Appropriation of a Key Text from the Past Critical Essay - William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew

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Year 11
Preliminary Assessment Task
English Extension

Vivienne Tran

11EF

Appropriation of a Key Text from the Past Critical Essay

YEAR 11 PRELIMINARY EXTENSION ENGLISH

William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew raises many important issues, reflecting the context of the times it was composed and their values. In its modern 20th century reproduction, 10 Things I Hate About You, many of these issues are appropriated into different and also similar values and themes with the same relevance it has in the society.

The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare’s earliest comedies, focusing on courtship and marriage, while also sharing the essential characteristics of a romantic comedy – disguise, deception, slapstick humour and a happy ending. The concerns of married life and in turn the roles of men and women in the society, would have been particularly relevant to English audiences of the Elizabethan times. An important issue regarding Elizabethan marriages of mainly upper class society would have been the motives behind these: that being money, land and power. In the play, Baptista chooses the suitor to his daughter Bianca by their offer of wealth.

“’Tis deeds must win the prize, and he of both

That can assure my daughter the greatest dower

Shall have my Bianca’s love.” (line 331, Act II, Scene 1)

Thus, what you own and acquire in a marriage pre-determined the outcomes of marital disputes in such a society. However, 10 Things introduces a more suitable and readily accepted theme - love. The thought of marriage for wealth and power and ‘purchasing’ a wife, today, is something greatly frowned apon. In the film, the payment of Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to date Katherina ‘Kat’ Stratford (Julia Stiles) was seen as something extremely offensive and wrong, while Bianca freely chose her date out of attraction and love. This illustrates the changed values and nature of relationships between men and women since the 16th century.

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It seems that Shakespeare confirms the traditional view that men should dominate and that women should submit to their authority in his play, The Taming of the Shrew. All the characters, excluding Katherina, appear to agree on the assumed social roles of gender and that her ‘shrewish’ behaviour is unacceptable. Yet, in the end she had transformed and even gave a speech proclaiming female submission and male dominance.

“…thy lord, thy king, thy governor…

Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,

Thy head, thy sovereign;…”  (Line 146, Act V, Scene II)

However, in the film appropriation, ...

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