Taming Of The Shrew

Taming Of The Shrew

Is it possible that the ideal male figure has changed overtime?
As an actor of the arts and a former Petruchio it is inevitable to distinguish the true change in society. Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and its modern appropriation Ten things I hate about you is a clear illustration of how texts convey the issues and values present in the cultural and context of the time. The Taming of the Shrew is set in Renaissance Italy almost four centuries before its appropriation Ten thing I Hate bout you placed in upper-middle class Seattle. The two texts share a common plot and explore similar issues; however the responses given between each text differ as societal values have changed over time. For example, romantic relationships are valued differently in a modern context as opposed to Shakespeare’s contemporise where the female was expected to submit herself to the man in a martial hierarchy and economic institution common referred as the dowry.   Nowadays, love is valued as the best foundation for a relationship where partners can be independent from one another. It is evident that these differing values in Elizabethan and modern society are reflected in the character’s relationship within each text. Social pressures are a recurring issues throughout both texts where each character has a defined social position and is expected to behave accordingly. While the film ten things I hate about you is making a rebellious statement against the patriarchal values of society, it is unclear whether Shakespeare is mocking or idealising Elizabethan values. Shakespeare’s play expresses its social values through language forms and features such as diction and imagery. Ten things conveys modern society through the use of characterisation and creating subtext through film techniques such as visual imagery, soundtrack and symbolism.

In the Taming of the Shrew, the characters portray a comedic battle of the sexes where the institution of marriage serves as the battleground. The...