Okay, here is my scene by scene breakdown of the draft we read of "Shakespeare in Love": Shakespeare in Love Scene-by-scene breakdown 1-4: Establishing shot (London). To avoid being tortured, Henslowe takes on Fennyman as partner on Shakespeare’s new play. 4-5: Will’s house. Henslowe visits Will who has not finished play. Will states his goal: Needs to find his “muse.” 5-7: Street. Henslowe begs Will to finish the play – to deaf ears. 7-10: Dr. Moth’s office. Will admits he has “lost his gift” of writing. Moth gives Will a bangle to offer a woman to bring back Will’s muse. 10-13: Whitehall Palace. Will agrees to sell his new play to Burbage, potentially double-crossing Henslowe. 13-14: (cont’d): The Queen arrives. Will gives bangle to Rosaline. 14-15: (cont’d): A comedy act to the Queen’s delight. Viola introduced. Lord Wessex enters and “notices” Viola. 15-16: (cont’d): Viola recites Will’s words along with the actors revealing she is a fan of the theater. Will has left to write. 17-19: Viola’s room. Viola complains about custom of men playing ladies’ roles. Goal: “I will have poetry in my life. And adventure. And love.” 19-21: Street. Fennyman presses Henslowe about the play. 21-23: Street. Will barges into Burbage’s place, only to find Rosaline having sex with Tilney. She’s not his muse. Will burns the new pages he’s written. 23-26: Tavern. Will lies and tells Henslowe the play is done. Henslowe puts out the call for actors. 26-28: (cont’d): Will admits to Christopher Marlowe he hasn’t written a word of the play. Marlowe gives him some helpful tips for the story. 28-31: Rose Theater. Auditions, but scant talent. “Thomas Kent” (Viola dressed as man) auditions. Will is astonished at her talent. Pressed by Will to remove her hat, Viola runs away. 31-33: Chase. To Viola’s house where she just beats Will inside. 33: (cont’d): While Viola changes, her mother talks with Nurse about party that night: Wessex to speak with Viola’s father re matrimony. 33-35: (cont’d): Will slips a note for “Thomas Kent” to Nurse. Viola reads and accepts his offer for “Kent” to play a role in his newest play. 35-38: (cont’d): Will sneaks into the party. Wessex talks to Viola’s father re matrimony. Will spots Viola – immediately smitten. A changing partner dance. Will meets Viola. Offends Wessex who puts a knife to his throat. Will identifies himself as Christopher Marlowe. 38-40: (cont’d): Outside Viola’s balcony, Will and Viola flirt with each other. Will climbs the wall. Nurse screams. Will narrowly escapes. 41-44: Rose Theater. First rehearsal. Ned and compatriots enter, fill out the play’s parts. 44-45: (cont’d): Will goes outside to look for Thomas Kent. No show. Speaks to Urchin 45-49: (cont’d): “Thomas” does show, playing Romeo. Inspired, Will goes off to write a sonnet. Viola is “love-struck.” 49A-52A: Viola’s house. She returns with Will’s sonnet. Wessex waits impatiently. Viola emerges. Wessex announces arranged marriage. Viola has to pass the Queen’s scrutiny in Greenwich visit. Viola writes Will a note about impending marriage. 53-54: Rose Theater. Will arrives mid-rehearsal. Tells Ned about his role as Mercutio. 55-58: River. Thomas gives Will the letter from Viola. Will grills Thomas about Viola and she grills Will about Viola. Caught up with emotion, Thomas kisses Viola, then runs to her house. Will now knows Thomas is Viola. 58-60: Viola’s house. Will climbs wall to Viola’s room. They make love. 60-62: (cont’d): Next morning, Viola urges Will to write more of the play. 62-63: Rose Theater. Rehearsing the middle of the play. Will kisses Viola as Thomas playing Romeo, then goes off to write. 63-70: Series of shots: Play rehearsal / Will and Viola making love / Will and Viola reading his pages fresh after he’s written them 70-73: Rose Theater. Rehearsal. Will delivers more pages. Fennyman now caught up in the play’s plot. 73-74: Viola’s bedroom. Will indicates the play will not turn out well for Romeo and Juliet. Wessex arrives. Viola remembers the visit to Greenwich with the Queen. Viola must still marry Wessex. 74-75: (cont’d): Viola appears to Wessex. Will accompanies, dressed as Viola’s chaperon. 75-79: Greenwich Palace. Wessex asks Will (in drag) about Marlowe and Will continues to set up Marlowe. The Queen meets with Viola and a 50 pound wager is set: “Can a play show the very truth and nature of love.” Queen tells Wessex Viola has been “plucked.” Wessex figures her secret lover is Marlowe. 79-82: Burbage house. Marlowe interrupts Burbage having sex with Rosaline. Informs him Shakespeare is doing Romeo at the Rose. 83-87: The Rose. Burbage tries to assault Will, setting off a massive fight on stage with Fennyman emerging as the hero. 87-91: Brothel. A party with all the members of the Romeo crew including Viola as “Thomas Kent.” Learning that Will is married, she leaves in tears. Other bad news: Marlowe has been murdered. 91: Church. Will is there, convinced he is culpable for Marlowe’s death. 91-92: Road. Wessex meets Viola, riding her horse to church. Informs her of Marlowe’s murder, but Viola believes he means Will. 92-93: Church. A grieving Viola enters. So does Wessex. He spots Will, thinking he is Marlowe’s ghost. Wessex runs away screaming. 93-94: (cont’d): Viola races out of the church to Will – “thought you were dead.” Will: “I killed a man.” 94-95: Field. Viola admits her love for Will, but she must marry Wessex. 95-98: The Rose. Will tells the rest of the cast the end of the play – with one scene missing. 98-100: Viola’s bedroom. Will presents a copy of the play to Viola and recites the missing scene – farewell words. 100-101A: The Rose (cont’d): Farewell continues with Will making love to “Thomas.” Spied by John Webster (set up earlier) – tells Tinsley. 102-107: The Rose. Wessex arrives, knowing the truth about Will and Viola. Will learns Marlowe’s death was not by Wessex – Will not to blame. But Tinley closes the Rose due to woman actor – Viola revealed. 107-108: Tavern. Burbage offers his theater for Will’s play. 108-110: Outside. A playbill announces the premiere of Romeo and Juliet at the Carriage Theater – even though there’s no one to play Romeo. Will cares not, runs to Viola’s house. Sees Viola leaving with Wessex to be married. 110-111: Church. Newly married, Viola gets in Wessex’s carriage to go with him to Virginia. Playbill blows in. She escapes. 111-112: Carriage Theater. The cast preps for the play. Will dressed to perform as Romeo – devastated at losing Viola. 112-114: (cont’d): The play begins. Sam (as Juliet) – his voice has dropped. Viola and Nurse hustle toward theater, as does a furious Wessex. 114-117: (cont’d): Viola talks with Henslowe and takes on the part of Juliet. 117-118: (cont’d): Will shocked to see Viola. 118-120: (cont’d): Will throws himself into the role of Romeo. 120-123: (cont’d): The play continues through its sorrowful ending – and rapturous applause. 123-126: (cont’d): Tinley interrupts celebration to arrest everyone because of Viola – woman on stage. But he is interrupted by the Queen who has seen the play. She invites “Master Kent” forward. Covers for Viola. Recalls wager with Wessex. Invites Will to meet with her. 126-126B: Outside. Queen can not undo wedding. Has Wessex give fifty pounds – lost wager – to Viola to dispense with. Tells Viola to tell Will to “write something more cheerful next time.” 126B-128: Theater. Viola gives Will the money. Tells him the Queen’s desire for a new play. They talk through plot elements which emerge from their relationship, then kiss and say good-bye. 128-129: Will’s room. Will writes the beginning of Twelfth Night intercut with Viola’s ocean crossing to the New World. What do you consider the major Plotline points?

