The Taming of the Shrew- Analysis

The modern 'Taming of the Shrew' movie is riveting in the way that it uses modern day actors that we as voyeurs are familiar with, in modern day situations that are combined with Elizabethan situations. It is clear how the directors and makeup artists created a 'New Elizabethan' scenario with Katherine and her family, and we are positioned to recognise this through setting, costume and the plot.

To begin with, it is obvious that Katherine Minola is the main New Elizabethan:

Katherine is the uptight, work obsessed maniac who despises men, treats her family with little respect and holds having fun at the bottom of her priorities. What is apparent in the photo on the left is her skewiff parting that is not in the middle, thus signifying to the viewer from the beginning that she is not completely normal or stereotypical. Her costume is largely similar to Elizabeth I, where she wears suit jackets with a plunging neckline, wide shoulders and no shirt underneath. Her wedding dress is also shaped this way. Most of the time she wears a black suit; black was a colour that only the wealthy wore in the Tudor times.

The rooms that are hers, such as her study in the houses of parliament, are lavished with dark woods and deep reds, which is very Tudor. The dark reds were symbolic of wealth because of their difficulty to obtain, and the places Katherine visits for tea and food scream regality and wealth.

What makes Katherine a new Elizabethan is the fact that she has male advisors, much like Elizabeth, which subverts the stereotype of males always having the higher position and women being subservient. Moreover, she refuses marriage, but because she believes that nobody will marry her. She has a harsh, fiery temper that is essential in maintaining power and control, which despite her not having red hair, is alluding to her similarity to Elizabeth. In addition to this, Katherine is still a virgin despite being well in to adulthood, which shows her purity.

Throughout the movie, Katherine is often drowned in white light. For example when she leaves her sister Bianca's apartment and storms towards the elevator, and when her and Petruchio visit his childhood home. This suggests that she is pure and angelic; something that will boost her like-ability as a leader of the opposition, much like it would have helped Elizabethan as queen. However in the modern day, the fact that she is a virgin is frowned upon and seen as abnormal, and so she has to marry in order to be accepted by society.

While in the airport, Katherine sits in a masculine position while her new husband (dressed like a woman) sits in a stereotypically feminine position. This is an alternate view of an Elizabethans where men and women swap roles.  What is then significant is that they go to Italy for their honeymoon, which was prominent during Elizabeth's time because of the Renaissance. The bedsheets in their holiday home are lavished with red and gold, which is again shows regality and wealth, and the living room is drowned in candles; like they do not have any electricity.

Lastly, Katherine succumbs to Petruchio's advances, and they become a happy couple. Katherine is a new Elizabethan because she balances her career and love life, prioritising neither but taking both in her stride. Unlike Elizabeth I, she lets a male into her life and via her speech at the end of the movie, she talks about inequality and patriarchy but disputes it by letting everyone know that her and Petruchio are of equal stature.

Petruchio:

We are first introduced to Petruchio when he storms into his friend Harry's apartment wearing a large fur coat. This immediately tells us that he is a new Elizabethan as fur was a teller of wealth. Moreover, we learn that he is a nobleman, but has no money, and grew up in a large Tudor house.

Most royal marriages were based on different agendas, such as bringing two countries together and increasing eachother's wealth by using this new coalition. His intention for marriage alludes to this as he wants to marry a rich woman as he has no money. However he eventually falls in love with Katherine, unlike royal husbands who would often have mistresses.

Before he gets married, Petruchio looks like a modern Elizabethan as he wears a black suit and holds a black staff. However he disregards this look and decides to dress as a woman.

During their honeymoon, it is actually him that teases Katherine with sex rather than the other way round, unlike in Elizabethan times when it would be the woman that it revolves around as she is finally letting go of her virginity, whereas in this instance it is Petruchio that controls the situation.

Eventually he becomes the stay at home dad while Katherine continues to strive for her career, which subverts the Elizabethan man who would usually be the breadwinner and most powerful in the relationship.

Harry:

Harry seems to be the advisor of people, namely Bianca as her manager and Petruchio as his best friend. This immediately signifies that in the tudor times he would have been of a lower class, and this is represented throughout the movie through his costume. He is usually adorned in browny, earthy colours which, in the Tudor times, would have been the costume of the lower, working class.








Bianca:

Bianca is the complete opposite of her sister, Katherine. She is also a new Elizabethan, as she picks and chooses the men that she would like to be romantically involved in. Moreover, she has a relationship with an italian man, also alluding to the Renaissance. Bianca often wears gold jewellery, a signifier of wealth and a difficult metal to obtain in the Elizabethan era.

Bianca and Katherine's mother:

Mrs.Minola is much like Bianca, she is focused on marriage, men and reputation. She is often decorated with pearls, a much desired mineral in the Elizabethan era, one that was regularly worn by Elizabeth herself.