English 334

Professor Thompson

Presentation Date: April 24, 2001

Group #3: Shakespeare in Love

Group Members: Nureet Poor, Marti Vogel, Rachel Sebetic, Katherine Pearce, Andrew Herron-Venancio, Arrianna Nichols, Dan Grayson, Lina Hong, Seng In

For our presentation on the film Shakespeare in Love, we proposed the following theory: In creating the character of Lord Wessex, Tom Stoppard combined features of different characters from Romeo and Juliet, primarily Tybalt and Paris. Our questions: how does this construction alter interpretations of those characters? Does it add to or detract from Shakespeare’s text? When simply comparing Wessex to Paris, there are many differences. We question whether Paris is a true "antagonist," because he has no idea that Romeo & Juliet are in love.  He seems to respect Juliet more than Wessex respects Viola, certainly. Perhaps the fiery temper of Wessex was drawn from Tybalt, who couldn't be used in the film because the issue of the family feud was not addressed (for example, in the dance scene, whereas Tybalt threatens Romeo, it is Lord Wessex threatening Will). Another important point is that, although Paris/Wessex were "foils" to Romeo/William, they were only secondary foils. The primary foils seem to be Romeo's own "name" (because of the feud) and William's own marriage.  This issue is also part of the larger framework of Stoppard referencing several of Shakespeare’s plays throughout his script (including, of course, Romeo and Juliet), namely Two Gentlemen of Verona, Twelfth Night, Hamlet, and Macbeth, which device we address with a few general examples. In support of our theories, we chose to show three different scenes from the film, all related thematically in their exploration of the character of Wessex.

Scene 1: At First Sight (DVD Ch. 10)

This scene begins with the marriage bargain being made over Viola’s hand. Compare and Contrast: Paris and Wessex’s discussion of marriage versus Capulet/Viola’s father. Roles reversed in each: Paris “selling” himself to Capulet versus Du Lessups “selling” Viola to Wessex. Consider the significance of language used in each, for example, “happy mothers” (Paris) (Romeo 1.2) versus “Is she fertile?” (Wessex). Also, animal imagery is used to discuss Viola, begging the question of the motivations behind this proposed marriage.

Lord Wessex’s discussion of marriage to Viola is more like a transaction being made for the purchase of a purebred horse. He asks her father if she is fertile, and Du Lessups replies by saying that if she does not breed, then Lord Wessex should send her back. Then Wessex asks whether Viola is obedient, and her father makes a reply likening his daughter to a mule. The manner in which Lord Wessex and Viola’s father talk about the proposal of marriage between Lord Wessex and Viola does not sound like a discussion of marriage at all.  Basically in this transaction, Lord Wessex sells his family name to Viola’s father in exchange for money and a wife. There is no talk of love or concern for Viola’s own future in the discussion whatsoever from either side, which is very disturbing considering that this is Viola’s own father who is selling her hand in marriage.
At first, in the exchange between Paris and Capulet over Juliet’s hand in marriage, it seems that Paris has asked Capulet for permission to marry Juliet at least once before because Capulet replies to Paris by saying: “But saying o’er what I have said before. / My child is yet a stranger in the world. / She hath not seen the change of fourteen years. / Let two more summers wither in her pride / Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride” (1.2.7-11). Capulet shows his concern for Juliet’s immaturity and inexperience in the world and suggests that they should wait two more years before she be considered as a bride. At this, Paris persists by saying that girls younger than Juliet have already become happy mothers. Again, Capulet seems to show concern for Juliet and respect for her wishes by telling Paris to “…get her heart; / My will to her consent is but a part. / And, she agreed, within her scope of choice / Lies my consent and fair according voice” (1.2.16-19). Capulet is saying that he will consent to Juliet marrying someone of her own choice. Thus, to facilitate the process, he invites Paris to his house for a feast, encouraging him to woo Juliet. The exchange here between Paris and Capulet is in the more romantically appropriate manner in which a man asks permission to marry a woman. Paris seems to show a genuine interest in Juliet and does not seem to be pushy, but gently persistent. Capulet shows himself to be a loving and doting father who is genuinely concerned for his daughter in this particular exchange with Paris (however, later, in act 3, scene 5, he does demand that Juliet accept Paris’s marriage proposal).

Also in this scene, we see elements of Tybalt in Wessex. Wessex has quite a jealous outburst when he seizes Will and threatens him with death for merely dancing with Viola. He had to be focusing closely since Viola and Shakespeare only were able to speak two sentences together. Contrast the motivations behind Tybalt asking for his “rapier” (1.5) versus Wessex holding a knife to Shakespeare’s throat. Also, as Wessex tells Will that he will not “draw blood in [Viola’s] house,” he is showing an element of Lord Capulet; he restrains himself in public as Capulet restrains Tybalt.