First, I missed day one so a few quick reactions. Jesus what a good script. When I watched it, a bunch of things went over my head (probably due to the fast paced old english language, I always failed shakespeare in English class) but after reading the script I got a lot more of the jokes and nuances. Two big things that struck me were the rhythm of the scenes of Will and Viola making love and the writing of the new pages. Second, this script is written so well visually, which is something that I think me and other younger writers stay away from in fear of "over-describing," scenes. Scripts can easily turn into talking heads but this script weaves the talking and relationships into the action so well. In terms of structure, the major plot points are when Will walks in on Burbage and Rosaline having sex, forces him to find a new muse. Will hearing Thomas Kent for the first time. I'll call this "cute meet 1," which is the catalyst the A storyline-Will completing the play and Thomas being involved. Will meeting with Viola on the dance floor for the first time, which I'll call "cute meet 2," which is the catalyst for the B storyline- Will and Viola's relationship. Will and Viola having sex for the first time. A and B cross here. (Midpoint, as in all romantic comedies, something big happens, like having sex for the first time like in The American President) 50 pound wager with the Queen, it sets up the end and the stakes. After the fight, Viola learning of Will having a wife, she's pissed. The revealing of Viola as a woman The play- probably the best written finale of any Romantic Comedy I've ever seen. No stupid lame racing to the airport scene but a true scene of chemistry and romance all in the backdrop of a play that has been set up throughout the whole movie with the added tension with all the subplots complicating the play (Burbage, Fennyman, the fights, the shutting down etc.) these are the ones that stuck out to me. Good lord this is a good script and I'm sad I didn't appreciate the movie more (I'm really ADD, I have trouble with Shakespeare Language and my roommate was distracting me while I tried to watch it.)

