Draw Topic & Writing Ideas From This Essay On Portrayal Of Women In 10 Things And The Taming Of The Shrew

Shakespeare has long been hailed as one of the greatest depicters of human nature. His works are still remade to this day, including 10 Things I Hate About You, a restyling of The Taming of the Shrew. This film attempts to take the Elizabethan comedy into contemporary times, using a cast of young starlets and hunks in order to portray the tribulations and follies of people falling in love in the modern era. Nevertheless, one of the greatest differences between the two is the depiction of women and their role in society, as it has obviously changed from the seventeenth century to the present date.
One of the most noticeable manifestations of this is that, in the end, the two ladies are treated very differently. In the contemporary movie, the main character is won over, pleased by her suitor; this contrasts with the book, where she is mistreated. The play is rather sexist and seems to justify having women obey men. Meanwhile, in the film, Kate constantly stands up to males, especially her father, a patriarchal figure that seems helpless when faced with such an intelligent and rowdy daughter. One can also contrast this in terms of their final speeches, as Katherine, from the original play, is finally submissive to her husband, changing her perspective on men; nevertheless, Kate, from the film, does not modify her point of view on men, but just forgives Patrick for what he did to her. All of this shows a great difference with respect to the treatment and liberties of women in contemporary society. Obviously, it would have been completely unacceptable to see women be depicted this way in a modern movie, which shows how much society has progressed.