History Film / ShakespeareInLove

The film is most noted nowadays for its performance at the 1999 UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s, where Paltrow won Best Actress over frontrunner Creator/CateBlanchett (''Film/{{Elizabeth}}''), and the film far more notoriously won Best Picture over the universal critical darling ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan''. To some, the latter outcome is one of the greatest {{award snub}}s in film history; to others, it's a blessed relief from the Academy's usual insistence that TrueArtIsAngsty.

* DeusExMachina: Queen Elizabeth I [[spoiler:turns up to watch the premiere of ''Romeo and Juliet'' incognito, and speaks up to save the troupe from being arrested for letting Viola perform on stage]]. Of course, there wasn't as much of a stigma attached to the trope back in Shakespeare's day -- many of his plays had a duke or prince showing up in the last act to pass judgment and ensure a happy ending -- so it could be justified by the GrandfatherClause. Her appearance is foreshadowed by the wager in her court earlier on at least. [[spoiler:However, at the same time there's only ''so much'' she can do; since Viola and Wessex are legally married 'in the eyes of God' Elizabeth can't prevent Viola from having to leave for America and endure an unhappy marriage.]]

* DeusExMachina: Queen Elizabeth I [[spoiler:turns up to watch the premiere of ''Romeo and Juliet'' incognito, and speaks up to save the troupe from being arrested for letting Viola perform on stage]]. Of course, there wasn't as much of a stigma attached to the trope back in Shakespeare's day -- many of his plays had a duke or prince showing up in the last act to pass judgment and ensure a happy ending -- so it could be justified by the GrandfatherClause. Her appearance is foreshadowed by the wager in her court earlier on at least.

* DeusExMachina: Queen Elizabeth I. Of course, there wasn't as much of a stigma attached to the trope back in Shakespeare's day -- many of his plays had a duke or prince showing up in the last act to pass judgment and ensure a happy ending -- so it could be justified by the GrandfatherClause. Her appearance is foreshadowed by the wager in her court earlier on at least.

** The real Shakespeare didn't create the plot of ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', let alone make it up as he went along -- as is the case with most of his work,[[note]]He ''may'' have come up with original plots for ''Theatre/TheTempest'' and ''Theatre/TheMerryWivesOfWindsor''[[/note]] he was adapting pre-existing poems, stories or historical records for the stage; in this case he used ''The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet.''

* DidNotGetTheGirl: History - and the film itself - tells us that Shakespeare married a woman named Anne Hathaway ([[Creator/AnneHathaway not that one]]) so viewers [[DoomedByCanon shouldn't get their hopes up]]. In fact he's already married her at the time, and they have three children, which devastates Viola when she discovers this.

* FamedInStory: ''Not'' Will Shakespeare whose fame is yet to come, but Creator/ChristopherMarlowe.

* GoodAdulteryBadAdultery: Shakespeare is married and Viola is engaged to Lord Wessex, but Lord Wessex is only marrying her for her money and Anne Hathaway is in Stratford-upon-Avon, and not particularly well-inclined towards Will at present.

** Wabash is a stutterer who's hired against Will's [[{{Pun}} will]]. He overcomes his stutter to deliver a lovely performance as the Prince. Will congratulates him afterwards.

* LoopholeAbuse: When Mr. Tilney shuts down the Rose Theatre for unknowingly letting Viola, a woman, act on the stage, Richard Burbage offers the Curtain Theatre for them to use instead -- after all, Tilney didn't forbid Will's troupe from performing in a different venue, and when he shows up to arrest them just as ''Romeo and Juliet'' has concluded, Burbage angrily points out that "You closed the ''Rose;'' I have not opened it!"

** There would not have been open auditions for parts or people being cast as a favour/nepotism; Shakespeare was a member of a theatrical troupe as was standard for the era, so the parts would have been written for specific actors in his troupe, and the only way to join such a troupe would have been apprenticeship as a youth or getting hired for behind the scenes work or very minor roles, never one of the main characters and ''especially'' not one of the two leading roles.

