Woody Allen’s “A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy“ is a light comedy film about love, fate and sexual complexities that are shown in a captivating way. It is a clear representation of how love and lust entangle relationships, even friendship cannot hinder. The movie depicts the importance of time, the realization of the love that was lost and how one yearns to regain that love and hopes to have a victory over it.
The film embodies the art of comedy, which portrays how humans manage to laugh and accept the diversities of life and on how to cope with the painful experiences that somehow contribute to the character of the person. The desires to win back a girl and to delve into the love triangle because of the romantic mix-up all the way to the silly human weaknesses make the movie entertaining.
The story is rooted in the early 1900’s. It is set at the Victorian country house, home of Andrew, played by Woody Allen, where he and his wife Adrian invited two pairs of guest for their weekend getaway. The flying bicycle where Andrew is inviting Mia to meet up with him adds to the comical scene of the movie.
The atmosphere greatly blends with the romance that sparks up among the characters in the movie. The twist in the plot illustrates how the characters yearn and eye after everyone else’s partner. These explore the themes of wanting, betrayal and the sexual desires that the movie entitles the viewer to see.
The rural location, the lush scenery of the forest, the blithering brooks and clouded moons contribute to the beautiful effect of the film. These remarkable sceneries add to the modernity of the classic comedy flick.
Regardless of the American setting, the characters slightly embody the European style. The location of the movie complements with the personality of the characters and their manner of dressing which coordinates with the turn of the century apparel where women wear a long flowing Broderie Anglaise dress.
The men, on the other hand, wear white suits, suspenders and boaters that accentuate well with the women dresses. All these contribute to the artistic quality of the film.
The delivery of every dialogue in the film is clearly enunciated and express in a natural, carefree way with a mix of humor and wit. This is the reason that the comic skits have been welcome by the viewers.
The wisecrack express by the characters coordinate well with the film’s statement of a love story outreaching to the simple romance that will adequately sweep the mood of the audience and will surely consider it a timeless piece of the century.
The post world war gives birth to the suburbanization around America on the twentieth century. This is where the countryside shows significant historic resources where suburb development emerged and become an important trend. The movie showcases the best of the countryside and depicts how such historical context influences the setting and story of the movie.
Existentialism is a 20th century philosophy (Existentialism-A Philosophy. Retrieved from www.allaboutphilosophy.org / existentialism.htm) where it reasserts human individuality and to achieve a fulfilling life, which plays a great impact in the movie and gain popularity in the artistic community.
A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy is a classical comedy of innocence, love and lust, a clear influence of Ingmar Bergman’s to the Woody Allen’s style and gives a humorous and modern touch to Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Although the movie is set at the early 20th century, Woody Allen does not aim to produce a historical movie, but instead find its way to create a subtle comedy film.
One of the most prominent people of the epoch, Mahler deserves being called the man who made the world sound in a different way. Without his enchanting and thrilling compositions, the world of art would have lost its specific flair of greatness.
Tracing the background of Symphony No.2, one will inevitably see the way the music was shaping and realize how many prerequisites this amazing piece depended on. It cannot be doubted that the music possesses the specific peculiar features that make it an outstanding creation of a genial musician.
Speaking of Mahler is impossible without mentioning the epoch that the musician belonged to. Reconstructing the past, one can see that the impact of the then atmosphere on the creations of the composer was immense, each piece shot through with the air of the distant times.
Mentioning that the composer stood at the crossroads of the XIX and XX centuries would be enough to create a general picture of the time in which Mahler lived and created his amazing music.
Being squeezed between the two eras, the one featuring the conventional approach to composing and adhering to the postulates of the classics, the other suggesting all possible innovations that came together with the progress of the humanity, these two centuries brought a conflict between the old and the new, which Mahler would reprint in his works.
The question was, did he do it intentionally? However, is there any musical piece that was composed intentionally?
Inspired from somewhere up above, these compositions cannot be judged as something that belongs to the world of the ordinary; nor are these the frozen pieces of classics – it seems as if the powerful melodies live a life of their own, a peculiar cross between the spirit of the century and the ideas that were haunting Mahler through all his life.
What strikes most about the genial musician is the fact that he was writing the music that both reprinted the epoch and at the sane time reflected the soul of the musician. It was truly unbelievable, yet that was the fact.
Mahler’s Symphony No.2 was another stage of the musician’s self-perfection process. It is amazing to learn that the symphony written by the great composer was predetermined by a number of factors that influenced Mahler’s creativity and set the right tone for his pieces.
