History Film / Anonymous2011

** At a gathering of playwrights, the idea of a play entirely in iambic pentameter is treated as revolutionary. Writing plays in verse was the common way of doing it back then. Shakespeare himself wrote four plays entirely in verse: (Henry VI Part 1, Henry VI Part 3, King John, and Richard II)

** At a gathering of playwrights, the idea of a play entirely in iambic pentameter is treated as revolutionary. Not only did Shakespeare write only one play entirely in that form (''Richard II''), but writing plays in verse was the common way of doing it back then.

!! The film invokes the following tropes:

** Also ArtisticLicenseBiology, the Tudor Rose was not an ''actual'' flower, unlike what's depicted in the movie. It was merely a heraldic logo meant to depict the union of the House of Lancaster (whose emblem was a red rose) and the House of York (who used a white rose).

* AnythingThatMoves: UsefulNotes/ElizabethI is "The Virgin Queen" InNameOnly in this film.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory[=/=]BasedOnAGreatBigLie: Depends on whether you're a Stratfordian or Anti-Stratfordian-historians favor the former mostly.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Yes, Shakespeare trutherism really does exists, and dates as far back as the turn of the 20th century. Many of the conspiracy theories presented here are ones held by real people, who refer to themselves as "Anti-Stratfordians." [[spoiler: And yes, a lot of Oxfordians believe the incest thing really happened.]]

** Also, that Queen Elizabeth was not a virgin but had several bastard children. [[spoiler:[[RefugeInAudacity And that Edward De Vere was her bastard son]] [[IncestIsRelative who she then had sex with.]] Who fathered ''another'' one of the Queen's bastards.]]

* AnonymousAuthor: Edward, before Shakespeare starts taking credit for his plays.

** Creator/WilliamShakespeare was an uncouth, foul, egotiscal buffoon and [[spoiler:murderer of Christopher Marlowe.]]

** Also ArtisticLicenseBiology, the Tudor Rose was not an ''actual'' flower, unlike what's depicted in the movie. It just a heraldic logo meant to depict the union of the House of Lancaster (whose emblem was a red rose) and the House of York (who used a white rose).
** While it's certainly up for debate if the "Virgin Queen" really was a virgin, popping out tons of bastard children to the point that she lost count without anyone noticing would be rather difficult given that the Queen has to actually, you know, ''physically undergo nine months of pregnancy followed by childbirth.'' Also note that Elizabeth regularly made a point of baring her belly precisely to demonstrate that she WAS a virgin, and not pregnant.

* DownerEnding: The fraudulent Shakespeare winds up taking credit for all of De Vere's work, De Vere is a failure as both a playwright and a human being, and Elizabeth dies without a legitimate heir, marking the end of the Tudor line. The only upside is that James I likes theater and so Robert Cecil can't stamp out De Vere's work entirely.

** The Tudor Rose was not an ''actual'' flower, unlike what's depicted in the movie. It just a heraldic logo meant to depict the union of the House of Lancaster (whose emblem was a red rose) and the House of York (who used a white rose).

* DownerEnding: The fraudulent Shakespeare winds up taking credit for all of De Vere's work, De Vere is a failure as both a playwright and a human being, and Elizabeth dies without a legitimate heir, marking the end of the Tudor line.
* EvilChancellor: William and Robert Cecil.

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