London, in the summer of 1593, and Will Shakespeare, a struggling young talent of the Elizabethan theatre, is suffering multiple predicaments. He feels himself to be in the shadow of his charismatic rival Kit Marlow; and worse, he is writhing in the grip of writer's block, desperate for inspiration. His work-in-progress, 'Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter', simply doesn't want to be written.Suddenly, the muse descends - in the shape of Lady Viola, a wealthy young girl who aspires to be an actress, even though women are barred from the Elizabethan stage. Undaunted, Viola dons beard and moustache to audition for Will's play; but her guise falls away as she and Shakespeare are irresistibly attracted to one another. At last, Will rediscovers his creative fire, transmuting his love for Viola into the stuff of tragic drama, and thereby creating one of the greatest love stories of all time.

Shakespeare in Love is Tom Stoppard's screenplay for the hugely successful film, which starred Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Ben Affleck, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, and Dame Judy Dench.

About the Author
Tom Stoppard's work includes Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Real Inspector Hound, Jumpers, Travesties, Night and Day, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, After Magritte, Dirty Linen, The Real Thing, Hapgood, Arcadia, Indian Ink, The Invention of Love, the trilogy The Coast of Utopia, Rock 'n' Roll and The Hard Problem. His radio plays include If You're Glad I'll Be Frank, Albert's Bridge, Where Are They Now?, Artist Descending a Staircase, The Dog It Was That Died, In the Native State and Darkside (incorporating Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon). Television work includes Professional Foul, Squaring the Circle and Parade's End. His film credits include Empire of the Sun, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which he also directed, Shakespeare in Love, Enigma and Anna Karenina.


Book Information
ISBN 9780571201082
Author Marc Norman
Format Paperback
Page Count 176
Imprint Faber & Faber
Publisher Faber & Faber
Weight(grams) 145g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 125mm * 10mm