Taming of the Shrew/ 10 Things I Hate About You
The story of The Taming of the Shrew is one that raises important issues both in the Shakespearean text and in the modern appropriation 10 Things I Hate About You.
How does each composer's use of this story reflect the time in which each was composed"
The Taming of the Shrew was written in the Elizabethan Era in England at a time when men were considered to be superior to women. The patriarchal society of this time is reflected to a large extent in the text and various implications of traditional values can be noted.
The modern appropriation, Ten Things I Hate About You, goes along the same story line however it is quite evident that the different context has a significant impact upon the content.
The most obvious indicator of the type of society is given through the medium that each text is presented in.
The Taming of the Shrew is a play and was staged for audiences during the early 17th century. The fact that Shakespeare chose to write a play rather than, say, a comic strip or screenplay, indicated that it was the most popular form of entertainment at the time. The best way for Shakespeare to have his work known was through the most popular form of entertainment.
The language of the text is another tell-tale sign of the type of culture prevalent in Shakespeare's era. Shakespearean English is used, which is much more poetic and refined than our present day dialect, hence the people in society had quite sophisticated speech.
In the film Ten Things I Hate About You, the language is fairly colloquial and rough-edged. Kat is called a 'heinous bitch' by her peers, and the Principal of the school, someone in an authoritative position, has no problem with relaying that information to Kat. This is a large contrast to the Katherina of the Shakespearean text, whom others called a 'shrew' and a 'wild beast'.
This exposes the crude English that society has developed, and that is being used by teenagers. The fact that a person in a position of power doesn't
How does each composer's use of this story reflect the time in which each was composed"
The Taming of the Shrew was written in the Elizabethan Era in England at a time when men were considered to be superior to women. The patriarchal society of this time is reflected to a large extent in the text and various implications of traditional values can be noted.
The modern appropriation, Ten Things I Hate About You, goes along the same story line however it is quite evident that the different context has a significant impact upon the content.
The most obvious indicator of the type of society is given through the medium that each text is presented in.
The Taming of the Shrew is a play and was staged for audiences during the early 17th century. The fact that Shakespeare chose to write a play rather than, say, a comic strip or screenplay, indicated that it was the most popular form of entertainment at the time. The best way for Shakespeare to have his work known was through the most popular form of entertainment.
The language of the text is another tell-tale sign of the type of culture prevalent in Shakespeare's era. Shakespearean English is used, which is much more poetic and refined than our present day dialect, hence the people in society had quite sophisticated speech.
In the film Ten Things I Hate About You, the language is fairly colloquial and rough-edged. Kat is called a 'heinous bitch' by her peers, and the Principal of the school, someone in an authoritative position, has no problem with relaying that information to Kat. This is a large contrast to the Katherina of the Shakespearean text, whom others called a 'shrew' and a 'wild beast'.
This exposes the crude English that society has developed, and that is being used by teenagers. The fact that a person in a position of power doesn't