Shakespeare in Love is a 1998 period romantic comedy film directed by John Madden, written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, and produced by Harvey Weinstein. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes See more

The original idea for Shakespeare in Love was suggested to screenwriter Marc Norman in the late 1980s by his son Zachary. Norman … See more

After the film's release, certain publications, including Private Eye, noted strong similarities between the film and the 1941 novel No Bed … See more

In 1593 London, William Shakespeare is a sometime player in the Lord Chamberlain's Men and playwright for Philip Henslowe, owner of See more

• Joseph Fiennes as William Shakespeare
• Gwyneth Paltrow as Viola de Lesseps
• Geoffrey Rush as Philip Henslowe
• Colin Firth as Lord Wessex See more

Much of the action of the film echoes that of Romeo and Juliet. Will and Viola play out the famous balcony and bedroom scenes; like Juliet, … See more

The film is "not constrained by worries about literary or historical accuracy" and includes anachronisms such as a reference to Virginia tobacco plantations, at a time before the See more