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Cultural concept
Elizabethan theatre
London’s playhouses around 1600: boy actors, censors, royal patronage, and the birth of plays still performed today.
Key question: Where does a great work of art come from?
Watch → Film language → Context & history → Characters → Speak → Write → Project → Closing: place & exchange
Context & history → Characters → Speak → Write → Watch the trailer → Film language → Final task: Project → Closing: place & exchange
Guiding thread: Finding one’s place in the world · Sub-thread: Giving and receiving, we can only give and receive from a place.
Theme: Creating & dreaming
Overview
Hook, finding one’s place
Guiding thread: Finding one’s place in the world · Sub-thread: Giving and receiving, we can only give and receive from a place.
Finding one’s place in the world · Young people today
Viola de Lesseps is forbidden to act because she is a woman, so she disguises herself to take her place on stage. Today, how do young people fight for a place in art, culture or sport when the door is closed to them?
Sentence starters
- Viola has to hide who she is because…
- Some young people today fight for… by…
- Art can give young people a place because…
- When a door is closed, young people can…
Visionary filmmakers. Back in 1998, director John Madden was already putting a young woman who fights for her place on stage at the heart of a popular film, long before equality in the arts became a mainstream debate.
Talk about the characters and about young people in general, not about yourself.
Then, a second question:
Where do great stories come from? From imagination, from real life, from other stories? This film imagines how Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet.
Sentence starters
- I think a writer finds ideas in…
- A love story is universal because…
- Art can be born from…
The film in three lines
London, 1593. Young Will Shakespeare has promised a comedy, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter, but he cannot write. Viola de Lesseps, a wealthy young woman who loves poetry, disguises herself as a boy to act, because women are forbidden on the stage. Their story inspires the play that becomes Romeo and Juliet.
Film sheet
Film study sheet · printable, clickable, with QR code.
Open the printable sheethttps://trame-lycee.netlify.app/films/fiche-shakespeare-in-love.html
Film credits
| Title | Shakespeare in Love (USA / UK, 1998) |
|---|---|
| Director | John Madden |
| Screenplay | Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard |
| Cast | Joseph Fiennes (Will Shakespeare), Gwyneth Paltrow (Viola de Lesseps), Geoffrey Rush (Philip Henslowe), Colin Firth (Lord Wessex), Ben Affleck (Ned Alleyn), Judi Dench (Queen Elizabeth I), Simon Callow (Edmund Tilney, Master of the Revels), Tom Wilkinson (Hugh Fennyman), Imelda Staunton (the Nurse) |
| Cinematography | Richard Greatrex |
| Editing | David Gamble |
| Music | Stephen Warbeck (Oscar) |
| Distributor | Miramax Films (USA), Universal (international) |
| Running time | 123 minutes |
| Release (USA) | 11 December 1998 |
| Rating | R, sexuality |
| Awards | 71st Academy Awards (1999): 13 nominations, 7 Oscars, Best Picture, Actress (Paltrow), Supporting Actress (Dench), Original Screenplay, Score, Art Direction, Costume Design |
Film language, with examples from the official trailer
Timecodes are approximate (± 2 s). Pause the trailer and check each example yourself.
Shots
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| establishing shot / extreme long shot | shows the place; people look tiny |
| long shot | a whole body in its setting |
| medium shot | from the waist up |
| close-up | a face fills the frame: emotion |
| extreme close-up | a detail: eyes, a hand, an object |
| two-shot | two characters in one frame: a relationship |
| over-the-shoulder shot | we watch one character through another’s position |
- openingclose-up on a hand writing with a quill: the film is about writing
- stage sceneslong shots of the wooden theatre, the crowd standing in the pit
Angles
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| eye level | neutral, we are equal with the character |
| high angle | camera above: the character looks small or weak |
| low angle | camera below: the character looks powerful |
| canted (Dutch) angle | tilted frame: unease, a world out of balance |
| bird’s-eye view | straight down from above |
- Queenthe Queen filmed from below on her throne: royal power
- balconyhigh and low angles between a balcony and the ground, like Romeo and Juliet
Camera movement
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| pan | the camera turns horizontally |
| tilt | the camera moves up or down |
| tracking shot | the camera travels with a character or a car |
| zoom | the lens brings us closer |
| handheld camera | shaky, urgent, documentary feel |
| crane / aerial shot | the camera flies above the scene |
- rehearsalthe camera circles the actors on stage
- streetstracking shots through muddy, crowded London streets
Lighting & colour
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| high-key lighting | bright, few shadows: optimism |
| low-key lighting | dark, strong shadows: tension, mystery |
| backlighting | light behind a character: a halo or a silhouette |
| natural light | sun, windows, candles |
| colour palette | the dominant colours of the film |
- interiorswarm candlelight, gold and red: a painting-like Elizabethan world
