The Taming of the Shrew

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'The Taming of the Shrew' (Shakespeare Retold) is a BBC comedy and romance TV drama broadcasted in 2005. David Richards is the director of the drama, the play is written by William Shakespeare and the screenplay is written by Sally Wainwright. The drama is about Katherine Minola, who is a successful politician but her overdramatic character and bad temper are the main reason which has left her being single even when she is thirty- eight years old. Kate has got a beautiful, popular model sister, Bianca, who is completely different compare to Kate. Bianca's manager, Harry, wants to marry her, but Bianca don't want to, so she makes an excuse that she won't get married until her sister get married. In order to get Kate married as soon as possible, Harry finds his friend, Petruchio and bribes him with her money to meet and marry Kate. The later of the film is about the relationship between Kate and Petruchio and how they finally fall in love with each other.

The characters in this drama reminds me a lot of Elizabethans features and I have chosen two characters and explain why I think they link to the Elizabethans for me.

Shirley Henderson as Katherine Minola


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http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/shakespeare/tamingoftheshrew/images/photogallery/340x255/04.jpg 

• Kate always dresses all black outfit in the drama which symbolise professionals and authority. In the Elizabethan era, black is a important colour to symbolise people's nobility and only upper class people would wore black.
• One of the scene at the beginning of the drama when Kate was walking across the corridor of where she is working, the music is the same as the music I've heard when I was watching the film 'Elizabeth' in 1998.
• The way Kate's walking confidently reminds me of the film 'Elizabeth' in 1998 where Queen Elizabeth I walk confidently as well to show powerful and majesty.
• Although the drama isn't the same as the Elizabethans rules, but Kate always tied her hair up with a middle parting and it links to the Eliazbethans as they have middle parting which will make their forehead look bigger to represent intelligence. When women in Elizabethan era tied their hair up, it means they were married. While with long flowing hair, it symbolise virginity and youth.
• The way Kate tied her hair in a bun which is one of the main hairstyle in the Elizabethan era.
• The black outfit and the wedding dress that Kate wears has also got an open collar and slender waist which are popular among upper class women in the Elizabethan era. ( I found it very interesting as even Kate's wedding dress has got buttons on it as well.)
• All the buttons on Kate's outfit were buttoned, maybe to show authority and majesty.
• Kate's makeup is very natural and she has got a pale complexion which relates to the Elizabethans as pale complexion is a sign of wealth and beauty.
• Kate's white wedding dress was made by silk and it links to upper class people in the Elizabethan era as white symbolised wealth and nobility and silk were very expensive at that time.
• Kate says that she doesn't want to get married at the beginning and it links to Queen Elizabeth I as she married no one.

I found one of the scene at the beginning very interesting is even when Kate is eating her lunch, she still carries her piles of work with her which shows her character that she is a person who focuses on her works and work very hard.

Jaime Murray as Bianca Minola

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• Bianca always wears her hair down in the drama which in the Elizabethan era, it symbolise youth and virginity.
• Bianca's skin are very smooth and she always dress beautiful because she cares about her image as she is a popular model. It links to Queen Elizabeth I because Elizabeth is the beauty standards of the Elizabethans and she also cares about her image as well.
• The paparazzi also symbolise that Bianca is popular person, like Queen Elizabeth I because many Elizabethans follow her image.
• She often wears gold jewellery which symbolise wealth and gold was only worn by upper class people in the Elizabethan era.
• In one of the scene where Bianca wears white fur with her boyfriend which represents wealth. Fur and the colour white were very expensive in the Elizabethan era and only upper class people can afford them.
• Bianca's makeup are similar to Queen Elizabeth I's makeup as she uses rosy cheeks and lips.
• In Bianca's apartment, there are many pictures of herself hung around showing other people which links to Elizabeth I because she had many portraits painted of her.

BBC official website : http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/shakespeare/tamingoftheshrew/