Plunging into the Ocean of Music: What Stands Behind the Downpour of Notes
Speaking of the pieces created by the musician, one must mention the early years of Mahler for a better understanding of his works and the incredible inspiration that stood behind each of his works and led him to the top of the musical Olympus.
It is important to mark that his early years were the time of the most fruitful creation and the period when the composer improvised most. Making the new steps into the unknown, he searched for the new ways to create musical pieces and managed to fin the most unbelievable solutions for the musical ideas that rushed through his head.
It is quite peculiar that, though the ideas that inspired the First Symphony of Mahler were quite clear and well-researched by the musical experts, the ideas that inspired him to crate the second symphony are still a mystery to the world. As Mitchell explained,
It is plain, I think, from the example of Symphony I, that Mahler was fascinated by the potentialities of the Ländler, and sensed it in his musical possibilities; but had not yet evolved his singular approach to the Ländler which both created his unique type of scherzo and represented a sharp break with tradition. (Mitchell 210)
Thus, it becomes obvious that the composer decided not to follow the blazed trail and create his new approach to the music creation. This was rather bold decision for his epoch, it must be admitted. However, this could not stop Mahler. Seized by the mysterious passion to the music and to the idea of the new symphony, he could not stop until his creation could see the light.
It is also quite peculiar that the birth of the new music was greeted with much more ardor than the author must have been expecting. This leads to the idea that the world considered Mahler almost a revolutionary in the sphere of music, which means that with his creation, the composer literally broke new grounds in the world of symphonies. Who could ever think that the world of arts could be turned upside down even with such powerful music?
Considered both genial and daring, Mahler was the first man to introduce the idea of classicism renewed to the world of music. Nevertheless, it must be admitted that Mahler’s first attempts were given a cold shoulder – as Mitchell remarked, Mahler’s first works were considered as a “stone wall of musical classicism” (146).
However, as time passed, Mahler’s personality shone brighter – the genial composer put a speck of his own self into each of his astounding pieces – and, as a result, the audience recognized his works.
In view of Brahm’s doubtless aggressive view of Das klagende Lied, his comment after seeing the MS. of Mahler’s Symphony II in the summer of 1896 is of particular interest: “It is not wholly intelligible to me why Richard Strauss is proclaimed music’s Revolutionary; I find that Mahler is King of the Revolutionaries.” (Mitchell 146)
Indeed, in the eyes of the public, Mahler did the unacceptable, making music sound natural and at the same time thrilling. He broke all possible music canons to create the ones of his own, which finally led to creating the Symphony II – the top of what could be called the revolutionary in music.
What makes the creation of Mahler priceless is the fact that he was actually accepting the new ideas, creating his own path to follow. The composer denied the canons that had been set before, blazing the new trail on the way to the musical masterpiece.
Neither did he use the approaches that he resorted when creating his earlier works. It can be considered that Symphony No.2 is an entirely new composition, the piece that made musicians take a look at the other side of the composing process.
With help of his genius, Mahler made the impossible – he broke all possible musical laws to create the most beautiful piece ever. Some critics argue, though, that Mahler used Das klagende Lied to compose this piece; however, Mitchell notes:
Such parallels and similarities as exist are not, of course, evidence of Das klagende Lied actively influencing Symphony II; rather it is the case of characteristic C minor music revealing a certain unity of shape and sound, the kind of relation one often finds in a composer’s oeuvre: a specific key and mood can develop their own cross-fertilize otherwise quite disparate works (176)
Thus, it can be considered that the famous Das klagende Lied had very little to do with the Symphony II of great Mahler. Nevertheless, this does not shed the light on the mystery. Did the incredible music pop out of nowhere?
As it turns out, the history of the magnificent piece can be traced rather easily. Since the composer tended to mark each newly concurred stage of his mastery, it is possible to find out what lied in the basis of the great composer’s creation. Thus, Nicholson states,
The manuscripts for Mahler’s Second Symphony provide one of the most extensive, if still far from complete, records of the genesis of any of Mahler’s compositions. At the same time they reflect the long and curiously discontinuous gestation of the work as a whole, and the highly intuitive nature of Mahler’s approach to composition (84).
Therefore, tracing the origins of the symphony is obviously possible. On to the new discoveries!
