March of 2017 brought snow, rain showers, and a great musical to Hillsdale College’s campus. This semester, the Hillsdale College theatre department performed a magnificent rendition of the classic 1950’s play, Kiss Me Kate. Thanks to my core class’s requirements, I was blessed with the golden opportunity to see a marvelous musical that brought me much joy. What is interesting about Kiss Me Kate is that is a very complex play. In fact, there are two striking aspects of the play that stand out. First, the play can be described as a play within a play. Indeed, Kiss Me Kate is both a story about struggling actors putting on a show with the threat of Chicago-eques gangsters looming over their performance and a rendition of one of William Shakespeare’s …show more content…
Before crossing the frozen tundra of Hillsdale College and sitting in one of the seats of Markel Auditorium, I had never seen a performance or been exposed to Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Or so I thought. A little known fact about myself is that I am a budding connoisseur of 1990’s romantic comedies. Halfway through the night, I felt a sense of déjà vu. I kept thinking that this play was similar to a movie I hold dear to my heart. As soon as intermission came, I pulled out my iPhone and did a quick web search. My suspicions were indeed confirmed. The 90’s classic, Ten Things I Hate About You was similar to Kiss Me Kate. Both were modern takes on William Shakespeare’s classic play. With this knowledge, I believed I was able to better appreciate both the play, plot, and …show more content…
Many critics, cynics, and general attention-seekers have attempted to claim that Kiss Me Kate is an endorsement of domestic violence, spousal abuse, and shoddy morals. Before attending the performance, I was told by a close female friend that Kiss Me Kate was notably anti-woman. After watching the performance, I have to say that her comment was most undoubtedly fake news. Those concerned with such elements should be delighted to hear that those “naughty parts” aren’t so naughty nor are they the more critical aspects of the play. Also, one must realize that even though we are leaving in 2017, the play was popular in the 1950’s and was based off of a really old Shakespearian play. Naturally then, the behaviors exhibited by the characters might irk us. The characters represent ideals and beliefs from an age different than ours. Regardless of the morality presented, this difference in periods will lead to discomfort and confusion as, news flash, things change over
William Shakespeare’s play, The Taming of the Shrew, and Gil Junger’s film, Ten Things I Hate About You, contain many elements that reflect the time period and society in which they were composed. The Taming of The Shrew strongly reflects on the idea of marriage being an economic agreement as well as the structured roles played by men and women that were prevalent in the 16th century and how gender affected the way a person can be viewed and courted in the same time period. This is contrasted by Gil Junger’s 1999 appropriation, Ten Things I Hate About You, in which modern teenage life and relationships are explored, touching on these same issues in relation to gender roles in a modern context. In this essay I will compare the roles of men and women in each text, as well as considering the difference in the two societies in terms of money, relationships and social status.
The theatrical work being discussed in this critique is the 2016 revival of the broadway musical She Loves Me. This production was directed by Scott Ellis and produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company. The first revival performance of She Loves Me took the stage on February 19th, 2016 with the final performance being on July 10th, 2016. This romantic comedy is describing the story of two pen pals who fall in love through countless letters , addressing each other as “ Dear Friend “. Set in 1930s Hungary , mainly taking place in and outside of Mr.Maraczek’s Parfumerie . Amalia Balash and Georg Nowack, work in the shop together, strongly disliking each other, but coincidentally are the two letter correspondents. When the “Dear Friends” are finally supposed to meet at the Cafe Impériale, Georg realising that his pen-pal is
“The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare, is a very notorious play that has been rewritten and turned into multiple Hollywood films. One very popular version of the famous play is the movie directed by Mr. Franco Zeffirelli. Although most think that this version is the most accurate representation of the original play, there are still many distinct differences.
To make a modern adaptation of a highly recognised 16th century play, one would have to have a perfect mix of both similarities and differences between the two, integrating elements from both eras. Junger, the director of 10 Things I Hate About You has managed to achieve this. By using many of the same characters and the same plot from Taming of the Shrew, he created a modernised appropriation of the Shakespeare play that incorporates aspects of teen society. The Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You are similar in many ways, one way they are different however is how since the Elizabethan Era the nature and role of women in society has changed considerably.
