Although I have read Taming of the Shrew before, I enjoyed
it in the Tenth grade, I can't say I understood all the sexual innuendos and a
lot of the commentary was just foreign to me because we aren't exposed to
Shakespeare enough. I didn't read anything by Shakespeare until 9th grade. That's what we need to do, though, is expose students to
Shakespeare earlier. I think schools should definitely integrate Shakespeare in Middle School curriculum. Some of the more basic plays and most widely read Romeo and Juliet.
For example, when I read Taming of the Shrew, we spent so much time trying to decipher the language that we missed much of what it was really about. Plus our teacher was not very fond of the modern adaption, whereas I thought it was a good adaption, even then (and that was 7 years ago and I'm making myself feel old).
For example, when I read Taming of the Shrew, we spent so much time trying to decipher the language that we missed much of what it was really about. Plus our teacher was not very fond of the modern adaption, whereas I thought it was a good adaption, even then (and that was 7 years ago and I'm making myself feel old).
Personally, I love the story. Though it is debated whether
it is even a love story at all. I say that it is not about taming Kate,
but it appears to be. Don't get me wrong, in all appearances it is, but that's
what the whole story is about, appearances. What people appear to be may not be
who they really are. In other words, Kate is not a shrew and Bianca is not a
sweet little girl, in fact, they are quite the opposite, they just choose to
show the other side of themselves.
An updated adaption of the play 10 Things I Hate About You was made into a movie starring Heath
Ledger and Julia Stiles.
The Good:
It gives a little more depth to Kate’s character as well as
Petrucchio’s whose name is changed to the more modern Patrick. Plus the acting is pretty good, though I may be biased because I think that Heath Ledger is a great actor, it's sad that he passed away before he could keep trying new roles! Julia Stiles does a good job of interpreting Kate's character as well. She portrays her as more of a "leader, doer non-follower, do something different", than a follower as her sister Bianca is portrayed.
Because Shakespeare didn’t give any cues or stage directions, actresses and actors are pretty much free to interpret the lines however they choose. That’s what makes his play so flexible and timeless. You can bend them to any time period. You can pick and choose which scenes to leave in and leave out, just as Shakespeare would have done. You can add and improvise in places. Which is why I’m not quick to debunk this play turned teen romance comedy. Of course, I like sappy comedies, especially when they are based on Shakespeare’s classics! It gives one a little break from your own world for a little while, but it’s still almost believable. One thing they keep in this adaptation is that no one listens to her opinion. They make that clear with the teacher who asks her to leave the class even when she agrees with him.
Because Shakespeare didn’t give any cues or stage directions, actresses and actors are pretty much free to interpret the lines however they choose. That’s what makes his play so flexible and timeless. You can bend them to any time period. You can pick and choose which scenes to leave in and leave out, just as Shakespeare would have done. You can add and improvise in places. Which is why I’m not quick to debunk this play turned teen romance comedy. Of course, I like sappy comedies, especially when they are based on Shakespeare’s classics! It gives one a little break from your own world for a little while, but it’s still almost believable. One thing they keep in this adaptation is that no one listens to her opinion. They make that clear with the teacher who asks her to leave the class even when she agrees with him.
The Bad:
Other than the fact that they twisted the plot in places and
changed some characters around, there really isn’t anything bad about the
movie. It’s a sappy romance comedy. Enough said.
Still you can definitely see the Shakespearean qualities,
and it works for me anyway. I think it is good to see modern adaptations of
Shakespeare’s play as well as theater performances with the original lines.
This is how we KNOW that his stories are timeless. As long as the basic plot is
there, it’s still Shakespeare.
I have included some scenes from YouTube of the Julia/Streep version of Taming of the Shrew and 10 things I hate about you. It was hard to find some similar scenes so I just picked my favorites to put up here.
Taming of the Shrew is one of my favorite Shakespearean plays, and 10 Things I Hate About You is a great modern adaptation of it. Thanks for putting this out there. People really need to be exposed to Shakespeare earlier in life, and the commentary on sexuality and even STDs in this play is particularly interesting.
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