- nightblue night light for secret meetings
Sound
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| diegetic sound | the characters can hear it (a radio, a piano on stage) |
| non-diegetic sound | only the audience hears it (the score, a narrator) |
| voice-over | a voice we hear over the images |
| score | music composed for the film |
| silence | no sound: a shock, a pause |
| sound bridge | a sound that continues into the next scene |
- scoreStephen Warbeck’s romantic orchestral score (non-diegetic)
- end“You kiss by the book.”, a line from the play heard in the trailer
Editing
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| cut | a direct change of shot |
| cross-cutting | alternating between two places or stories |
| montage | a fast series of shots that compresses time |
| fade to black | the image disappears: an ending, a pause |
| intertitle | text on screen between images |
| slow motion | time slows down: importance, emotion |
- montageparallel editing between rehearsal and real love: life and art mirror each other
- ≈1:30handwritten title: the film becomes a page
Step into the period
Daily life
- London around 1593: about 200,000 people, the Thames as the main “road”
- Plague closes the theatres several times
- Theatres stand outside the City of London’s control, on the south bank and in the northern suburbs
Music
- Lute, viol and songs; music between scenes and at the end of plays
Fashion
- Ruffs, doublets and hose for men; corsets, farthingales and jewels for rich women
- Actors wear costumes often bought from rich people’s old clothes
Places
- The Rose theatre (Henslowe’s), the Curtain, later the Globe (1599)
- Whitehall Palace, where plays were performed for the Queen
Historical landmarks
- 1558 Elizabeth I becomes Queen.
- 1564 William Shakespeare is born in Stratford-upon-Avon.
- 1576 The Theatre, one of London’s first purpose-built playhouses, opens.
- 1587 Philip Henslowe builds the Rose theatre.
- 1588 The English defeat the Spanish Armada.
- 1593 Plague closes the London theatres; the film is set this year.
- c.1595 Shakespeare writes Romeo and Juliet.
- 1597 First printed edition (Quarto 1) of Romeo and Juliet.
- 1599 The Globe theatre opens.
- 1603 Death of Elizabeth I.
- 1616 Death of Shakespeare.
- 1660 8 December: the first recorded professional actress appears on an English stage, as Desdemona.
- 1997 The reconstructed Shakespeare’s Globe opens in London.
- 1999 Shakespeare in Love wins 7 Oscars.
Sources: Project Gutenberg, Romeo and Juliet · Folger Shakespeare Library · Shakespeare’s Globe
Watch
Official trailer (Miramax)
Official channel: Miramax · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5R5La5f3eo
First viewing
- In which city and century are we? Give two visual clues.
- What is Will’s problem at the beginning?
- What is the funny original title of his play?
- Who is Viola, and what does she want?
- Which famous line closes the trailer?
Answer key
- London, 16th century: costumes, candles, wooden theatre, the Queen.
- He cannot write, writer’s block; he needs inspiration.
- “Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter”.
- A rich young woman who loves poetry and wants to act.
- “You kiss by the book.”
Second viewing, exact words
- “I have a ___ to write.”, “Sonnet? You mean a ___?”
- “I’ll have ___ in my life. And adventure. And love, above all.”
- “The show must go ___.”
Answer key
- sonnet · play
- poetry
- on
Film language
A film that looks like a painting
Use the Film sheet tab. Then compare one frame of the trailer with the Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I in the Overview tab: colours, light, costume, position of the body.
Sentence starters
- Both images use… to show power.
- The warm lighting suggests…
- The framing places the Queen…
Mirror structure
The film cuts between rehearsals of the play and Will and Viola’s own story. Why is this parallel editing important?
Sentence starters
- The editing mirrors… and…
- Art imitates life when…
- This shows that the writer…
Context & history
Elizabethan theatre
According to the Folger Shakespeare Library, women did not act in the professional theatre in Shakespeare’s time: boys played the female roles. The first recorded professional English actress appeared on 8 December 1660, as Desdemona in Othello. Playhouses were noisy, open-air, cheap for the “groundlings” standing in the pit, and controlled by the Master of the Revels, who could censor or close them.
Read the real text, public domain
The Prologue of Romeo and Juliet (Project Gutenberg):
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Prologue · Project Gutenberg #1513
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet;”
Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2“Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow”
Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2- What is a sonnet? Count the lines of the full Prologue.
- What does “star-cross’d” tell us about the ending?
- Explain “What’s in a name?” in modern English.
Answer key
- A 14-line poem; the Prologue is a sonnet.
- The lovers are unlucky, destined by the stars: the ending will be tragic.
- A name is only a label; Romeo would be the same person with another family name.
Fact or fiction?
We know very little about Shakespeare’s private life. Viola is invented; Henslowe, Ned Alleyn, Edmund Tilney and Elizabeth I were real. Is it a problem for a film to invent a love story for a real writer?
