Love, Shakespeare's Love

chillibreeze writer — SN Meghanath

Film: Shakespeare in Love
Director: John Madden
Actors: Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Geoffrey Rush, Judi Dench et al

You are a lover, borrow Cupid's wings,
And soar with them above a common bound.
- From 'Romeo and Juliet'

Shakespeare seems to have taken to heart the advice of Mercutio to Romeo. It really is a story about the differences between art and life getting blurred and merging into one.

Well it is not much ado about nothing. It is neither a comedy of errors. It is truly Shakespeare in love. Romeo and Juliet is perhaps the most complex work of art among his early plays. Perhaps the complexity is increased in this film. The tamer of the shrew is hunted with Cupid's darts.

It is a case of midsummer night's dream coming true for lovers of Shakespeare. On the silver screen Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) leads a life on the world's stage apart from enacting Romeo on stage and in life.

But the Bard of Avon faces a new kind of music. Writer's block, the tempest for any writer blocks his latest work, 'Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter'. This writer's nightmare symbolizes the blizzards every individual faces in life. But how Will Shakespeare overcome it?

Fortunately Shakespeare is pierced with love's shaft like Romeo. The catch line of the film says it all: Love is the only inspiration. (Do you agree?) Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow), is a high class lady, desires to be on stage. Elizabethan theatre barred women from acting on stage. So young male actors or boys were substituted for the feminine gender. As a natural corollary to this, small roles and short stage performances for the ladies' roles were the order of the day. Viola disguises herself as Thomas Kent and attends rehearsals. Shakespeare finds her true identity and passionately falls in love with her. But as real Shakespeare was, the reel Shakespeare is already married.

However, love's labors are lost, because Lord Wessex marries Viola. Before she leaves for America with her husband, Viola essays the role of Juliet on stage, with Shakespeare as Romeo. Interestingly their final parting inspires Shakespeare to start Twelfth Night with Viola as heroine.

In the film Shakespeare appears as an emotionally charged person. He lives up to the comment made by Robert Greene, "Tygers heart wrapt in a player's hide" (Of course, in this first mention of Shakespeare in the literary world of London, Greene seems to have displayed signs of the green-eyed monster!) However, tradition gives Shakespeare only secondary roles such as the ghost in ‘Hamlet’ and Adam in 'As you like it'.

Like Aeschylus, Moliere, Bertolt Brecht or Harold Pinter, Shakespeare was able to work with his plays in rehearsals, performances and consequently knew the prowess of actors, audiences and different potentialities of theatres. Shakespeare attending and assisting in acting at rehearsals is shown in the film. Christopher Marlowe, a fellow dramatist of Shakespeare, finds a place in the movie. Shakespeare lies to the Lord Wessex that he is Christopher Marlowe. Lord Wessex wants Shakespeare dead. This results in Marlowe's death.

It is said that the pen is mightier than sword. Telugu poet Sri Sri had opined that if the situation warrants, writers have to forsake the pen for the sword. However, Shakespeare was at ease with both. So the film alludes that the Bard of Avon had a coat-of-arms.

Ben Jonson, the luminous contemporary of Shakespeare says that "Sweet swan of Avon makes flights upon the banks of Thames that so did take Eliza and James". Tradition has it that Queen Elizabeth (Judie Dench) had asked Shakespeare to write the 'Merry wives of Windsor'. In this film she desires Twelfth Night. Though belonging to gentlefolk and given the fact that his plays were patronized by Queen Elizabeth and her son King James, William Shakespeare was a plebeian's playwright. However, the symphony of human emotions, some of which shown in the film, are universal in nature. Indeed, Ben Jonson's prophecy that Shakespeare "…was not of an age, but for all time to come" is a truth beyond doubt.

The writers of the film, Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, paid a unique tribute to Shakespeare. Costume designer Sandy Powell's work has lent charm to this costume drama. Lilting music by Stephen Warbeck supports the aura of those times. Director John Madden has done a fine job of this film.

Joseph Fiennes acted in the role of Shakespeare with intensity. Gwyneth Paltrow is charming as Viola. The role of Queen Elizabeth is a cakewalk for Judie Dench.

This film enamors Shakespeare lovers and Shakespearian lovers. It is an addition to Shakespeariana.

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