Inside the Treasure Trove: The Pearls to Find
Analyzing the peculiarities of the epoch to evaluate their influence on Mahler’s compositions, one can possibly suggest that the idea of creating the Symphony No.2 rooted from the Symphony No.1. Yet the time gap between the two allows to suggest that Symphony No.2 was not the continuation of the old idea, but something completely new – the next chapter in Mahler’s book of life.
Indeed, there is certain evidence about the period of stagnation in his work, which happened to be the turning point for the Symphony No.2. According to what Mitchell said, “The failure to work on the symphony reflects the advent of a major ‘dry’ period in Mahler’s creative work” (86).
Can that mean that the works of the great composer were the result of the long-suffered fight against the critics and the people disapproving of his attempts to break new grounds in the sphere of music? It seems that such statement has certain grounds to base on. Analyzing the composition, one can track the aftereffects of the depression that seized the musician and made him taste the bitterness of defeat.
Whatever the case, he resumed compositional work only in 1892, with at least six and possibly seven songs in a new group of settings of texts from Des Knaben Wunderhorn. These prepared the way for a return to the Second Symphony in the summer of 1893, five years after the completion of the first movement. (Mitchell 86)
Thus, there is no doubt that the composition was influenced not by the first part of the entire composition, but rather by the abovementioned two pieces – Der Knabe Wunderhorn and Das klagende Lied.
As a matter of fact, the latter had the greatest impact on the entire symphony. As Aries remarked, “The third movement of the Symphony No.2 (1894)(W838) transforms the song “Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt” from Des Knaben Wunderschon” (92).
It can be considered that the author was heavily influenced by the troubles that he was to face, which resulted in the general mood of the composition and made the music acquire the famous tragic depth and the mournful air about the melody.
Speaking about the specifics of the composition, one can mark the incredible expressivity of the piece, which is rather surprising, taking into consideration the epoch and the atmosphere of the century. As Mitchell explained,
Remarks about the Second Symphony by Mahler tend to confirm this contrast between the early drama of the First and the redemption of the Second. Whether this should cause us to view the triumph of the close of the First Symphony as a more temporal overcoming than Natalie suggests is coloured by Mahler’s own use of ‘Dall’Inferno al Paradiso’ as a title for the finale, but it is perfectly natural to consider these images (more cliché than Dante) as metaphors for the highs and lows of an early human comedy. (Mitchell 60)
Therefore, there is certain evidence that Mahler made efficient use of Dante’s allegories and managed to restore the idea of descending from the heaven above into the smouldering fire of the Inferno.
In addition, it is worth mentioning that the composer uses one of the most unexpected approaches to make his Symphony render the hearts of the audience even more – he mixes the comic and the tragic, making it reach the divine. Like the Divine Comedy, it touched the secret strings of people’s souls, helping them reach the peak of the esthetical delight.
However, it seems that there is no one who can define the peculiarities and the specific features of the composition better than the author can. Thus, Mitchell explained further on,
When Mahler sets waltz and Ländler in opposition to each other, as here or in the Fifth and Ninth Symphonies, it becomes difficult to distinguish the elements of parody from the ideal. (Mitchell 60)
Therefore, the mixture of the comic and the tragic gave birth to grotesque that becomes the main characteristics of the work of Mahler in the eyes of Mitchell. Rather tricky issue, this means that the change brought into the classical music by Mahler is tremendous. With help of the specific approach that incorporated the elements of various musical genres, Mahler crated the most adorable fusion. According to what Mitchell claims,
The strain of the grotesque or the fantastic that is already present in the scherzo dominates the march. Whether the listener keeps the image of the huntsman’s funeral in mind is in a scene irrelevant to the experience of the three types of music in this movement. (Mitchell 61)
Indeed, the music created by the famous composer is filled with the passion and the strain that was rather weird for the reserved and conservative century.
Considering the way the author perceived his work himself, one can possibly say that the evaluation of the maestro was quite different from what the critics saw in the piece. It was the mixture of the styles that he created; no matter what the critics might say, he continued his daring experiments.
Thus, Arias mentioned, “Gustav Mahler’s symphonies soften mix grotesque irony and black humor” (92). It can be considered that the heavy, depressing atmosphere of the epoch did not have its effect on the composer, yet it seems that Gustav Mahler tries to create the piece that could balance the gloomy atmosphere of the century and people’s need to strive for optimism.
Such mixture of ideas must have given birth to the specific irony that the Symphony is all pierced through with. Thus, Aries marks that “The Symphony No.2 (The Four Temperaments) (1902)(W858) ends with a joyous depiction of the sanguine temperament” (92).
