"Shakespeare in Love" dir. John Madden

As women were supposed to be graceful and proper in Shakespeare's time, they were prohibited from doing things of a manly nature. Not only that, they were seen as inferior to men. Lady Viola's character is a representation of the socio-political gender role struggle that females faced in the late 16th century. The writers of the film address the acting issue in a comical way: in one scene Shakespeare grabs his male Juliet's crotch to straighten out his pitch, and many of the other males playing females (especially the nurse) look utterly ridiculous playing women. Ironically, the female playing the male does so with grace. Moreover, she must marry Lord Wessex for propriety's sake. While the film breezily pokes fun at the foolish austerity of the time, it also dramatically conveys the hopeless reality for Lady Viola.