Struggling playwright Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is under immense pressure to complete "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter." Globe Theatre owner Phillip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush) needs to make money on the play, other writers are stealing his glory, and his muse is cheating on him. His writer’s block is lifted when he meets the beautiful and wealthy Viola de Lessops (Gwyneth Paltrow). Viola is engaged to marry the cruel lord Wessex (Colin Firth) but harbors secret dreams of being an actor--a career forbidden to women. Viola pretends to be a boy to win the role of Romeo and she and Will fall in love. Their romance proves to be the inspiration Will needs to transform his play into the masterpiece "Romeo and Juliet."