Such fluctuations of style and tempo of the symphony might signify, first, the uneven and rough pattern of development at the split of centuries, and, second, the hardships of the composer’s own life. Just as grotesque as the melody he created, Mahler’s life was full of contradictions and complicacies that led to the tragicomic misunderstandings and misconceptions.
At the Historical Crossroads: The Last Great Romantic or the First Adventurer of the Century?
What could inspire such incredible symphonies? Was Mahler the last romantic who could breathe a new life into the melody, or a musical adventurer who dared to penetrate the holy of holies and break the postulates of classical music?
It seems that the composer was rather inclined to constant change in the tempo, the mood and the overall air of the music. Such changes signify that the composer’s vision of the world was rather complicated and that Mahler could be in conflict between the world and his own ideas.
Rosenzweig explained this phenomenon in the following way: “Re-submersion in world sorrow after ecstatic flights of creative inspiration, as always occurred following the completion of a work, was a characteristic trait of Mahler the symphonist” (36). Perhaps, Rosenzweig was right claiming that Mahler was “a romantic at heart” (36).
However, it must be admitted that, to compose the music that was so different from what the rest of the composers created, one has to possess that certain piece of adventurism, the desire to reach beyond all known boundaries and learn the truth that is hidden beyond the horizon.
That was more than merely a romantic idea of music – that was the beginning of a new exciting adventure into the world of extraordinary, the place where music took completely new, different shapes and mixed styles in the weirdest fashion to produce grotesque.
The castle of Fata Morgana would not look more miraculous than these attempts to transform the old, ossified ideas into the brand new world of the classics. Thus, it is evident that Mahler managed to comprise the traits of a romantic and an adventurer, painting the entire world in his peculiar, grotesque palette.
Perhaps, Mahler was one of those people who could combine the traits of romanticism and adventurism in the most unbelievable way to make their personality ever brighter. Making the romantic mix with the speck of adventurism, Mahler combined the incompatible, which resulted in the most stunning compositions.
For instance, tracing the peculiarities of the Second Symphony, one can mark that the composition possesses both the romantic features and the spirit of adventurism. Rosenzweig marked that “Mahler was a thoroughly romantic nature, all fierce determination and tragic inner turmoil” (Rosenzweig 30).
In Search for the Truth: A Conformist or a Rebel?
Another peculiar question is whether Mahler preferred keeping with the views traditionally accepted in the world of music, or if the composer created the path of his own. Although it is evident that the music created by Mahler has now become a perfect specimen of the classical music, it used to produce quite a stir in the spheres of art several decades ago.
Because of his incredible skill to transfer various ideas that emerged in the other spheres of art into the world of music, he managed to create the path of his own, a specific way of composing music that was bound to embody the composer’s ideas of the world and people. Thus, Adorno noted that Mahler transformed various fables and myths into melody and rhythm:
The fairy-tale tone in Mahler is awakened by the resemblance of animal and man. Desolate and comforting at once, nature grown aware of itself casts off the superstition of the absolute difference between them (9)
Why such weird transformations, one might ask. Yet the answer is simple: with help of these manipulations the composer tried to apply to the public’s humanity, their “sapiens sapiens” part, and make them understand what they have already felt in the enchanting music: “Through animals humanity becomes aware of itself as impeded nature and of its activity as deluded natural history; for this reason Mahler meditates on them” (Adorno 9)
Perhaps, the author merely tried to reconcile with the rest of the world, which led to such conflicts and such rebelliousness that his Symphony was saturated 2ith. In his useless attempts to find the golden mean, the one and only Truth, he was raging like a wild beast – or, at least, so did the melody of his compositions – and resulted in the most shocking and stirring music.
Its [nature’s] integral oneness abolished multiplicity; its suggestive power severed all distractions. It preserved the image of happiness only by proscribing it. In Mahler it begins to rebel, seeks to make peace with nature, and yet must forever enforce the old interdiction (Adorno 9).
Thus, it cannot be doubted that the air of rebelliousness that made Mahler’s compositions so emotion-filled was a part of the author’s self, his own vision of the world and his soul. Abandoning the old, hole-ridden ideas, Mahler chooses his own path, which means that he must not resort to the methods of expression created by the other composers. There is no doubt that with help of his unique approach Mahler managed to astound the public and make the classical music sound in a different way.
