What is Appropriation?

Films and novels are often "appropriations" of earlier texts. According to the NSW English Syllabus, appropriation is when we "take an object or text from one context and use it in another". This process can "allow new insights and emphasise contextual differences".

In other words, an appropriation is when you take a text and adapt it to a new setting (time and place). In doing this, an appropriation becomes a new text that adds meaning to the original text.

(c) BBC


There have been many appropriations of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew over the centuries. This comedy has been adapted many times for stage, film, ballet and musical theatre. In the BBC appropriation first screened in 2005, Kate is a successful politician living in modern London. Her awful temper has meant that she has never been able to find a partner. Everyone she knows thinks marriage will be good for her. Petruchio enters her life and turns her life upside down. Another appropriation was the 1999 high school comedy - 10 Things I Hate About You. This appropriation takes place in an American High School setting where the ill-tempered Kat is pursued by 'bad boy' Patrick.

10 Things I Hate About You

In Act One of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, we are introduced to the merchant Baptista's two daughters: the pretty Bianca and the wild and ill-tempered Katherina.Bianca has two suitors, both of whom want to marry her, but she cannot be married because Katherina (Kate) is older and has to be married first.  While Bianca's boys try and trick Baptista so they can spend more time with her, a new boy arrives on the scene - Petruchio. Hearing about Kate's legendary temper and needing a wife with money, Petruchio decides to set up a personal challenge to woo and tame Kate as his wife. 

In the 10 Things I Hate About You appropriation, the action takes place in a modern day American high school. Kate (Kat) is a strong individual who is trying to stand up for herself in 'a man's world'. Kate is proudly not like the other girls and refuses to conform. Unlike Shakespeare's Kate, she refuses to accept male domination. 

In the original play Shakespeare drew attention to the central ideas using symbolism. Petruchio, for example, describes himself as "the wind". He says "the wind" has blown him into town and that he will blow out "Kate's fire". This reinforces the idea that Kate's personality will require a force of nature to tame her - not an ordinary man.

 In 10 Things I Hate About You, symbols are also used. In the scene where Kat is introduced, the camera pans away from the sporty convertable that the other girls are in, to a shot of Kat, sitting alone in her old bomb of a car. Again, this highlights her wish to stand out as an individual and not try to conform with other girls her age.

In this image from the film, the salient feature of this head shot is Kat's face and look of exasperation when she explains that she is determined to "never do anything just because everyone else was doing it". The decontextualised, blurry background draws the viewer's eye to her face and the soft curtains frame her determined expression and character. This image reinforces the idea that Kat is a person who does not try to conform. In this shot the text and image work together to send a message about the strength and individuality of the main character. 

My Appropriation of The Taming of the Shrew

Analysis and Evaluation

 This appropriation makes heavy use of symbolism. The dog's 'muzzle' represents Shakespeare's use of animal imagery in the play and draws attention to the play's original message that women should be silenced and 'tamed' into obedience. The muzzle also doubles as another 'mask' covering the woman's mouth. This mask is symbolic of women having to adopt another voice that suits the dominant male society in which they live.

The image is decontextualised, drawing attention to the female head itself and reflects the fact that Kate is the main character of the play. The colour red symbolises Kate's anger at her situation. The image's abstract and simple nature would appeal to a modern audience and the quote echoes the main theme of the play: the silencing of the female voice and the treatment of women as animals to be subdued and domesticated. 

My representation is an appropriation because it not only adapts the original text for a modern audience, it also creates new and added meaning by providing a feminist comment on the original play.