Taming Of The Shrew Appropriation Essay
Extension English Assignment – Appropriation texts of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and ‘Ten Things I Hate About You’
“Appropriation has merit in exposing the influence of context in maintaining or changing cultural values”
With the practice of taking older texts and transforming characters, plots, themes and situations, they are able to be translated into a more modern context in which younger generations are able to understand. But inevitably when an appropriation is viewed, we are aware that values have changed over time. This appropriation can modified to express themes from William Shakespeare’s, ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and its appropriation ‘Ten Things I Hate about You’. The values of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ can be translated towards ‘Ten Things I Hate about you.’ These values that are explored both texts are marriage, parenting and self identity.
With ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ we are introduced to the Minola family consisting of Baptista, a wealth widower who is left to raise his two daughters; both daughters are of marriage age. With one compliant Bianca with many suitors after her, Baptista is unable to marry her until her older sister, Katherina is married. But due to Katherina’s shrewish behaviors she is too ‘wild and violent’ for any suitor.
With the 15th century, a woman’s …show more content…
role and destiny in Italy was to be married for financial stability and comfort rather than be married for love, the father’s main role in the household would to aim to see his daughters suitably married to a man who is wealthy. In the earlier segment of the play, Baptista is very conceited at the thought of his oldest daughter Katherina demonstrating rebellious, resentful and violent reactions to others. With her insulting language shown to Hortensio in scene one, this is shown and asserts her tempestuous image and nature, “To comb your noodle with a tree legged stool and paint your face and use you like a fool.”
From the threatening language used Kate is labeled to be ‘stark-mad’ and from this we can empathize with Baptista’s dilemma concerning Katherina. Baptista is meant to represent an authorative figure that is essentially prepared to “sell off” his daughters to the highest bidder without their constant or a particular care for his daughter’s implications. This is shown easily with Baptista’s easy and happy consent to Katherina marrying Petruchio and allowing him to have a huge dowry due to him marrying her. This also shown that women are implied to be child-rearers and home makers, that they were not allowed to work due it being considered taboo due to lack of education. With divorce considered taboo in the 15th century, many marriages were unhappy and were forced to work out the differences so that would be able to become happy; and that the couple would be more inclined to get along.
With ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and ‘Ten Things I hate about you’ there is a large contrast on how the theme of marriage has changed to fit the context. Marriage in the modern context is no longer marrying for stability and wealth but more about love. This is also shown easily in ‘Ten Things’ with the Stratford family only having father and two daughters. Early on in the beginning it is easy to see that there is a friction due to the mother leaving. With the concept of marriage changed due to the introduction of feminism, women have a more equal role in the marriage and that they do not have to just be home-makers and child-rearers, they are able to work and that their domestic activities are not as defined. As seen in ‘Ten Things’ divorce and remarried is very common which implies that the quality of the relationship does not always last, in the case of the Stratford’s this is evidently seen with the mother leaving the family and starting a new life.
A strong focus within “Ten Things I Hate about You” is the sense of courtship between a male and female with the view of sifting out the essential ingredients which can help a relationship to work and also to make it successful. These values are proposed as honesty, trust and a caring nature. Money is not a consideration with a relationship due to woman being self sufficient and also the father’s authority to choose partners in ‘Ten Things’ is almost non-exsistant as the emphasis in society is strongly placed on a romantic love where people’s rights to fall in love are humored. It also subtly expected that people are to marry within their social class rather than marrying above or below their social class.
Romance in “The Taming of the Shrew” is implied rather than greatly explored, although the love between Bianca and Lucentio is said to be implied and they then proceeded to claim mutual love for each other. This love of Bianca’s and Lucentio’s; contrasts between Katherina and Petruchios’ whose marriage is said to be loveless due to it being an arranged marriage. This marriage between the two is witnessed by the audience seeing Katherina learning obedience and Petruchio becoming the “master” over her. This power of male hierarchy resembles the structure of marriages in the 15th century of the society that they lived in.