However, it would be erroneous to claim that Mahler blazed the trail to the world of music completely on his own. It would be more correct to claim that he applied such approaches to the art of music that had been used in the other spheres of art before. Thus, for instance, it was Mahler’s idea to fill the Second Symphony with the magical world of Kafka and the folk songs described above.
Could a man who created the Second Symphony be considered a conformist? It is beyond any shadow of a doubt that the composer would not be able to create this piece unless he had worked on his own theory of the classical music and blazed his own trail in this sphere. Denying the conventional ideas of what classical music is supposed to be, he worked thoroughly on each note to build the powerful cadence of notes. However, the rebelliousness of his soul showed up not only in the Second Symphony. As Mitchell recalled,
When Mahler resigned his post at the Opera in 1907, he, like Otto Wagner, was a much an emblem of an artistic and social establishment as he was viewed as a rebel. Radical conservatives regarded him as the ultimate personification of a Jewish cosmopolitanism which for decades had been destructive to native Viennese sensibilities. (Mitchell 37)
Thus, it was obvious that rebelliousness was a part of the composer. Without this trait of character, he would have never managed to create the Second Symphony. Perhaps, the strength of his character is what the world owes Symphony No.2 to.
Conclusion
One of the greatest composers of the XIX-XX centuries, Mahler showed the world what music can be as he introduced his Symphony No.2 to the public. With help of his specific vision of the world, he managed to shape the traditional classical approach to create the music that will last for centuries.
Although he preferred the approach that could not be described as the conventional one, the composer’s work was still accepted by the humankind with gratitude. Since he composed the music in his own, unique way, reworking the music of the past, trying different variations and creating the new ways to make the music sound truly astounding, the composer was considered as a rebel in the world of music.
Seized by the desire to create, he was labeled as the romantic of the passing century, yet his experiments marked that the spirit of adventurism the composer possessed guided him on his way to the classical music.
The famous Second Symphony, the pearl in the crown of the great maestro, was a long-suffered piece. Despite the obstacles that the composer met on his way and the hardships that Mahler had to encounter, the symphony stirred the world to the core.
Works Cited
Adorno, Theodor W., and Edmund Jephcott. Mahler: A Musical Physiognomy. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1996. Print.
Arias, Enrique Alberto. Comedy in Music: A historical Bibliographical Resource Guide. Westport, CN: Greenwood Publishing Press, 2001. Print.
Mitchell, Donald. Gustav Mahler: The Early Years. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1980. Print.
Mitchell, Donald, and Andrew Nicholson. The Mahler Companion. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2002. Print.
Rosenzweig, Alfred, and Jeremy Narham. Gustav Mahler: New Insights into His Life, Times and Works. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. 2007. Print.
Annie Hall is a comedy that was directed by Woody Allen in the year 1977. The ninety three minutes film is done in English with the settings in Los Angeles, California and New York. The main characters in the Film are Woody Allen who plays the role of Alvy Singer and Diane Keaton who plays the role of Annie.
They play begins with the actor Alvy speaking directly to the camera as he makes a joke which conveys his negative opinion concerning life. He later starts to speak seriously about his relationship with Annie. In the film, Alvin and Annie are romantically involved in an affair which full of humorous events. The on set of their relationship is marked by incidents of sexual intimacy.
This is what makes their relationship problematic later on in the film and eventually leads to their separation (Shumway 159). The events of this affair since its on set, when they fall in love, the disagreements while in love and eventually the disintegration of the relationship are captured in the film.
There are both happy and tragic incidents in this love affair. In this interesting film, the character Alvy uses different styles like speaking to the camera directly as he speaks his thoughts aloud, at times he also interrupts people’s conversations as he tries to get their opinion on the ingredients of a happy marriage.
Annie Hall: A typical romantic comedy
Romantic comedies are the most common type of comedies. In this comedy, there are typically two lovers who are separated from each other yet they seem to be a perfect match for but end up coming back together after facing hard times away from each other (Simpson 1). This film can be categorized as a romantic comedy although it slightly deviates from the typical structure of a romantic comedy.
Comedies mostly deal with common people and their problems in everyday life and the probable solutions to these problems. For example, Annie is an uneducated young girl involved in a relationship with Alvy, who is a musician and more educated than her. There are also numerous other problems in their relationship that come up as the film unfolds.
The content of the plot of a romantic comedy is mostly love and problems related with love affairs. Separations from one’s lover, problems in winning a lover due to class differences or re union with a past lover are some of the possible love-related problems. In the film Annie Hall, such problems exist. Alvy has had two wives whom he has divorced and eventually gets into a relationship with Annie.
