My group and I appropriated Act 3 Scene 1 from the Shakespearean play ‘The Taming of the Shrew’. The new play is set in 21st century England and puts a strong emphasis on romantic rivalry, making our rendition more relatable and enjoyable to a contemporary audience than the original production.
We also changed the roles of Bianca’s tutors; Lucentio (disguised as Cambio) teaches French instead of Latin while Hortensio (disguised as Litio) teaches the guitar instead of the lute. These changes not only make the subjects relatable to a modern audience, but are also associated with romance in modern society.
Costumes reveal a lot about a character’s personality and identity, even before they open their mouth. To suit the modern context and accentuate the theme of romantic rivalry,
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Lucentio is dressed formally in a grey dress shirt and trousers to create a good impression and show his prowess as a tutor.
Hortensio’s attire on the other hand consists of a casual tank top and ripped jeans, showing his lack of concern for his appearance and greater attention to winning Bianca over with his musical ability. Through our play’s costuming which highlights romantic competition, we believe that our rendition is better than the original and worth supporting.
Props help establish a setting and similar to costumes, help identify someone’s personality and occupation. In the case of our production, props also display the theme of romantic rivalry. We used two chairs and a table to working space for Lucentio to teach and woo Bianca in.
The use of a French book and guitar accompany the romantically associated occupations of Lucentio and Hortensio. Additionally, they are symbols of their romantic competitiveness for Bianca. The use of these props cleverly displays romantic competitiveness to appeal to contemporary