Shakepeare in Love

Subject: Shakepseare in Love

It is easy to see why Shakespeare in Love is related to part one of our text. Chapter one and two both talk about how important theatre is, not just as a performance art, but to society as well. In chapter one, they describe how different performers create their roles. Not only did they talk about professional performers, but discussed the performance of children to adapt to the overwhelming word around them. I believe this is shown very clearly with the character of Will Shakespeare in the movie. We all know what an influence William Shakespeare is on theatre now, but this movie depicts him as a youth just as we are now. It was easy for me to relate Will to a college student of today’s times. The performance given by him in the movie resembles that of a college student trying to find his place, or his performance in the world. We all put on a certain performance when we decide what costume to wear in the morning, or how we decide to act in various situations, and Will created this same feeling of confusion in the movie.

Chapter two describes the importance of theatre in society. The chapter starts with the death of two people simply because of their performance in theatre. It may be hard for us to think that a simple play can make such an impact to warrant death to two human beings, but even now, theatre can make a significant difference in the world. Some obvious examples are plays such as Rent and Angels in American which give a great insight into the epidemic of A.I.D.S. The plays may seem like simple dramas, but they help bring to light very important issues in the world. Theatre is a form of entertainment, but I would argue that that may be the smallest part of theatre. Theatre is a form of communication to the public about real issues that the playwright, performers directors, or anyone involved wish to express. Think about the plays you have seen in the past, and ask yourself if they were merely for entertainment value. Suburbia definitely had an “eye opening” aspect to it. I recently attended the play musical, Wicked, which I believe to have great meaning other than just entertainment. Shakespeare in Love helps to amplify this point with Gwyneth Paltrow’s character, Viola De Lesseps. During this time in theatre it was not considered okay to have a female actor. The movie helps to show that theatre can have a great affect on changing the way society looks at things. Though this may not be a historic movie, there was a point where this change had to occur. If theatre hadn’t taken this leap, at one point or another, would Anna Deavere Smith or Frances McDormand be where they are now?