Tommy, thanks for those comments. You hit most of the major Plotline points, but let me focus on that point you made about the "rhythm of the scenes of Will and Viola making love and the writing of the new pages." That's this: 63-70: Series of shots: Play rehearsal / Will and Viola making love / Will and Viola reading his pages fresh after he’s written them. That is absolutely one of my very favorite sequences ever in a movie. So beautifully conceived and executed. If one is looking for the acme of montage or series of shots, this is it. It conveys the passage of time. It visualizes the writing of the play. It shows the couple falling ever more deeply in love. All the while doing this wondrous dance between the couple and the rehearsals, the couple and the rehearsals, literally transitioning in and out of shots with lines of dialogue that not only serve as segue points, but also have meaning per the couple and their experience in the moment. Watch the movie and read this sequence, shot by shot. It is truly remarkable cinema.

One of the things that makes this script so eloquent is the distinctive way it approaches the traditional Protagonist metamorphosis. I will talk about this more when discussing Theme on Thursday, but for now, let's consider those four movements typical of transformation: Disunity (Act I) Deconstruction (Act II - 1st half) Reconstruction (Act II - 2nd half) Unity (Act III) There are many ways Norman & Stoppard put a spin on this paradigm. Here is one: Generally the Protagonist experiences Deconstruction as a negative one. They have been thrust out of their Old World (Act I) and into the New World where they find they are strangers in a strange land. They don't know the rules, don't know the customs, don't know the people or places. Moreover psychologically they are on the defensive, the point of this part of their metamorphosis to punch holes in their defense, assault their behaviors and beliefs they had formed in their lives before Fade In. This is a critical phase in order to allow / force them to get in touch with their Core Essence. In "Shakespeare in Love," what happens in the first half of Act II? Will and Viola fall madly and deeply in love. That is not a negative experience, but a delightful, rapturous positive one. And yet it is still Deconstruction: * Will's stooping to dalliances with uninspired and uninspiring women totally undone by his romance with Viola. * Will's dark mood lifted. * And most importantly Will's writer's block gone. All of that - and more - Deconstructed by his relationship with Viola. In the second half of Act II, the Protagonist most often goes through some sort of Reconstruction, which they generally experience as a positive. By now they feel more comfortable in the New World, no longer strangers. Plus now that their defenses have been knocked about (Deconstruction), they are able to access their Authentic Self, feel a sense of empowerment based on that alignment with Who They Are To Become. What happens in the second half of Act II in "Shakespeare in Love"? Will must confront the horrible reality that Viola is getting married and moving to Virginia -- and there is nothing he can do about it. Also he believes he has killed Marlowe, filling him with pangs of remorse and guilt. This is no positive experience, but a deeply negative one. And yet it is Reconstruction: * Whereas Will began the story living on the surface of his life, not nearly tapping into the depths of his creativity, he needs not only the rapturous joy of the love he feels for Viola, but also the heart-rending sorrow of losing her. * Along with the guilt and pain he experiences tied to his presumed role in Marlowe's death. In other words, in order for him to become William Shakespeare the great playwright, he needs to experience the full range of human emotion, to pull him down from living on the surface to the depths of Life in all its variety of experiences. So even though the second half of Act II is a negative experience, it is Reconstruction as it builds on Will getting in touch with his Core Essence, and moves him toward becoming the great writer he is fated to become. What this reversal in mood in the script demonstrates -- yet again -- is how malleable narrative paradigms are... or should be. We can bend, reshape, tweak and twist them to avoid formula and create something distinctive and fresh.