** The real Shakespeare didn't create the plot of ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', let alone make it up as he went along -- as is the case with most of his work,[[note]]He ''may'' have come up with original plots for ''Theatre/TheTempest'' and ''Theatre/TheMerryWivesOfWindsor''[[/note]] he was adapting pre-existing poems, stories or historical records for the stage; in this case he used ''The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet.'' Nor would there have been open auditions for parts or people being cast as a favour/nepotism; Shakespeare was a member of a theatrical troupe as was standard for the era, so the parts would have been written for specific actors in his troupe, and the only way to join such a troupe would have been apprenticeship as a youth or getting hired for behind the scenes work or very minor roles, never one of the main characters and ''especially'' not one of the two leading roles.
** Royalty at this point in time would never have set foot in a public theatre. Theatrical companies were often invited to play in the Elizabethan court though. The Queen does not go to the theatre, the theatre goes to the Queen.
*** Queen Elizabeth does [[LampshadeHanging point this out herself, however]].

* EternalSexualFreedom: Viola gets off completely as a result of her affair, though going by the mores of the time her reputation would have been irretrievably ruined. In reality Lord Wessex most likely would have canceled their engagement. Plus, no one else would marry her due to the stigma. However, as he's desperate for money, going through with it might not be wholly unrealistic (though he would want to insure she hadn't gotten pregnant by Shakespeare). On that note, there's no indication that she fears either pregnancy or [=STDs=], though the former would also cause her ruin and the latter could be deadly with syphilis then (it's theorized by some Shakespeare contracted it).

* LoopholeAbuse: When Mr. Tilney shuts down the Rose Theatre for unknowingly letting Viola, a woman, act on the stage, Richard Burbage offers the Curtain Theatre for them to use instead -- after all, Tilney never said Will's troupe weren't allowed to perform ''period''.

* AnachronismStew: The film does not hesitate to throw historical accuracy out the window [[RuleOfFunny if they can sneak in a joke]] about the modern studio system. Standouts are Shakespeare's visit to Dr. Monk (poking fun at modern psychiatrists), and the audition scene (Elizabethan companies of players didn't do this, although they do make the excuse that the normal troupe is still coming back from a country tour and is running late).

** Royalty at this point in time would never have stepped foot in a public theatre. Theatrical companies were often invited to play in the Elizabethan court though. The Queen does not go to the theatre, the theatre goes to the Queen.
*** Queen Elizabeth does point this out herself however.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Will asks if Sam's voice has broken yet in a throwaway line early on. [[spoiler: His voice breaks on the day of the performance, leaving them without a Juliet]].

** There had been no Earl of Wessex for five centuries before the time of the film.

* HistoricalPersonPunchline: The boy who wants to write violent plays is John Webster, the future author of ''Literature/TheDuchessOfMalfi'' and ''Literature/TheWhiteDevil,'' both dark and macabre works with plenty of gruesome deaths.

* TroublingUnchildhoodBehavior: Both [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] and PlayedForLaughs with young John Webster and his obsession with {{gore}}.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Elizabeth I]], Creator/ChristopherMarlowe, John Webster, Richard Burbage, Shakespeare himself, not to mention the entire cast of ''Romeo and Juliet'' and even Mr. Henslowe, who did actually build the Rose Theatre in real life.

* HistoricalPersonPunchline: The boy who wants to write violent plays is actually ''John Webster'' (for clarification, he'll eventually write ''The Duchess of Malfi'' and ''The White Devil,'' both considered quite dark and macabre works with plenty of gruesome deaths).

* YoungFutureFamousPeople: Stoppard imagines early-career-Shakespeare as a mercurial writer, prone to mood swings, and much more [[TechnicianVsPerformer a Performer than a Technician.]] Magpie-like, he snatches up good names and turns of phrase wherever he finds them - ''that'' much is accurate - and he has a painful yearning for a great love, as well as to write great works.

* LocalReference: Viola is threatened to be taken to the English colonies in North America ([[AnachronismStew which didn't exist yet in reality]]).