Sentence starters
- The film is honest because…
- The risk is that viewers believe…
- Fiction can reveal a truth about creation:…
Characters
| Character (actor) | Who | Key word |
|---|---|---|
| Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) | young playwright looking for inspiration | creativity |
| Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) | rich young woman who disguises herself to act (invented) | passion |
| Queen Elizabeth I (Judi Dench) | the monarch who loves plays | power |
| Lord Wessex (Colin Firth) | the aristocrat Viola must marry | money / status |
| Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush) | owner of the Rose theatre, always in debt | survival |
| Edmund Tilney (Simon Callow) | Master of the Revels, the censor | control |
Sentence starters
- … represents… in the film.
- Viola’s disguise shows that…
- The Queen has the power to…
Speak
1 · Continuous speech, 2 minutes
Present the trailer and explain how it mixes history and fiction.
Sentence starters
- The trailer takes us to…
- We meet…
- What is historical is…, what is invented is…
- I would / wouldn’t recommend it because…
2 · Interaction, the audition
Pairs. A plays Henslowe, who needs actors and money. B plays a young actor who wants the role of Romeo. Negotiate. Then perform the Prologue together, four lines each.
Sentence starters
- Why should I give you the part?
- I can… and I have…
- What will you pay me?
- Let me show you…
3 · Debate, “Should artists be free from censorship?”
Use Tilney and the Queen as examples.
Sentence starters
- In Elizabethan England,…
- Art needs freedom because…
- On the other hand, some limits…
4 · Review in 60 seconds
Sentence starters
- If you love… you will…
- The best moment of the trailer is…
Write
Write
B1 · 150 words: Write Viola’s diary entry the night after her first rehearsal.
B2 · 220 to 250 words: “Art is born from life.” Discuss using the film and Romeo and Juliet.
Sentence starters
- Dear diary, today I…
- I had to hide…
- Art and life are connected because…
- Shakespeare’s Prologue already announces…
For the exam
For the exam. In the baccalauréat général, English (LVA / LVB) is assessed through continuous assessment: your annual average in 1re and in Tle counts (coefficient 3 each year). At the end of Tle, your teachers also certify your CEFR level in each skill, listening, reading, writing, speaking (continuous) and speaking (interaction), on your official language certificate. Every task below is built on those five skills, with authentic documents linked to a programme axis, exactly like your class assessments.
- Listening: trailer · Reading: Prologue and Folger facts · Speaking: audition, debate, review · Writing: diary / essay.
Project
Project, “The Prologue, our way”
In groups, perform the 14-line Prologue in three styles (Elizabethan, news report, rap or slam), and record a 1-minute making-of explaining your choices.
Sentence starters
- We chose this style because…
- The hardest line was…
Closing: place & exchange
Step 1 · A place found or lost
Everything is exchange, and we can only give and receive from a place. First find each character’s place; then look at four kinds of exchange; then go deeper: what passes between the characters inside · trust, love, respect, meaning? Who do they become, not only what do they own?
Where may Viola go in Elizabethan London, and where is she forbidden?
Sentence starters
- At the start, …’s place is…
- At the end, … has found / lost his/her place because…
Answer key
- Viola is forbidden on stage; she takes her place there in disguise, and Will finds his voice.
Step 2 · Four kinds of exchange
| Kind of exchange | In the film |
|---|---|
| Political | Queen Elizabeth, the Master of the Revels and the power to close a theatre. |
| Emotional | Will and Viola. |
| General interest | Theatre for everyone, from the Queen to the crowd. |
| Human rights | Women are not allowed to act on stage. |
Sentence starters
- The political exchange in the film is between… and…
- …gives… to…, and in return…
- This exchange serves the general interest because…
- …defends the right to…
Step 3 · Beyond what they have: who they are
Now go deeper, from the place each character has found or lost. Talk about the characters only.
- What do Will and Viola give each other?
- Viola cannot stay with Will. What remains of their exchange?
- At the end, Will starts writing a new heroine. What does this show about the link between love and creation?
Sentence starters
- What really passes between… and… is…
- …does not only give…; he/she gives…
- Thanks to…, …understands who he/she is.
- At the end, what matters for… is not what he/she has but…
- This exchange changes… because…
- From his/her new place, … can at last give / receive…
Closing sentence (write it): From the place they find or lose, the deepest exchange in this film is…
Answer key
- He gives her poetry and the stage; she gives him inspiration and courage.
- Words and a play: their love lives on in the work and in the audience.
- Love becomes art: what they were for each other passes to the public.
- Model closing sentence: Love becomes words, and words are shared with the world.
Teacher
Teacher notes
- Axes: 2nde « Créer et recréer » · 1re « Art et pouvoir » · Tle « Fictions et réalités ».
- Trailer: Miramax channel, checked by oEmbed. Quotes from Project Gutenberg #1513.
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Created by Madame Carole Paoli Pompougnac.