Kent gains Shakespeare's interest with a speech from Two Gentlemen of Verona, but runs away when Shakespeare questions her. Viola de Lesseps, daughter of a wealthy merchant, who has seen Shakespeare's plays at court, disguises herself as a man named Thomas Kent to audition. The desperate Henslowe, in debt to ruthless moneylender Fennyman, begins auditions anyway. Shakespeare receives advice from rival playwright Christopher Marlowe, but is despondent to learn Rosaline is sleeping with Master of the Revels Edmund Tilney. Suffering from writer's block with a new comedy, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter, Shakespeare attempts to seduce Rosaline, mistress of Richard Burbage, owner of the rival Curtain Theatre, and to convince Burbage to buy the play from Henslowe. In 1593 London, William Shakespeare is a sometime player in the Lord Chamberlain's Men and playwright for Philip Henslowe, owner of The Rose Theatre. 7.1 Best Picture and Best Actress Oscar controversy.The film received numerous accolades, including seven Oscars at the 71st Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Gwyneth Paltrow), Best Supporting Actress ( Judi Dench), and Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Shakespeare in Love received acclaim from critics and was a box office success, grossing $289.3 million worldwide and was the ninth highest-grossing film of 1998.
Several characters are based on historical figures, and many of the characters, lines, and plot devices allude to Shakespeare's plays. The film depicts a fictional love affair involving playwright William Shakespeare ( Joseph Fiennes) and Viola de Lesseps ( Gwyneth Paltrow) while Shakespeare was writing Romeo and Juliet. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck and Judi Dench. Shakespeare in Love is a 1998 romantic period comedy-drama film directed by John Madden, written by Marc Norman and playwright Tom Stoppard, and produced by Harvey Weinstein.