Romance within “Ten Things I Hate about You” is not portrayed as an easy and straight forward path, it is more about people earning trust and having the need to be forgiven before progress between the couple can be made. An example of this is Kat having to forgive Patrick originally intent of perusing her due to payment and her over prejudiced attitude towards to Cameron. The movie contrasts with “Taming of the Shrew” due it being more based on fulfillment, happiness and finding a compatible partner which can bring on a personal rather than a social level. With the introduction of feminism in to today’s modern society, relationships have a more even power structure rather than with the male dominated relationship with the “Taming of the Shrew”. “Ten Things I Hate about You” does not offer inequality but definite equality between the sexes with the power being mutually divided and argued upon with the use of negotiation. Also with “Ten Things”, it offers an insight into modern life is like which offers personal growth which allows the person look upon their past mistaken attitudes and rectify them. This is shown with Kat when she realizes that her strong feminist views to Joey’s opportunism have caused her to push people away and also caused her to distrust men; with this realization she softens her attitude to Patrick Verona and learns to trust him.
With the introduction with feminism in today’s modern society, we are able to see that the views on parenting have changed compared to how they were in the 15th century. This is easily seen with Waltor Stratford trying to maintain an authorative figure over his two daughters and often failing with Kat. This is easily contrasted to “The Taming of the Shrew” with Baptista having complete control over both his daughters and choosing who and when they are married to. With the complete control of parenting we can see that Baptista only wants what is best for his daughters even though it often results in anger and violent behavior from Katherina. With Katherina’s behavior we can easily see why Bianca is Baptista’s favourite due to her compliant nature which often causes more violence and “shrewish” behavior from Katherina.
Shown within “The Taming of the Shrew” we are easily able to see that Baptista was willing to “sell off” his daughter to the highest bidder if it resulted her living comfortable even it results in her anger, resentment or even sadness at being sold off to the possibility of living in loveless marriage.
This is easily compared to Waltor Stratford in “Ten Things I Hate About You” with him only wanting his daughters to be happy but not wanting to them leave him. He is constantly worried about his daughters becoming pregnant and his job as obstratriction enforcing these views. Mr Stratford is seen as an anxious father who loves his daughters but constantly worries about
them.
Appropriation can change context and themes over time to fit modern context, this is easily shown with the use of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” and its modern did appropriation, “Ten Things I Hate about You”. We are able to see that the themes which are used within “Taming” are able to be taken and altered so that younger generations are able to understand and identify with “Ten Things” and the characters situations rather than having a lack of understanding when it comes to Shakespeare. This appropriation still holds meaning and is able to continued used with generations and still be able to connect. Also with the introduction we are able to see the change which has happened with the themes and how they have also changed to fit with the modern concept of feminism rather than stay the same.
“Appropriation has merit in exposing the influence of context in maintaining or changing cultural values”
With the practice of taking older texts and transforming characters, plots, themes and situations, they are able to be translated into a more modern context in which younger generations are able to understand. But inevitably when an appropriation is viewed, we are aware that values have changed over time. This appropriation can modified to express themes from William Shakespeare’s, ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and its appropriation ‘Ten Things I Hate about You’. The values of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ can be translated towards ‘Ten Things I Hate about you.’ These values that are explored both texts are marriage, parenting and self identity.
With ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ we are introduced to the Minola family consisting of Baptista, a wealth widower who is left to raise his two daughters; both daughters are of marriage age. With one compliant Bianca with many suitors after her, Baptista is unable to marry her until her older sister, Katherina is married. But due to Katherina’s shrewish behaviors she is too ‘wild and violent’ for any suitor.
With the 15th century, a woman’s …show more content…
role and destiny in Italy was to be married for financial stability and comfort rather than be married for love, the father’s main role in the household would to aim to see his daughters suitably married to a man who is wealthy. In the earlier segment of the play, Baptista is very conceited at the thought of his oldest daughter Katherina demonstrating rebellious, resentful and violent reactions to others. With her insulting language shown to Hortensio in scene one, this is shown and asserts her tempestuous image and nature, “To comb your noodle with a tree legged stool and paint your face and use you like a fool.”
From the threatening language used Kate is labeled to be ‘stark-mad’ and from this we can empathize with Baptista’s dilemma concerning Katherina. Baptista is meant to represent an authorative figure that is essentially prepared to “sell off” his daughters to the highest bidder without their constant or a particular care for his daughter’s implications. This is shown easily with Baptista’s easy and happy consent to Katherina marrying Petruchio and allowing him to have a huge dowry due to him marrying her. This also shown that women are implied to be child-rearers and home makers, that they were not allowed to work due it being considered taboo due to lack of education. With divorce considered taboo in the 15th century, many marriages were unhappy and were forced to work out the differences so that would be able to become happy; and that the couple would be more inclined to get along.
With ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and ‘Ten Things I hate about you’ there is a large contrast on how the theme of marriage has changed to fit the context. Marriage in the modern context is no longer marrying for stability and wealth but more about love. This is also shown easily in ‘Ten Things’ with the Stratford family only having father and two daughters. Early on in the beginning it is easy to see that there is a friction due to the mother leaving. With the concept of marriage changed due to the introduction of feminism, women have a more equal role in the marriage and that they do not have to just be home-makers and child-rearers, they are able to work and that their domestic activities are not as defined. As seen in ‘Ten Things’ divorce and remarried is very common which implies that the quality of the relationship does not always last, in the case of the Stratford’s this is evidently seen with the mother leaving the family and starting a new life.
A strong focus within “Ten Things I Hate about You” is the sense of courtship between a male and female with the view of sifting out the essential ingredients which can help a relationship to work and also to make it successful. These values are proposed as honesty, trust and a caring nature. Money is not a consideration with a relationship due to woman being self sufficient and also the father’s authority to choose partners in ‘Ten Things’ is almost non-exsistant as the emphasis in society is strongly placed on a romantic love where people’s rights to fall in love are humored. It also subtly expected that people are to marry within their social class rather than marrying above or below their social class.
Romance in “The Taming of the Shrew” is implied rather than greatly explored, although the love between Bianca and Lucentio is said to be implied and they then proceeded to claim mutual love for each other. This love of Bianca’s and Lucentio’s; contrasts between Katherina and Petruchios’ whose marriage is said to be loveless due to it being an arranged marriage. This marriage between the two is witnessed by the audience seeing Katherina learning obedience and Petruchio becoming the “master” over her. This power of male hierarchy resembles the structure of marriages in the 15th century of the society that they lived in.
Romance within “Ten Things I Hate about You” is not portrayed as an easy and straight forward path, it is more about people earning trust and having the need to be forgiven before progress between the couple can be made. An example of this is Kat having to forgive Patrick originally intent of perusing her due to payment and her over prejudiced attitude towards to Cameron. The movie contrasts with “Taming of the Shrew” due it being more based on fulfillment, happiness and finding a compatible partner which can bring on a personal rather than a social level. With the introduction of feminism in to today’s modern society, relationships have a more even power structure rather than with the male dominated relationship with the “Taming of the Shrew”. “Ten Things I Hate about You” does not offer inequality but definite equality between the sexes with the power being mutually divided and argued upon with the use of negotiation. Also with “Ten Things”, it offers an insight into modern life is like which offers personal growth which allows the person look upon their past mistaken attitudes and rectify them. This is shown with Kat when she realizes that her strong feminist views to Joey’s opportunism have caused her to push people away and also caused her to distrust men; with this realization she softens her attitude to Patrick Verona and learns to trust him.
With the introduction with feminism in today’s modern society, we are able to see that the views on parenting have changed compared to how they were in the 15th century. This is easily seen with Waltor Stratford trying to maintain an authorative figure over his two daughters and often failing with Kat. This is easily contrasted to “The Taming of the Shrew” with Baptista having complete control over both his daughters and choosing who and when they are married to. With the complete control of parenting we can see that Baptista only wants what is best for his daughters even though it often results in anger and violent behavior from Katherina. With Katherina’s behavior we can easily see why Bianca is Baptista’s favourite due to her compliant nature which often causes more violence and “shrewish” behavior from Katherina.
Shown within “The Taming of the Shrew” we are easily able to see that Baptista was willing to “sell off” his daughter to the highest bidder if it resulted her living comfortable even it results in her anger, resentment or even sadness at being sold off to the possibility of living in loveless marriage.
This is easily compared to Waltor Stratford in “Ten Things I Hate About You” with him only wanting his daughters to be happy but not wanting to them leave him. He is constantly worried about his daughters becoming pregnant and his job as obstratriction enforcing these views. Mr Stratford is seen as an anxious father who loves his daughters but constantly worries about
them.
Appropriation can change context and themes over time to fit modern context, this is easily shown with the use of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” and its modern did appropriation, “Ten Things I Hate about You”. We are able to see that the themes which are used within “Taming” are able to be taken and altered so that younger generations are able to understand and identify with “Ten Things” and the characters situations rather than having a lack of understanding when it comes to Shakespeare. This appropriation still holds meaning and is able to continued used with generations and still be able to connect. Also with the introduction we are able to see the change which has happened with the themes and how they have also changed to fit with the modern concept of feminism rather than stay the same.