Sorry I am not participating as much as I would like to... juggling lots of things. I REALLY like analyzing the structural aspects of screenplays (I think very much that way, am not one to "write into the void") - so am putting a bit of thought into this one. And what I am concluding is that I am finding it hard to judge which one I would really call the "A" and which the "B" storyline. Partly, they are so completely intertwined - and their turning points are intertwined in a very cleverly causative way (same goes for the other subplots - I actually do not find either of the main stories all that compelling, because they rely on a lot of coincidences for their main turning points or revelations - but I find that how the plots and subplots to this script are woven together to be absolutely brilliant). Anyway, so the main two storylines are the production of the play, and the romance. Here is my breakdown of the Romance storyline - act breaks and major plot points. I'll do the same for the play storyline in a few hours - but have to head out right now: Romance: Act I As far as the romance storyline goes, I would say it is a dual protagonist story: Both Will and Viola want love - Will needs love to regain his abililty to write - Viola want poetry and love. (later she finds she wants love more) inciting incident Sc29 he sees her as Thomas and starts to pursue... He follows “Thomas”, finds out it is Viola, falls in love Sc41 BUT obstacles is impending marriage to Wessex Act II Starts with Sc42 balcony scene. So far so good, Will is inspired to write again, They hang out together, temporarily forgetting/ignoring the Wessex complication, in Sc58 they kiss, then have sex under the nurse’s complicit protection THEN!?Sc 97 - midpoint - they are in love, slept together, BUT she is to be married today! (note - through much of this whole succession of 50 or so scenes, the play storyline is practically dropped… other than the big fight on the stage around Sc83-77) Things start to go downhill… Sc113 she finds out about his wife (he is interrupted in trying to explain to her by arrival of subplot news of Marlowe’s death). Sc118 she thinks he is dead Sc121 - he’s not dead - they declare their love. Things momentarily looking good. On to the final stretch… Act III Starts with Scene 127, twist of having caught Thomas as being female. Things now really going downhill... But now the other storyline, about the play, takes over - suddenly Will and Viola are characters who accept the sad circumstances of their lives, their loves, and no longer try to fight it… they accept that they won’t be together Coincidences have them playing their parts on the stage to say the sweet sorrow parting lines as actors and for real… the Queen intervenes at the end to tell “Thomas” to go fetch Viola… and they both accept their sad lonely fates….(but he at least has his muse, his inspiration… the goal of the other storyline)

Here are my thoughts using Dan Harmon's story circle/embryo ideas: 1. You: Setup >> Will, Viola, Major players introduced 2. Need: What pushes the story into the underworld/step 3? >> Will needs to write and produce a play. 3. Go: Descend. >> Will finds his Romeo and sees Viola. 4. Search/Trials: >> Will pursues Viola and writes the play. 5. Find: Midpoint. Hero gets what he searches for. >> Viola is discovered as Kent and Will and Viola make love. 6. Take: But he must pay the price. >> Viola must marry Wessek. The play develops. 7. Return: Ascend >> Kent is revealed to be Viola. Marlowe dies. The theater is closed. 8. Changed: The hero returns (7), changed, and able to change the world. >> The play is performed with Viola as Juliet and Will as Romeo.