Scene 2: To Church (DVD Ch. 20)

We mentioned in our discussion that Lord Wessex treats religion differently than does the character of Paris. Wessex doesn't care for religious devotion much until he thinks that he sees the ghost of Will at the church. We think that Lord Wessex's character represents how religion, like the law itself in the setting of Shakespeare in Love, is no longer effective in completely running modern society, which is also illustrated in the play itself. In the play, Friar Laurence is presented as a holy man whom others respect and trust, yet his character's role stands between the conflict of the two feuding families. As a religious man, he also goes against religion and law in helping to cause the “death” of Juliet, which also goes against the law of nature itself. I also viewed the other film adaptations and this is more clearly represented in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet in which the film constantly focuses on religious symbols, such as crucifixes and icons of Mary.

Although Paris does not know the real reason for Juliet’s grief, as he assumes its origin is Tybalt's death, he does take her grief seriously. As he goes to make his wedding arrangements with the Friar he says:

Immoderately she weeps for Tybalt’s death,

And therefore have I little talk of love,

For Venus smiles not in a house of tears.

Now, sir, her father counts it dangerous

That she do give her sorrow so much sway,

And in his wisdom hastes our marriage

To stop the inundation of her tears,

Which, too much minded by herself alone,

May be put from her by society.

Now do you know the reason of this haste. (4.1)

Although his motivations to help cease her grief may be selfish, for “Venus smiles not in a house of tears,” he clearly has feelings for her and hopes to be the one that is able to make her smile again.

Conversely, Lord Wessex cares not for Viola’s grief, and in fact finds pleasure in it. As he relays the message of Marlowe’s (Shakespeare’s) death, he finds satisfaction in her alarm. Although he sarcastically says, “Oh! Dear God, I did not think it would be me to tell you,” it is clear that the truth is the exact opposite of his statement. By adding, “A great loss to playwriting and to dancing,” he hopes to drive the dagger a little deeper. For he knows that what drew her to Shakespeare was his poetry and playwriting, and their first encounter (outside of her being Thomas Kent) was the dance.

Shakespeare was born into the center of the Reformation of the Church of England, a period of great dissention between the Catholic and the Protestant religions. Although his plays are not overly religious in nature, they do reflect certain religious traditions. There is a stark contrast to how Paris and Lord Wessex view religion, and perhaps their social position contributes to this. Romeo and Juliet takes place in Italy, and Paris is the kinsman to the Prince of Verona. Perhaps its setting was removed from England’s soil to distance it from the negative connotations of religious unrest that were characteristic of the time period. However, Shakespeare in Love does take place in England under Queen Elizabeth’s reign. We are not sure of Lord Wessex’s relationship to the queen, but it is obviously one of importance as he later says to Viola, “I have spoken to the queen. The majesty’s consent is requisite when a Wessex takes a wife, and once given her consent it is her command.” These two differences, setting location and social status, could attribute to part of the difference in how these two characters view religion.

By the time of the Elizabethan reign (1558-1603) the religious war was stronger than ever and no closer to any effective conclusion. Rather than striving for an unambiguous solution, she “reverted to her father’s [Henry VIII] tradition of a double-headed or Siamese orthodoxy. In a nutshell, Elizabeth settled for churches that looked Catholic and sounded Protestant” (Morrill 280). However, within her ambiguity, she continued the religious dissension of those before her. A common story “from late in Elizabeth’s reign involves the two brothers Reynolds, a Catholic and a Protestant, who argued so vigorously that they converted each other” (Morrill 288). Although this illustration perhaps gains its roots from folklore, it nevertheless provides an example of a society shaped by religious uncertainty.

