The Taming of the Shrew and Ten Things I Hate About You, a Comparative Analysis and Historical Discussion

Published by on October 2, 2020

You have already written a portion of the essay, but I need you to add he Bedford Companion section.

With these two productions standing in for Renaissance and Modern attitudes towards masculinity, femininity, youth and sexuality, write an essay describing some key historical differences that you believe are evident in these films.

Since you inhabit a post-Modern world barely a generation removed from the one represented in Ten Things I Hate About You, your own powers of observation may, in this instance, be assumed to be as credible. However, since you dont inhabit the Renaissance, which is represented rather faithfully by the Italian director Zeffirelli, you will need some evidence from that historical period to make your case.

To that end, turn to the primary sources from The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare that we were assigned for last week. You will find them between pages 278-294. Choose two of these, and quote directly from them in order to provide evidence for the claims you make about Renaissance attitudes toward these issues in Taming of the Shrew. In other words, describe how certain pre-modern attitudes toward masculinity, femininity, marriage, sexuality, courtship, etc., are reflected in Shakespeares play. (Dont try to cover all of the issues the Bedford primary sources raise; just focus on a couple of them.)

Having identified aspects of Renaissance culture and society that are reflected in Shakespeare, then turn to 10 Things I Hate About You. With reference to specific scenes from Jungers film, describe how the patterns of belief you identified in Shakespeare are different from our own cultural practices. If you wish to talk about any similarities that you think remain observable in both Shakespeares time and our own, feel free to do so. This is what historical analysis is all about: the dynamics of social continuity and societal change.