History

Shakespeare's play is used with great ingenuity. The story of Romeo and Juliet provides the basic plot for the film, for the Will-Viola love affair; their story in turn becomes the plot of the play Will is writing, Romeo and Juliet.

 the love affair Will embarks on with Viola becomes the plot of his play

 at the same time, the plot of R&J provides the basis for the plot of the film

 a marriage is being arranged for Juliet - and for Viola;

 Romeo is 'in love with' Rosaline; Will is married

 Romeo and Juliet are divided by their families' feud; Will and Viola by class barrier and family duty

 Wessex is both the unwelcome husband (Paris) and the avenger (Tybalt)

 Viola's nurse becomes Juliet's nurse

 Mercutio's "Queen Mab" speech - not really necessary to the plot of R&J - is a sop to Ned Alleyn, the senior member of the company.

 the apothecary - another R&J character who is not strictly necessary - is suddenly invented to distract Fennyman away from Viola/Thomas Kent

 at the climax of the story, before things start to go wrong, the rehearsal of the play is intercut with Viola and Will making love, so that the words take on the resonance of the 'reality'; it ends humorously: "Will thou leave me so unsatisfied? /That's my line."

 The tragedy hinges on poor timing: Juliet wakes from her drug just too late to stop Romeo. Note how many times in the film Viola and Will are shown with one of them asleep and the other awake.

 Dialogue