(1998)
William Shakespeare is a young playwright, struggling to make a living in the world of theater during the late 1500s. The background is Elizabethan London and the business side of theater. Shakespeare falls in love with Viola, a rich man's daughter who wants to be an actor. Played as a comedy, Shakespeare has writer's block while developing his latest play "Romeo and Ethel." Much of the fun lies in recognizing the references to Shakespeare's other plays in the script.
Cast
Viola Gwyneth Paltrow
Shakespeare Joseph Fiennes
Philip Henslowe Geoffrey Rush
Lord Wessex Colin Firth
Ned Alleyn Ben Affleck
Queen Elizabeth Judy Dench
Director
John Madden
Questions
1. Who was William Shakespeare?
2. In what period did he live?
3. What towns or cities did Shakespeare live in?
4. Who was Christopher Marlowe?
5. Can you name some of Shakespeare's plays?
6. Can you group his plays into three major categories?
7. What function did plays at that time serve?
8. What business problem did the theater face?
9. Who went to see the plays?
10. What sort of people were the actors?
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