This relationship also does not last for long as they end up breaking up after a quarrel after being in the relationship for just one year. In a typical romantic comedy, the ending is usually a happy one because the lovers are mostly re united after a period of separation. According to Simpson, the separation mostly results from obstacles that the couple has to overcome but eventually they get married and live happily forever (1).
This film diverges slightly from this characteristic of a romantic comedy because Alvy and Annie do not end up this way. They are not married and they do not have a glamorous ending as expected in a typical romantic comedy. The film, however, meets the other characteristics of a romantic comedy because it is full of humor and romantic scenes. The relationship between Alvy and Annie is full of troubles and the disintegration is highly anticipated.
At first, they are portrayed as a perfect couple who are meant for each other but as the film progresses, their shortcomings are fully displayed until it becomes so easy to predict that the possible outcome of the relationship is a break up. They never seem to agree and Alvy is always having problems when dealing with women. This probably explains why he has had two failed marriages, and the relationship with Annie seems not to be functional any more.
The termination of their relationship and their re union at the end, although not as husband and wife is probably a message from the writer of the film that love is not always blissful. There comes moments when even the most glamorous love grows faint as in the case of Annie and Alvy.
Alvy is mentally disturbed after his break up with Annie and many times in the film; he tries to figure out where he could have gone wrong. He does this as he looks at the camera and tells of his break up with Annie.
He also tries to solicit for advice from an old man and a young couple on the constituents of a successful relationship or marriage. He recalls of his childhood memories and especially how he was not in a position to differentiate what was real and mere fantasy.
This background has also probably contributed to the current state of his disturbed mind as a grown up. He tries to handle even the most serious issues with simplicity and humor. He especially does so when dealing with issues in their relationship with Annie and most of the times he is seen as an escapist because he fails to solve the issues.
After much thought and asking from other people including strangers, he concludes that relationships are illogical and lack wisdom but are still necessary because of those occasional joyous times they bring to a person. He is simply showing the ridiculous but necessary nature of love and relationships.
Woody Allen’s basic premise in the story
In the film Annie Hall, Allen uses ordinary people as the characters who are not exaggerated but appear in their most natural form. He avoids having people belonging to high social class as the characters as is common with other comedies. The settings are also very simple.
The plot is made up of events that are common to everyone. By doing so, the writer is probably trying to depict the nature of life lived by the ordinary people.
The issues related with relationships and their positive and negative sides are depicted through the use of Alvin and Annie as the main characters. By highlighting the challenges facing relationships as the major theme, Allen is probably trying to show that this is the major challenge also facing the ordinary person.
Alvy has been married and divorced twice and his third relationship with Annie lasts for only one year and it seems like he is yet to find true love. Their two extremely different personality traits are shown during their trip to Los Angeles.
Annie enjoys being in the city but Alvy can not wait to be out of it and be back in New York (Carvill 1). Allen is trying to show how hard it can be to find true love. His attempt to win Annie back when they meet futile despite the fact that he has contributed significantly to Annie’s current success as a musician.
Annie is already in another relationship and frankly tells Alvy that they can never have a relationship again. The narrative style adopted by Allen seems at first glance not very organized as the plot keeps on moving from one point in time to another in flashback and recalling of childhood memories.
This is however possibly a technique he uses to show how at times our lives are full of events that do not seem to be well organized but still makes sense when viewed in relation with other occurrences. For example, Alvy’s psychological disturbance can be attributed to his childhood incidents whereby at times he was not able to distinguish between what was real and what was imaginary. The way Alvy and Annie relate depicts the nature of relationships and the different world views held by men and women in relationships.
Alvy’s lack of security in the relationship and negative view about life together with Annie’s worry about her little education contribute to the eventual downfall of their relationship. After their break up with Annie, he tries to find out why he has had numerous problems in all relationships with women. He has specifically had a problem with sex in all his marriages and probably this has led the marriages’ failure.
At one point, he tries to avoid having sex with his ex-wife Allison by talking about Kennedy’s assassination (Shumway 171). He even attempts to seek for a solution from unknown people by asking passers by questions about love, and they are willing to answer him on what they think makes a relationship successful (Conard, Skoble139).
He also tries to relate this problem with his past, for instance during the visit to the doctor together with his mother and the incident in class when he was found kissing a young girl. According to Conard and Skoble, the author is trying to show the temporary nature of love (140). He shows that love has a start, events that follow thereafter and finally love comes on an end. The initial bliss is not always there.
