The characters that operate in this world are all obsessed with getting rich and becoming famous off of William Shakespeare's new play. The nature of these characters is of desperation and greed because each wants or needs to gain something from this play, but are unaware of the power and emotion that this play will have on them.
I think that this movie is very precise and detailed because it looks as if it would closely resemble what sixteenth century England would look like physically, with the close proximity of the buildings, no sewage disposal except for out of a window, and the clothing that an actual Englishman would where back then. Also, the influence that a few individuals would have on the masses due to the power, wealth, and nobility they have (such as the Queen of England when she made her entrance and everyone dropped to their knees) is felt throughout this movie. This movie is selective in a way because it centers around "two star crossed lovers", William and Viola, two individuals from different parts of society and the deep love attraction they have with each other and the terrible pain they feel when they realize that they can not be together, much like the way Romeo and Juliet felt when they realized that they came from two different sides of society and no matter how much they loved each other, society would not let them be together. This constructed reality of sixteenth century England is very strange to me, because of the abundance of unhealthy lifestyles, the manner of clothing and speech, and the close proximity of buildings. However, if you could erase the unhealthy lifestyles by throwing in some indoor plumbing and put out some mouse and rat traps, then I could consider this time in English history a pretty interesting place to live.
If I had to look at the performance continuum, I could easily break down the theatrical performance created here in "Shakespeare in Love" and also of the performance of "Romeo and Juliet".