Shakespeare in Love

8/28/08

New Historicism is finally becoming part of the foundations of critical literary theory much to the chagrin of contemporary New Criticism fanatics. Madden's "Shakespeare in Love" is but one example as to how New Historicism is establishing itself in the interpretation of one of William Shakespeare's greatest works, "Romeo and Juliet." One of the key elements of New Historicism is that the author of a text is not considered a genius that is self-inspired but a regular human being that needs external experiences in order for him or her to creatively write. Such a modern emphasis as this is obvious in one of the film's beginning scenes where Shakespeare is attempting to write his next play. There are crumpled sheets of paper all over the floor, ink-blotted pages with scratched out words, and Shakespeare himself disheveled and frustrated. This scene does not represent the stereotypical author genius, but the realistic writer who needs external inspiration. This inspiration is obviously gained once Shakespeare takes himself into the social sphere and is exposed to various individuals, namely women. Likewise, another element of New Historicism is the emphasis in power relations. Such a social structure is evident in the scenes where the Queen's deputy shuts down the Rose and attempts to imprison the actors and director when they perform Shakespeare's play in another location. The Queen's deputy does not only throw around her Highness' title in order to belittle and wrongfully punish the lower classes, he does so without her true authority believing that he has superior power in such a position even though he is indispensible just like everyone else. As a result, New Historicism is paramount in today's literary criticism because it allows such films as Madden's "Shakespeare in Love" to portray historical figures and societies in the way they might have truly lived and functioned.