 Viola asks Will, "Are you the author of the plays of William  Shakespeare?" This is a hint at the modern day speculation whether  the works of Shakespeare were really written by him, or whether some  nobleman (or another famous author) used his identity as a  pseudonym. The film also manages to provide theoretical sources for  the two prevailing academic theories about Shakespeares  inspirations for many of the sonnets: that they were written either  for an extramarital mistress or a male lover.