Sorry, I got confused by mixing my page numberings with my scene numberings... so disregard my Act II comment above about the fight on Sc83-87, that is not til much later. So really, the story of the play is dropped for much of Act II, which focusses more on the romance... but by the time you get to Act III, the play is the big story, to the point that our protagonists drop the romance.

Yes... I like this! But I would add to Point #8 (as per Scott's comment #4 above) that the hero is changed (and able to change the world) because he has transformed from Will, the prostitute-chasing writer wannabe, to the man who has been touched (and torn) by true love and who now has the depth of feeling to become the one and only William Shakespeare.

OK, here is my analysis of ac breaks etc. for the other main storyline, the story of producing the play (and Will's character arc): The Play I’m having a bit of trouble analyzing this storyline, mainly because we have two characters who really want the play to go ahead: Henslowe wants to relieve his financial troubles and have the play be produced (needs Will to wriite in order to achieve that) Will wants to be able to write again (needs to find his muse… needs love) Henslowe is the driver who really needs the play to go ahead… but Will is the character who is in need of a transformation, and who indeed is transformed by the end of the story. Act I Play is threatened: Henslowe needs it to go ahead because he is being threatened by creditor, begs Will to finish it. But (obstacle) Will has writers block, needs a muse (his obstacle is the other main storyline!) I am not really sure what I would label as the inciting incident here - Sc3 when Henslowe offers Fennyman to be partners in the play? Henslowe needs Will to be able to write, Will goes to shrink re: muse Then one turning point is when Will finds out that Rosaline will not be his muse, Sc 25 And the other major turning point, which I will call as the turning point that leads into Act II is Will falling in love with Viola (Sc 41-42) Act II Sc43, now Will can write again… play is off in a good direction (although not much development of the play story other than rehearsals) all good up to: Sc 109 Burbage comes in pissed off at Will, bug fight on stage (then digress to romance story until…) Sc127 Tinley catches Thomas as a woman! (TWIST) Sc128 theatre closed, all are punished - turning point to: Act III Sc 139 Burbage comes in and saves the day - the show will go on Final trials, Will must play Romeo, then Sam’s voice changes, by luck Viola is there and overhears and can do the part… The play is a success, in another TWIST the Queen was there and she defends the play and “Thomas” (but not Viola, Viola must proceed to her fate with Wessex) And now Will, unlucky in love, will become a world-class playwrite - the best of the best.

OK, and here, my final comments about the structure: What I didn't like was how many of the major plot points relied on coincidence, e.g.: - twice in the big fight scene (Sc109) Will and Viola were coincidentally thrown together under the stage - Sc 135 coincidence that flyer blows in announcing play production at Burbage's theatre, and lands in Viola's hands - Sc 152 coincidence that, when Sam's voice breaks, Viola happens to overhear Henslowe and Burbage discussing that they have no Juliet What I did like was the extremely clever interweaving of the main plots (the romance, and production of the play) and the subplots/sidestories: - Viola wants to act - Henslowe owes money to Fennyman - Will and Marlowe are competitors - Fennyman's interest in theatre starts as purely financial, but he becomes engrossed by the art of it All of those subplots act on the main plot in a very causative way - they are not just coincidental sidestories happening at the same time - and I think that interweaving is brilliant.

Agreed!

Welcome to our community, Jacqueline. You're doing a great job with these breakdowns. Thank you. Re the following: they accept that they won’t be together Coincidences have them playing their parts on the stage to say the sweet sorrow parting lines as actors and for real It reminded me so much of the final, on stage, scene of Moulin Rouge. But of course that story is a real tragedy unlike Will and Viola's story.

