The Taming of the Shrew - There are many differences in this play to movie adaptation, but the biggest one would have to be in relation to the actual "taming of the shrew". In the original play, Katherine is the so-called shrew who refuses to marry or respect any man. It is a rule that her sister is not allowed to marry until Katherine does, so life works out perfectly when Petrucio rolls into town looking to marry a wealthy woman. He forces her into marriage, starves her, deprives her of sleep, and just about abuses her until she becomes the perfect woman. She comes back completely different then she was at the start of the play and everyone praises Petrucio for what a great job he did at molding this woman into the perfect wife. Katherine had no say in the marriage and by the end, she lost all aspects of her personality.
10 Things I Hate About You - This movie takes a far different approach to the "shrew" aspect and shows a much more feministic plot. The base of the storyline is the same, Kat doesn't care for men and has a very blunt personality to all who encounter her. It is a rule that her sister is not allowed to date until Kat does. However, rather than some random man showing up and forcing her into a relationship, Cameron (the movie equivalent to Lucientio, Bianca's love) devises a plan to get the most badass guy in school to ask Kat out. Kat refuses and fights the relationship, falls in love, gets hurt when she finds out Patrick was paid to go out with her, then they end up together when Patrick apologizes. Kat maintains her independence and dignity through the entire film and the relationship only happens on her terms.
I feel like this change is the key to why this movie did so good and why it's such an iconic rom-com (besides the fact that it has young Heath Ledger as the star). The movie gave a face, a voice to feminism. It took a very misogynistic play and made it something worth watching. Katherine was no longer a house slave silenced by man, Kat was a powerful woman that any girl could look up to and aspire to be. Even Bianca had a little badass moment in the movie where she beats up one of her potential suitors for being a jerk (another big change that plays a crucial role in the climax of the film that was almost nonexistent in the play).
A suggestion for your thesis would be how women can impower themselves and other women around them
ReplyDeleteI think you could talk about how women do not need to be tamed by a man. That women can be powerful without having to be force into marriage.
ReplyDelete