Comparison between She's the Man and Twelfth Night

She’s the Man When we think of the story of Cinderella, about eight different variations of the story from different times and cultures come to mind. Nevertheless, the varying renditions of the stories fail to take away from the overall moral of the story (yes, dreams do come true). Somehow, the same understanding is forgotten as more and more people recreate literary classics. The film “She’s the Man” is a modern adaption of the Shakespearian comedy Twelfth Night. At first glance, the film and play share apparent congruities; however the differences and alterations that the screenplay writer and director have laid on top of the original play has transformed this traditional play in order to fit the mold and taste of modern audiences. Nonetheless, the film adaptation of Shakespeare’s play serves to entertain the masses, just with a modern twist. “She’s the Man” fits nicely into the realm of high-school-chick-flick-romantic-comedy with Amanda Bynes playing Viola. The subject material of the movie stems further than the mere play for the holiday season in old Elizabethan time. On the surface, the play and movie share a lot in common. For starters, the names and roles of the main characters are kept the same. Both stories take place in Illyria—the name of the city conveniently is named the same as the school in the film. The movie, however, focuses much more on the awkward high school encounters, romantic comedy and empowerment to women. This can be seen by comparing the act five scene one of the play to the resolution in the film. Recall that in the play, the scene opens in total chaos. Orsino thinks his loyal subject, Cesario, has betrayed him and wants him dead. Antonio, Sebastian’s faithful companion, having been a wanted man in Illyria, has been arrested and blames Sebastian for thievery. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew have started trouble with Sebastian. In the film, on the other hand, only one of these conflicts remains: Orsino’s fury with Sebastian.