The film is about the greatest dramatist in the world, who is William Shakespeare. From the opening of the play, an actor appears who discloses Shakespeare’s entire life: his early life, his education, his career as an actor than a playwright. Further his era is completely described, which is the Elizabethan age. Her political career is displayed with the help of Shakespeare’s pieces. However, there is lots of ambiguity in the movie regarding Shakespeare. The film director: Emmerich shows Shakespeare a fraud and earl of oxford: Edward de Vere the true authors of all works which are published under the name of William Shakespeare.  The film indicates that all these marvelous pieces live after hundreds of years passed, whose real owner is the earl of oxford. This is still uncertain whether it is really earl of oxford or Shakespeare, one must go through it to find out the real picture of the real hero of the works. Because many theories came forth which nominated different authors: like Francis bacon, Christopher Marlow, 17th earl of oxford, and some others to be the real owner of works mentioned under the name of a low and poor class person.

The film is brilliant in great aspects, but it also lacks some noteworthy parts. The first and foremost thing which is appreciable is the acting and performance of the actors and actresses. They are fully in characters. The actors perform the characters of Robert Cecil which resembles him fully. The body language, the resemblance of the character’s sounds, and his guilty way of treatment are nicely delivered by actors. In the same manner, the man’s conflict verse society is captured in the movie in a good manner. For example, it shows how the earl of oxford is real Shakespeare, it shows earl of oxford writes and exposes social, political, and other shortcomings of the society. Especially his conflict is with corrupt political and religious people who are shown as provocative against Essex and Southampton. Queen Elizabeth even goes against Essex by the Cecil’s plots. The political and religious game is nicely presented which let one to understand how Robert Cecil manipulate Queen Elizabeth.

However there is efficiency in the movie to cover other several important segments. For example, Shakespeare is not shown as actor on the stage. Another actor just leads the stage by delivering a speech regarding his life.  As all know that he is an actor when he comes to London. His performance is shown nowhere in movie as a good character. One can find Shakespeare in the play as a bad character who takes other works as his own and then takes bribes from Edward without giving any credit to him or ben Jonson. The director shows that he is actually from lower family, his education is next to nothing, and how he can be able to write such outstanding works. Therefore he presents in movie that such work can only be done from an elite and aristocratic man. so he brings into public’s eyes that such works’ true master is Edward de Vere: earl of oxford.  This shows complete rejection of Shakespeare. Beside this queen Elizabeth did not have any child, but we see in the film that she has an illegitimate son, who belongs to Southampton and they are looked down by Cecil family. However, this is true that Southampton were seen as enemy by Cecil, but queen had a child is wrong.

It also would become much better if Edward and queen were more focused.  Edward is shown only weak in the play although he is the earl of oxford. It is true that the era is puritan which forbids poetry, music and action. It is also true Edward is blackmailed by William Cecil when he kills a man who tries to expose his works. It is also true he sleeps with other women for his sexual needs. But beside these all, he is the lover of Queen Elizabeth, and earl of oxford, he might have done much more than it is shown in the movie. Furthermore religion is demonstrated as most mighty organ of the time. The William Cecil who is contractor of religion even compels Queen Elizabeth to be far away from Edward or she will lose the throne. Religion is shown as powerful as an establishment of a country which seems unreal. How can it be that a queen and earl of oxford just fail to stand before religion?

However, it is praiseworthy although it lacks things of importance. The character of Shakespeare is well presented as a disguised man. Throughout the play or the era just very few writer doubts or believes that Shakespeare is not the real owner of these mastery works. It is only known to ben Jonson, Queen Elizabeth, and other some evil-political persons. He is still disguised. His words are so powerful but lives unknown. This thought is always in the mind of people whether the true owner of such exemplary contribution is Shakespeare, earl of oxford, bacon or somebody else.

However, over all the film is fantastic. In a sense that it covers political reign of the time, which is ironically presented that entertains the audiences. Public comes to know that all political game of the time. They even revolve against Cecil family. However, that causes numbers of deaths by the order of Robert Cecil. The romantic acts of Edward encourages one to watch it. For instance the dialogues of Edward cause queen to fall in love with him.  As well as the conflict between Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare is also enjoyable. Throughout the film, ben Jonson accuses him as a forger, who is well known not because of his works rather by the work of others. Even he discloses it to Cecil family that who is actually writing these all.

Thus,I recommend the lovers of literature, and Shakespeare to go for it. There are abundant appreciable events, actions, and jokes, which will entertain them well.


By: Shahzad Naseem 

The writer is a post-graduate student from English Literature Department