Allen: an auteur director
Allen can be referred to as an auteur director in the film Annie Hall. This is to mean that he satisfies most of the concepts of the auteur theory. In the auteur theory, the director of the film is very influential in the production of the film until it becomes right to refer to the director as the author (auteur) of that particular piece of work.
There is also a reflection of the director’s personal preference in terms of style in the work they are directing.
This is true for Woody Allen who is the director of this film. This is because Allen takes part in the film as the main character and in the process, he integrates his views and as the film progresses, he is able to communicate his thoughts, fears and real life experiences to the audience through the role he plays (Spark notes, pg 1). His philosophy of life is therefore clearly shown through the different roles he plays throughout the film.
A lot about his character is also learnt as he interacts with other characters and also as he speaks his thoughts directly to the camera.
Alvy can be seen as a true representative of Allen in this film. Carvill notes that, Alvy’s role and occupation in the film shows much of Allen’s real character and ideologies in life (1). His obsession with sex, death and New York City are some of the things that reflect Allen’s personality traits.
He is able to be in charge of the events in the film even though he is not responsible for the production of the film. Many times when Allen is involved in directing any film, he is usually fully in charge of everything that happens to the movie.
For example, he fully participates in directing, choice of the people to act the film and the place for the film is to take place. Allen is also in charge of other things related with the film production for example amending the work in preparation for publication and also promotion of the completed work to the public.
This role that he has played in the production of the film makes him get more credit than the rest they work with in the making of the film. It is also very common for an auteur director to have similar themes in different works they direct.
Conclusion
In the film, the theme of love is very well tackled through Alvy and Annie as the main characters. The short lived bliss and eventual fading of love is shown through this relationship that at first seems perfected but ends up in a break up instead of a marriage as is typical in many romantic comedies. The ending, however, is not very bad because Alvy and Annie end up meeting again, although not as lovers but as friends.
By the use of this relationship, the writer expresses the theme of how necessary and also weird love can be. By using the character Alvy, the author seems to be asking,’ why do men become so tired of the same women they promise to love forever?’ Through this, he is able to shows the absurdity of love.
Its necessity is shown by Alvy’s search for happiness in marriage by marrying two wives but eventually getting divorced. His attempt to resolve the mystery of his separation with Annie also shows that love is a necessary part of his life and he needs to address the issues that have made it impossible for him to be in steady relationships in the past.
Works Cited
Carvill, John. Sex and Politics in Annie Hall: Not Essentially a Political Comedy at All. Oomska, 2011. Web.
Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) fruitful musical output was confined to the composition of operas only and he is remembered for his significant contribution in bringing the opera to new and unreached heights of dramatic splendour, theater, and spell bounding music, which were notable for their complex texture, rich harmonies, elaborate use of leitmotifs and orchestration.
The romantic opera with music and libretto, The Flying Dutchman, which he composed in 1841 and gave its premiere performance at the Royal Opera House in Dresden on January 2, 1843, was his first great success and played a great role in establishing his reputation. The overture illustrates the story of a ghost ship everlastingly seafaring the turbulent high seas, whose captain can only be rescued from this doom by the love of a woman, and the overture’s music is stirring and thrilling, having the theme of mysticism.
In writing The Flying Dutchman, Wagner initially intended for it to be performed without intermission and he composed it using some leitmotifs (literally leading motifs) related to its characters and themes. The leitmotifs are all incorporated in the overture that starts with the “Curse weighing upon the Dutchman” motif.
The opening of the renowned ocean or storm motif relayed in unison by bassoons and horns, “accompanied in the violins tremolo, picturing waves in motion, and passages in violas and cellos depicting increasing waves and the approaching storm” (“Overture to the Flying Dutchman,” para. 1). The accompaniments in the first motif assist in giving suggestions of the Curse and motive and signs of anguish.
After the tempest in the first motif quells, the second motif is introduced, “”The Message of the Angel of Mercy.” This motif personifies Senta that is present in the opera at the culmination of every verse of Senta’s ballad, and, worth mentioning, captivating passages are also included in the horns and trombones.
Additionally, the Curse motif is also mentioned in this verse. Lastly, the third motif, “The Personification of the Dutchman,” is whereby the fury of the tempest rages afresh and its stillness is heard through the joyful Sailor’s Song on a passing ship. The rage of the tempest proceeds, however, the Senta motif comes back tirelessly, interchanging with the Curse motif until lastly the wreck scene and then silence follows.