Is Will really the protagonist? I realize this discussion belongs under character but obviously it affects where the Act I/II/III breaks are. Intellectually, I know why Will is the protagonist - for one, his writer's block bookends the script - but it seems to me that Viola is the one who truly takes the journey and makes decisions for herself and others. Things happen to Will, his lessons learned are really applied to the future, and I think it makes him a passive hero. So to structure, following this, I would say that Act II begins when Viola enters the theater as Thomas Kent. It's the upside-down world where she has a new gender and social class and ironically discovers her womanhood.

Shakespeare in Love: major plotline points: Hook: Shakespeare searching for his muse (Will’s Goal: Muse, Love) Inciting Incident: Viola lip syncs play (Viola’s Goal: Poetry, Adventure, and Love) Plot Point 1: Will finds his Romeo. (Mission: Muse/play - underway) (Viola’s Mission: Poetry – underway) Romantic Thread: He finds his true love. (Mission: Love – underway) Pinch 1: Will looks for Thomas Kent and speaks to Urchin. (Mission: Muse/play – needs exploration) Culmination 1: Thomas kisses Will. Thomas is Viola. (Viola’s Mission: Love – underway) Midpoint: Will & Viola make love. He starts to write. (Mission: Muse – on track) Pinch 2: Will accompanies Viola & Wessex to see the Queen – Wager (Queen’s Goal: Play shows truth and nature of Love?) (Mission: Adventure – underway) Plot Point 2: Brothel – Will’s married – Marlowe’s dead (Mission: Love – in jeopardy) Culmination 2: Marlowe’s death not Will’s fault – Woman on stage – The Rose is closed (Mission: muse/play + Adventure – canceled) (N.B.: Woman = plague) Climax: Will plays Romeo – Viola plays Juliet – Tinley interrupts (Mission Love: affirmed but cannot be accomplished) Resolution: The Queen covers for Viola – Wager (Queen’s Goal: achieved) Denouement: Will & Viola Part – Will’s writes Twelfth Night (Mission: Muse – accomplished) (Mission: Love – failed?) (Mission: Adventure – has new meaning)

Yes, I totally hear you on that one, Melinda. And Scott made a comment the first day, about thinking of this as a Dual Protagonist story: http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/2011/10/gits-script-reading-and-analysis-series-%E2%80%9Cshakespeare-in-love.html#comment-108695 As I was attempting the two structural analyses I have posted here, I really was having trouble tracking the character arcs and story arcs, because they do kind of drop out while another story takes over for a while. For example the story of the play, the show must go on, dominates Acts I and III, but the romance dominates Act II. And in that romance story, I agree with you - it is not just Will the protagonist who has a desire. Viola's desire is explicitly stated (Sc16/p18): she wants poetry, love and adventure. Will also has a desire - he wants to be able to write again, and for that he needs a muse (love). But I totally agree with you, that Viola is the one who more actively goes out and seeks what she wants. But to me her final resolution, accepting her fate and leaving for Wessex, and abandoning all that she wanted, did not actually make sense with the personality we were shown. She was independent and headstrong and passionate - then suddenly just accepted that she has to marrry this guy and abandon her love. (Although I guess that result wa necessary for Will's arc, to turn him into the great Shakespeare...)

Excellent work. I love the variety of ways you bring to interpreting the story's structure. Again I do not believe there is a right way to write, and this from someone who has my own approach to a screenplay paradigm. I want to make two comments, but I only have time for one. Let me list them both so I don't forget to come back to for the second thing: * The Protagonist-Attractor story as a subplot. * Dual Protagonist vs. Protagonist / Central Character. Re the first point: In almost all romantic comedies, the romance story (Protagonist-Attractor) is not the central plot / A-story / Plotline (whatever you want to call it). Rather there is always something else going on that provides a spine for the Plotline, and the romance story is a subplot. So for instance in Working Girl, while we all remember the relationship between Tess (Melanie Griffith) and Jack (Harrison Ford), the Plotline is about Tess advancing at work, how she impersonates her boss, that whole business deal she concocts which Katharine Parker (Sigourney Weaver) steals, leading to the big board meeting at the end. That is the central plot. The romance is a subplot. Likewise in Shakespeare in Love (I would argue). The Plotline is about Will writing the play and the play being performed. The subplot is Will's relationship with Viola. There are many reasons why this arrangement is most often the case. First stories where the romance is the center of the story may work as dramas, they are hard to pull off as rom-coms (When Harry Met Sally is a rare example of one that does). Second having another plot allows you to cut away from the subplot which is hugely helpful for pacing, contrasting moods, time management, etc. Third the Plotline gives the story an ending: Almost invariably they have a clear beginning and ending. For example, in "Shakespeare," the beginning is Will trying to write the play, the middle is Will writing the play and rehearsals, leading to the ending, the performance of the play. Very neat and tidy, and allows the writers time to explore the other subplots. I'll come back to the other point which requires more time and explanation.

