This movie helped me gain a deep respect for Shakespeare while questioning my assumptions about love. Love is a big motivator for many people including Shakespeare who is inspired by Viola to write Romeo and Juliet.

Romeo and Juliet has always been my favorite play by Shakespeare. I admired their dedication to each other and the power of love, killing themselves over one another in the end is a grand expression of love to me. Thus, I was disappointed in the movie when the two lovers ended up going their separate ways. This may be a lot more realistic, but it was painful for me to watch.

I learned that there are many circumstances that play into love and that those circumstances cannot be avoided in the real world. However, the power of love is not diminished by the movie. We clearly see how a singular woman has inspired a young Shakespeare to write, translating his feelings he felt for Viola into a play. Even in today’s culture, much of our art is inspired by love and stories of love, from music to movies to novels.

Love is an irrational force that makes us all human, learning to channel its powers will help each of us achieve what we want to achieve in life.