Taming Of The Shrew By William Shakespeare And 10 Things I Hate About You By Gil Junger

Hello and welcome respected audience of the Shakespeare Society. I would like to start today by thanking you for allowing me to speak on the topic of how the stereotypical roles of women have changed and evolved in a positive manner since the Elizabethan era. I will start by defining a few beneficial terms before discussing how Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew has been appropriated by Gil Junger’s in the 1999 movie, 10 Things I Hate About You.

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.

In the sixteenth century the role of women in society was very limited. Women were generally stereotyped as housewives and mothers. They were to be married, living their life providing for her husband and children. The patriarchal values of the Elizabethan times regarded women as the weaker sex.’ Men were considered the dominant gender and were treated with the utmost respect by females. Women were mainly restricted within the confines of their homes and were not allowed to go school or to university, but they could be educated at home by private tutors. Men were said to be the ones to provide for their families financially. Women were often seen as not intelligent. Property could not be titled in the name of a female within the family. Legally everything the female had belonged to her husband. Poor and middle class wives were kept very busy but rich women were not idle either. In a big house they had to organize and supervise the servants.

Love is represented in many shapes and ideas based on social context as well as those caught within. William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew as well as its adaptation 10 Things I Hate About You by Gil Junger, represent their respective ideas on love which shares its similarities and differences, both portraying love in their own forms. Both texts highlight the ideals of love in their context as well as one of the main courtships, Katharina and Petruchio, involved in love, portraying their values of love.

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.

In the Elizabethan period, women were subordinate to men. They were considered to be ‘inferior' beings who were controlled by their husbands, fathers or any other men in the family. Women were not allowed to hold their own opinions, views or lifestyles. Men had control of everything, some of these included money, politics, work, children, women and home.

Throughout history, gender roles have been the foundation that determines the course of a civilization. These gender roles have undergone a change over time. It is important for every society to re-evaluate its preconceived ideas of gender and determine if that is still the norm for their society. When people think of gender roles we typically have set stereotypes in our head of what that means. Much of the time, what we believe, is not what is actually true. It is often argued what is right and what is wrong.

Marriage is presented in Shakespeare?s play The Taming of the Shrew, in a complex manner allowing readers to view the play literally as a brutal taming or ironically as a subversive manifesto. Yet, Shakespeare intends to present marriage to be full of mutual love where neither male nor female dominate but compliment each other thriving together in a loved filled relationship. The portrayal of a deep understanding, which exists in an analogical relationship and the gentle transformation, which occurs in marriage, clearly outlines marriage in the play to be a celebration of a mutual love relationship within the patriarchal foundations of society.

Elizabeth’s strength, independence, and her intense willpower to assure that her marriage is coordinated only by love demonstrate the feminist portrayal of Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s desire for

Gender roles have been changing throughout the centuries with both men and women. The most and drastic change has occurred in our 21st century to women. Women are now viewed as equals in the work and home, they are able to achieve just as much as men and no longer have limits suppressing them. There have been limits put on women since the beginning of time, women were to attend to the house and children but never other responsibilities beyond that. This change in gender roles has shaped our society in numerous ways making new jobs for women and breaking through social norms. Throughout history the role of women has dramatically changed, first with women being primary caregivers and up keepers of the house to women being able to have their own careers and lastly to being equal to men and no longer being inferior to them.

10 Things I hate about you is a modern spin on Shakespeare’s play. Kat and Bianca’s father, Walter desires the best for his daughters. He restricts Bianca from dating without Kat accompanying. Bianca, the educated, popular and soft-minded of the two, is frustrated at her sister cause she won’t go to the upcoming dance. Bianca has two dates to choose between, Joey and Cameron, the two rivalling dates find a rebellious teenager, Pat who they consider may attract Kat, since Bianca cannot date without Kat accompanying. Through his bizarre and amusing attempts, Pat wins Kat’s heart.

Elizabethan society was created on the belief the woman had no right or control over their own lives. Women had no choice in what their profession would be, as a matter of fact they weren’t allowed to have a profession such as medicine, politics and law. The only places they were allowed to work were in domestic areas. This essay will be focusing on the taming of the shrew with the role of status of women and attitudes towards marriage and courtship during the Elizabethan era. In Elizabethan society, all that women were considered of was the lower end of men and the weaker gender.

William Shakespeare and Jane Austen, despite living in different time periods, were both able to highlight similar issues and stances on society in their literary works, Hamlet and Pride and Prejudice, respectively. While Shakespeare wrote during a period of history led by the ruling of a queen, the roles and lives of women were still far less than that of a man’s, especially compared to his contemporary’s era. Austen’s time period was during a time of change, yet not changing society in the way that most women would yearn for. The disparity of the two time periods that they lived in, is crucial to understanding their criticisms of society at this time. Both Austen and Shakespeare write well-developed criticisms of society’s treatment of women, how class and wealth affect the roles women are put into, and the actions

Firstly, Kat has been living a lie to the people around her by presenting a deliberate made up image of herself for example, when Kat talks to the board of the magazine and says “You’re working with the gap between reality and perception”. (pg 38),she is in a way stating her own philosophy of how to relate to other people. her face is “a mask face”(pg 42) furthermore Kat lies to herself by covering up her lack of authentic self identity by becoming her own style. When