The movie 10 Things I Hate About You(1999) is a film that was based off of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew that was a popular play in the 16th
Through intertextual relationships, detecting the significant differences and transformations between William Shakespeare's play Taming of The Shrew, and Ten Things I Hate About You, a contemporary hollywood film directed by Gil Junger enriches our understandings towards cultural issues through feminist attitudes, social hierarchy and the transformation in sentiments towards love and marriage. Both texts exert compelling issues through different techniques to proclaim to the audience that women during the 16th century were seen as obsequious, however Ten Things I Hate About You, an allusion of Taming of the Shrew, enriches our understanding of these gender role issues by proclaiming that we must reject blatant consumerism. Among this, issues of class and love are explored, and through a historical reading I was able to depict the changes in values and cultures between the production of both texts.
The Taming of the Shrew, written by William Shakespeare, is historical proof that flirting and temptation, relating to the opposite sex, has been around since the earliest of times. Because males and females continue to interact, the complications in this play remain as relevant and humorous today as they did to Elizabethan audiences. This is a very fun play, full of comedy and sexual remarks. It's lasting impression imprints itself into the minds of its readers, for it is an unforgettable story of sex, flirting, and happiness. The Taming of the Shrew remains as relevant today because of its relation to the age-old story of the battle of the sexes and dynamics of marriage, as well as the woman's struggle with both of these.
The theatrical play of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ (1594) and the live action film ’10 Things I Hate About You’ (1999) are clearly similar in many ways (as the drama film is a modern adaptation of the classic Shakespearean text), these similarities can be recognized through themes which point out scenes, quotes and/or effects both text types share with each other. Themes include, Gender Politics/Roles, Romantic Relationships and Social Hierarchy (social status/class). The themes of Gender Politics and Social Hierarchy support the precisely represented similarities both text types share, highlighting the enduring provenance of these concerns over time.
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.
The movie 10 Things I Hate About You is a movie based on Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew as well as the movie based on the play that goes by the same name. These movies both have completely different messages and storylines but the fact that they both where inspired and based on the same play meant that there were bound to be some similarities between the two. The movie 10 Things I Hate About You is undoubtedly easier to understand and relate to, as the
There have been many Shakespearean plays that have been made into movies throughout the years. One that may not be so easy to come across is “Kiss Me Kate”. This movie stars Kathryn Gayson ,as Lilli Vanessi, and Howard Keel, as Fred Graham. This is a adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” The movie contains a story with in a story. The movie is about a man, named Fred Graham, who makes a recreation of the famous play. Many of the characters portray real life people who are some what identical to those in the play. The movie illustrates Shakespeare’s characters as he intended them to be and gives the viewer a good idea of what
The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's most famous plays, and has weathered well into our modern era. For all the praises it has garnered throughout the centuries, it is curious to note that many have considered it to be one of his most controversial in his treatment of women. The "taming" of Katherine has been contended as being excessively cruel by many writers and critics of the modern era. George Bernard Shaw himself pressed for its banning during the 19th century. The subservience of Katherine has been labeled as barbaric, antiquated, and generally demeaning. The play centers on her and her lack of suitors. It establishes in the first act her shrewish demeanor and its repercussions on her family. It is only with the introduction of the witty Petruchio as her suitor, that one begins to see an evolution in her character. Through an elaborate charade of humiliating behavior, Petruchio humbles her and by the end
Many describe Shakespeare’s works as timeless because, throughout several centuries, they have maintained a certain level of validity in their representation of society. This timelessness, however, is dependent upon the interpretations of the pieces and the transformations that they undertake when transcribed to the stage or film. The movie, 10 Thing I Hate About You, transforms the 16th century play into a late 20th century film in order to present Shakespeare’s ideas in a way that the people of modern times can best receive them. Due to the enormous differences between the 16th and the 20th centuries, Shakespeare’s original words are abandoned almost entirely, however, the deeper meaning remains very similar.
Shakespeare’s use of her soliloquy was in context of an entertainment to the audience and to shock them with her new outlook on life. Kate’s speech does not reflect a tamed shrew,
The Kiss is a short story written by Kate Chopin. The Kiss is a short story about a woman called Nathalie (Nattie) scheming to marry a wealthy man which is Brantain. However, she is having an affair with Mr. Harvy. Kate Chopin uses different themes such as Money over love, Exploitation, and Acceptance. These themes are represented to show that you can’t always have two things at once. Kate Chopin uses these themes to show that certain situations can make a person accept that they cannot always have two relationships at once. Kate Chopin uses a variety of techniques throughout the story to highlight the idea of the three themes. The techniques Chopin used were imagery, irony and simile.