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, male dominance is reduced to an equilibrium and alternatively focused on the strong positive women’s roles. Although the father, Walter (Larry Miller), still has responsibility and authority of his daughters, it is different to the Baptista’s prerogative. The father is playing a paternalistic role. The daughters fall as victims of the power the father possesses and the rules he determines and enforces. Yet this power is minimised in the film and he becomes the “spectator” in his daughters’ lives. “You know, fathers don't like to admit it when their daughters are capable of running their own lives. It means we've become spectators. Bianca still lets me play a few innings. You've had me on the bench for years.” He says to Kat. This suggests the ways and levels that parents have come to understand of accepting individuality and independence of their children, where in the film, the father finally accepts Kat’s independence and approves her studying at Sara Lawrence.
In many Shakespearean works, the father is often entitled to give his daughter away in marriage to whoever he prefers. Since patriarchal values have since then been abandoned and today, we adopt the idea of ‘equality of the sexes’ and the shifting roles of women in a society. Shakespeare’s audience expected the idealised woman to be acquiescent, passive and “below their husbands foot”. However, Bianca from 10 Things is admired not for these reasons. Although adopting the identity as the ‘ideal woman’ empowers both Bianca’s with popularity, the definition and values of ‘ideal’ has ever since changed as the film illustrates the perception of ideal young women as beautiful and fashionable. Hence, Kat in 10 Things, is marginalised for being rebellious, difficult and different, “Why should I live up to people’s expectations and not my own.”, who was unlike the Taming Katherina who possessed none of the submissive attributes. She was branded as a ‘shrew’ – a name, in the Patriarchal society, used to indicate a domineering, sharp-tongued woman or those who resist the assumed authority of their husbands.
Not only is the freedom that Kat acquires in the film is particularly significant, but the degree that she submits and conforms is also relevant. In the Taming, Katherina was tamed “…from a wild Kate to a Kate
Conformable as other household Kates.” (Line 269, Act II, Scene 1)
The modern Kat has considerable power of her social position that being able to object to unfair treatment and the capability to walk away from Patrick, contrasting to Katherina in Taming where she is denied any freedom and have little choice but to obey Petruchio. 10 Things I Hate About You could also be seen as a feminist interpretation of the play, evident with references to Sylvia Plath, Kat’s reading, music interests and taste in universities. These references reflect the growing and changing view of women and the importance of their roles in modern society.
Walter’s obsessive behaviour, thinking that his daughters would become pregnant once dating, is reasonable as a father. His thinking reflects the modern society’s much confused view of the association of teenagers dating and sex. This is simply evident with the prosthetic pregnant stomach he keeps by the door. However, from Bianca and Kat’s point of view, we understand that this is not always the case. Joey personality affirms the father’s assumption that dating leads to sex, whereas Cameron defies this belief.
William Shakespeare is universally famous for his ingenious uses of language to communicate a message effectively, reflecting the culture and values of its context. On the other hand, the language used in the film, 10 Things I Hate About You is changed to the context of modern day society, exemplifying the connotation of ‘trash’ and simplicity of modern communication. Throughout The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare uses motifs as literary devices to highlight the major themes.
The motif of disguise and deception is used where Lucentio and Hortensio dress as tutors, Tranio as Lucentio, the Merchant as Vincentio and in the induction, Sly dresses as a lord, allowing them to cross social positions and classes. The play questions whether a person can change roles by putting on new clothes and is consequently answered when the supposed Lucentio is exposed by the real Vincentio as Tranio. This reinforces the clear social division between upper and lower classes in the Elizabethan society.
Petruchio’s domestication of Katherina and use of the ‘falconry’ imagery reoccur throughout the play. She is constantly referred to as a wild animal, where Petruchio as the tamer, calls her a “falcon”. The perceptions of the roles of men and women have changed since the 16th century. Women were like falcons who were to be controlled and tamed by the falconer, men, where the audience would find this relevant and agreeable.
The medium of production was adapted to the context of the times, appealing to the intended audiences. Although Taming of the Shrew was originally written as a theatrical play, Gil Junger produced 10 Things I Hate About You as a film, reflecting the change in values of entertainment. Using film as a medium of delivering his appropriation, with the advanced visual features that can be created, is able to use features of the story in different ways that were once restricted by the simplicity of the Elizabethan stage theatre. Scenes of greater action are more attractive to modern audiences, especially adolescents - the targeted audience of the film.
The context of the time and the audience determines the values and themes that a text addresses. 10 Things I Hate About You alters the issues that are not relevant today, from Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew to something that is appropriate to satisfy the levels of expectations of a film’s suitability to modern 20th century.
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