrow won for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, and Tom Stoppard & Marc Norman took the award for Best Screenplay. Also nominated were Geoffrey Rush and Judi Dench for their supporting roles, and John Madden for director.

Cate Blanchett took the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama for her role as Elizabeth. The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Drama, and Shekhar Kapur was nominated for Best Director.

Please visit the Internet Movie Database for complete lists of Golden Globe nominees and winners.

Links of Interest

Shakespeare at About.com
Guide Amanda Mabillard brings you links, news, historical background, literary criticism and much much more about the Bard and his work.

Teaching Shakespeare in Love
Some useful notes on themes for using the film in class, compiled by David Cope at Western Michigan University and Grand Rapids Community College.

Shakespeare in Love at the IMDb
Check out this entry about the film at the Internet Movie Database, where you can read more reviews and get all the stats on cast and crew.

Shakespeare at Who's Who in Medieval History
Look here for more about Shakespeare, where your Guide has compiled links to biographical info, online versions of his plays and poetry, and sites that address the authorship controversy.

Florimène and the English Court Masque
Informative introduction to performance style in medieval England, with notes on medieval and Italianate staging, by Jack Wolcott at the University of Washington School of Drama.

The Eighteenth Sonnet
Though Will probably didn't really write this for Viola de Lesseps, it is still one of the most romantic poems ever written.

Shakespearean Insult Server
This amusing program by Chris Seidel serves up a fresh insult taken from one of Shakespeare's plays or a new creation using the Shakespearean Insult kit with each press of the button.

Shakespearean Hangman
Guess the titles of Shakespeare's plays and poems in this JavaScript hangman game by your Guide.

Suggested Reading

The links below will take you to mySimon, where you can compare prices at booksellers across the web. More in-depth info about the book may be found by clicking on to the book's page at one of the online merchants.

The Riverside Shakespeare
edited by J. J. M. Tobin and Herschel Baker
One of the best collections of the Bard's work available, with helpful introductions, synopses, and analyses.

The Norton Shakespeare
edited by Stephen Greenblatt; Walter Cohen and Katharine Eisaman Maus, contributors
Based on the Oxford edition, this new anthology adds annotations and commentary concerning the issues surrounding each play.

The Art of Shakespeare's Sonnets
by Helen Hennessy Vendler
This scholarly and intense interpretation of the renowned poetry for extreme enthusiasts includes a CD of the author reading 65 of Shakespeare's sonnets.

The Age of Shakespeare
by Francois Laroque; translated by Alexandra Campbell
A detailed account of the life and times of Shakespeare.

Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare
by Peter Vennema; illustrated by Diane Stanley
A lucid and straightforward biography, suitable for younger readers.

Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human
by Harold Bloom
Was Shakespeare responsible for the invention of personality as we know it today? So Bloom maintains in this ambitious and thought-provoking work.

Nothing Like the Sun: A Story of Shakespeare's Love-Life
by Anthony Burgess
This well-received novel uses the few facts we know about the Bard's life as a basis for an engaging fictional account of his affair with the "dark lady."

The Players: A Novel of Young Shakespeare
by Stephanie Cowell
This imaginative romance has been highly praised as a vivid recreation of the Elizabethan era.

Mad about the Bard is copyright © 1999-2001 Melissa Snell and About.com. Permission is granted to reproduce this review for personal or classroom use only, provided that the URL below is included. For reprint permission, please contact Melissa Snell.

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