Shakespeare in Love Quotes

“I will have poetry in my life. And adventure. And love. Love above all. No... not the artful postures of love, not playful and poetical games of love for the amusement of an evening, but love that... overthrows life. Unbiddable, ungovernable - like a riot in the heart, and nothing to be done, come ruin or rapture.”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“I - will have poetry in my life. And adventure. And love. Love above all.”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“William Shakespeare: You will never age for me, nor fade, nor die.”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“William Shakespeare: Can you love a fool?
Viola De Lesseps: Can you love a player?”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“William Shakespeare: My muse, as always, is Aphrodite.
Philip Henslowe: Aphrodite Baggett, who does it behind the Dog and Crumpet?”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“HENSLOWE: Mr. Fennyman, let me explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster. Believe me, to be closed by the plague is a bagatelle in the ups and downs of owning a theatre.
FENNYMAN: So what do we do?
HENSLOWE: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.
FENNYMAN: How?
HENSLOWE: I don't know, it's a mystery.”
― Tom Stoppard, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“William Shakespeare: I have a wife, yes, and I cannot marry the daughter of Sir Robert De Lesseps. You needed no wife come from Stratford to tell you that, and yet, you let me come to your bed.
Viola De Lesseps: Calf-love. I loved the writer and gave up the prize for a sonnet.”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“As WILL embraces her, VIOLA’s eyes flicker open (shielded by WILL from the audience) and the lovers look at each other for a moment as WILL and VIOLA rather than as ‘ROMEO’ and ‘JULIET.’ Their eyes are wet with tears.”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“Will is a spectral, bedraggled figure, backlit by a great shaft of light, he would look like a ghost at the best of times, and this is the worst.”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“WILL finds the loose end and spins her naked.”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“As he goes, we see that VIOLA is love-struck by him, a riot in the heart.”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“WILL is burning midnight oil- literally and metaphorically. His quill has already covered a dozen sheets. He is inspired.”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“WILL tries to speak but the silver tongue won’t work. He is dumb with adoration.”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“Viola De Lesseps: You have never spoken so well of him before.
William Shakespeare: He was not dead before.”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“The church is empty, but for the demented, grieving figure of SHAKESPEARE, kneeling, praying, weeping, banging his head, in his private purgatory, dimly lit by tallow candles, gazed upon by effigies of the dead and images of his Redeemer. He is wet, bedraggled, weeds and leaves in his hair.”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“The place is already crowded with WHORES and CUSTOMERS. It’s a party.”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“He kisses here with more passion that ceremony”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“He turns to blood. Love at first sight, no doubt about it. VIOLA has not seen him. She is doing a daughter’s duty among her parents’ friends. The guests form up to begin a changing-partners dance (the very same one you get in every ROMEO and JULIET).”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“WILL emerges from the theatre into a street throbbing with nefarious life-whores, cutpurses, hawkers, urchins, tract-sellers, riffraff of all kinds in an area of stews (lowdown pubs), brothers and slums.”
― Marc Norman, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay

“Hawkers are crying their wares, tract-sellers, delivery boys, and merchants go about their business.”
― Marc Norman/Tom Stoppard, Shakespeare in Love: A Screenplay