The film’s version of religion perhaps more closely resembles that of the actual time period. In the “To Church” scene of Shakespeare in Love, the traditional Catholic funeral service is followed, which ties in with Elizabeth’s desire for a church that “looks” Catholic. However, what is absent throughout the film is the Friar’s direct involvement within the character’s personal lives. This would correspond to what “sounds” Protestant, as Protestants did not believe in papal authority, and therefore, did not seek counsel from them. One can deduct that religion does not play a large part in Lord Wessex’s life. When he meets Viola on horseback, she tells him that she is going to church. As he responds, his tone is sarcastic: “Of course, I understand. It is to be expected.” Although it may be “expected” to attend Church on Sunday, he clearly was not planning on attending, as he had just offered to take her riding. What was motivating him within this scene was not Sunday religion, but pleasure over Marlowe’s death. As he tells Viola, “Come then, we’ll say a prayer to his soul,” he using religion as a form of sarcasm to aid in his pleasure over Marlowe’s death. In a previous scene, Viola has kept him waiting and the nurse conceals the truth of her absence by telling him that Viola was praying. Lord Wessex explodes, “Two hours at prayer! Piety is for Sunday. And two hours at prayer is not piety. It is self-importance.” To him, religion is a methodical system to be used only when occasion requires it. Paris, on the other hand, is still a part of the previous society, whose members found religion embedded in their everyday lives. Before the Restoration, religion “carried a social and emotional load which is now distributed round many different systems of support” (Morrill 261). With this in mind, it would seem natural that Paris, Juliet and Romeo all go to the Friar to seek his advice. However, as the Friar is ultimately responsible for three deaths through his advice, perhaps Shakespeare was sending a message about the all encompassing role (papal authority, etc) religion played within the society. Regardless, unlike Lord Wessex, Paris does not wait until the socially accepted time for devotion or counsel. In Act 4, Scene 1, although he originally goes there to prepare for his upcoming marriage, he discusses Juliet’s state of mind with the Friar. He is not able to continue, because she soon arrives. Unlike Lord Wessex, when he thinks that Juliet has come for devotion, he does not become condescending. Rather, he says “God shield I should disturb devotion.”

Scene 3: Confrontation (DVD Ch. 23)

We looked at the two fight scenes in the play, the one at the end with Paris and Romeo near Juliet’s grave, and the one with Mercutio, Tybalt, and then Romeo. In the film, the Paris-Romeo fight does not take place, and of course everyone lives, but in looking at the reasons Tybalt and Paris have for wanting to fight Romeo in the play, they are in a way combined into the one fight scene in the movie. 
The fight between Paris and Romeo at the end of the play is instigated by Paris because he believes that Juliet died of grief for her cousin's death, and also that Romeo will do "some villainous shame to the dead bodies” (Romeo 5.3) Paris is unaware of the marriage between Romeo and Juliet and at this point as her fiancé he has some right to her that justifies to himself his being in the grave. This is similar to the reasoning of Lord Wessex in the film. He is unaware of the love between the Shakespeare and Viola, and as her fiancé he feels a right to her, and Romeo's presence at the dance could be a parallel to Romeo's presence in the graveyard in the play. Lord Wessex's right however is exaggerated from the play to where he treats Viola more like property compared to Paris's more respectful and honoring attitude toward Juliet. (This supports the religion point).
In the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio and then Romeo, Tybalt, again the Lord Wessex character, is the instigator. And aspects of this fight or at least the reasoning behind starting the fight can be seen in the fight between Shakespeare and Lord Wessex. In the play, Tybalt comes to fight Romeo because he was at the Capulet party. His presence and dancing with Juliet is seen as an insult, though Romeo really didn’t do anything worth killing someone for. Lord Wessex’s hate for Shakespeare stems from his presence at the dance, and dancing with
Viola, again things that really don't warrant such a reaction. In the play, and the film, the reader/audience is aligned with the Romeo/Shakespeare character. We agree with Romeo when he says "I do protest I never injured thee” (5.3).

Further Notes on Other References:

Regarding Hamlet and Lord Wessex's character: We think that Shakespeare in Love includes the character of Hamlet in Lord Wessex and Will, especially in the church scene, to illustrate the role of tragedy and fault in man, because Hamlet is the ultimate tragic figure that strives to do good. Also, Hamlet's character is depicted within this film to illustrate the battle between chaos (not following the law) versus following the law (religion / ruler). The scene in which Hamlet drags himself onto the throne before dying illustrates the need for a proper ruler (order) within a Shakespearean play, which can also be seen in Shakespeare in Love when the Queen tells Viola that she must go with Lord Wessex because she cannot break the vows of marriage although she has pardoned Viola for breaking the law of women in theater.

Additionally, the “ghost scene” recalls the ghost of Banquo in Macbeth, as well as the ghost of Hamlet, Sr. in Hamlet. At the beginning of Shakespeare in Love, the play Two Gentlemen of Verona is being performed, and the movie’s plot of course at times closely resembles (and also occasions the writing of) Twelfth Night.

Works Cited

Morrill, John. The Oxford Illustrated History of Tudor & Stuart Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Shakespeare in Love. Dir. John Madden. Perf. Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Geoffrey Rush. Miramax, 1998.

Shakespeare, William. Romeo & Juliet. Eds. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: The Folger Shakespeare Library, 1992.