Are you still checking this discussion, Scott? I'm hangin' out for the Dual Protagonist point...!

Thanks for the reminder, Jacqueline. As to my point, let's acknowledge that any of these designations for narrative constructions is finally an artificial one. Characters are 'real' people in a 'real' story universe, and all that should be experienced by a script reader as an organic entity. That said there is value in both story analysis and the story-crafting process to have these tools available. So let's consider three: * Protagonist & Central Character * Co-Protagonists * Dual Protagonists PROTAGONIST & CENTRAL CHARACTER There are stories where a character’s goal creates the call for and object of the journey, but it is other characters who go through a personal metamorphosis. A great example is Little Miss Sunshine where the spine of the plot is based upon Olive’s want: To compete in the Little Miss Sunshine competition. If it weren’t for that goal, there would be no story. However Olive (Abigail Breslin) doesn’t change. Rather Richard (Greg Kinnear), Frank (Steve Carrell), and Dwayne (Paul Dano) do. We may consider this to be a case where Olive is the story’s central character, but the primary Protagonist is Richard and the secondary Protagonists are Frank and Dwayne. CO-PROTAGONISTS There are Co-Protagonist stories where two Protagonists share the journey, changing both as individuals and as a ‘couple’ (e.g.., lovers, buddies, partners). A great example of this narrative approach is Thelma & Louise. DUAL PROTAGONISTS There are Dual Protagonist stories where two Protagonists may share portions of the journey together, but their metamorphosis while influenced by the other is distinct to each. The Shawshank Redemption is an excellent example with Andy (Tim Robbins) gaining freedom, both from prison and the guilt of driving his wife away, and Red (Morgan Freeman) moving from hopelessness to hope. [There are even Multiple Protagonist stories such as The Breakfast Club, but as that doesn't pertain to Shakespeare in Love, we can save that for another time]. So what narrative construction is Shakespeare in Love? While Viola is clearly Will's Attractor, her own personal subplot -- the impending marriage to Wessex -- is significant enough to suggest she is more than just a romance figure. Not Co-Protagonists because they have their own respective storylines and their ultimate destiny separates them. So we are left with Dual Protagonists vs. Protagonist & Central Character. And while there is no right or wrong answer, I would be inclined to feel more of a resonance with the story being a Dual Protagonist one, primarily because Viola's story [wedding, playing the part of Thomas Kent, acting] is so rich and filled with content, it feels like a Protagonist story.

Thanks for this, Scott. I am still figuring this whole business of analysing stories out... but yes, that's what I felt about this one, that it was a Dual Protagonist story. So I am glad that that is how you see it too! (And partly I am so interested in this aspect of it because the one I am working on now is also a Dual Protagonist story, and I am working on how to handle that, especially their respective endings...)

But then what would you classify the original Romeo and Juliet as? In Shakespeare in Love, our protagonists have different arcs, somewhat different needs/desires, and very different and separate fates - so pretty clearly a Dual Protagonist story. But in R&J, their needs/arcs/transformations are pretty much identical: they meet, they want to be together, and their resolution is that the only way they can do that is through death. So, as you say in your "Co-Protagonist" one, above, they "share the journey." Not quite like a buddy movie,but more shared. I do totally get that these constructions or labellings are artificial, and after the fact. But I am still curious as to what you'd say about the original R&J.