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Shakespeare in Love Gender Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Shakespeare in Love.

Quote #4

WILL: Your voice, have it dropped?

SAM: No, no, a touch of cold only.

The men playing women don't have it easy in the theatre. Their careers have a short lifespan. This line foreshadows Sam's voice change, and the end of his ability to play female roles on stage.

Quote #5

VIOLA: I will do my duty, my lord.

Not all the gender issues in this film take place on stage. This one takes place off. As a woman, Viola is not only banned from acting, but she is bound to the whims of her father and Lord Wessex. She is less a person and more like a piece of property to be traded.

Quote #6

VIOLA: I do not know how to undress a man.

WILL: It is strange to me, too.

This is a funny little scene after "Thomas Kent" reveals his true identity as Viola. We don't often see this part of a gender bending comedy, and it adds a bit of levity to a romantic situation.