The Flying Dutchman illustrates the story of the opera in miniature: “stark, fierce chords in the woodwinds and strings plunge the listener immediately into the middle of a wildly raging storm at sea as the motive of the accursed Dutchman peals out in the horns” (Naughtin, 3).
The overture is one of the most impressive and enthralling storm scenes in music. In the overture, the Dutchman is a sea captain who vowed that he would travel by water around the Cape of Good Hope despite the winds, tempests, and even hell itself; thus, as a castigation of his sacrilegious pledge, he is condemned to travel by water across the seas till he gets the right woman whom he can be together with unto death.
As the story commences, raging waters compel the Dutchman’s vessel to go off course to a Norwegian fjord (referred to as Sandvika) where he hears a woman named Senta singing, and as the raging of the waters ceases, we hear the gentle melody of Senta’s Ballad from the second act of the opera. The woman informs the sailor that she is the only one who is capable of saving him from his miserable destiny.
A pleasant sailor’s dance then ensues. However, the raging waters soon weigh this down. In her enthusiasm to rescue the sailor from his unhappy state, the woman jumps toward the ghost ship and dies, and the music in the opera softens as Senta’s theme comes back, adored and radiant.
Then, the saved sailor and the woman are seen coming out of the sea heavenward. “The peroration of the overture, preceded by a pause and an upward rush of the strings, summarizes dramatically the themes of Senta, of her sacrifice, and the motive, now in the major key, of the redeemed mariner” (“Richard Wagner- Overture,” para. 2).
In many aspects, The Flying Dutchman is autobiographical that depicts the life of Richard Wagner.
It has been said that the overture’s incidental background relates to the composer’s voyage from his creditors in the two years before writing the opera. When he was travelling from Riga to Paris while passing through London, he was forced to endured raging storms in the North Sea and the journey took a considerable number of days at sea.
At the premiere performance of the opera in 1843, it was conducted by Richard Wagner, the role of the Dutchman (voice type-bass, baritone) was performed by Johann Wachter, while the role of Senta (voice type-soprano) was performed by Wilhelmine Schroder-Devrient. Some of the instruments that are used in performing the overture include two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, four French horns, two trumpets, timpani, and violins.
Works Cited
Naughtin, Mathew. “Overture to The Flying Dutchman.” Wagner. 2002. Web.
Visiting a museum is a fascinating but challenging endeavor. Rich in emotions and impressions, a visit to a museum requires the basic knowledge of art. Visitors must be able to place themselves within the museum’s emotional and physical context. Reasons why people visit museums are numerous.
Falk and Dierking (1992) are confident that the prevailing majority of visitors come to museums for leisure. Therefore, before a visit to a museum takes place, individuals must ensure that the anticipated context matches their desires and preferences and meets their financial and time expectations (Falk & Dierking, 1992).
On August 23, 2011, I came to the Delaware Art Museum, located in Wilmington, Delaware. That was the first time I ever attended the Delaware Art Museum. The museum looked smaller than the one I had visited in Spain.
It impressed me with its compactness, creating an atmosphere of physical and emotional density. The day I visited the museum, all three levels and fifteen galleries were open for visitors. A few other visitors and a group of young children were wandering through the museum’s corridors.
On the second level of the Delaware Art Museum I suddenly felt joy and anticipation. As I approached George Tooker’s White Wall (1964-65), the sense of anticipation gradually increased. Tooker’s picture became a true revelation to me. A graphic representation of anxiety and isolation, Tooker’s painting was like a piece of whiteness against the dark reality of life.
White Wall looks confusing and leaves enough space for interpretation and analysis. It is a kind of rebellion against racism and the fear of everything non-white (Garver, 1992). A brief commentary under the painting claimed that the work had been created during the Civil Rights Movement.
Tooker used his artistic talent to depict one of his college friends, who was so afraid of blacks that hid behind the white wall (Garver, 1992). White Wall is a reflection of the young man’s fear of race – fear, which does not help but entraps and cuts the person from the rest of the world.
I made a step outside and suddenly saw the Labyrinth, made of seven tons of Delaware River Rock. The path from entrance to the center of the Labyrinth is 1,515 feet long.
With the diameter of 80 feet and the circumference of 253 feet, the Labyrinth is probably the most unique and impressive creation in the Delaware Art Museum. Its design reflects the features and patterns of medieval manuscripts, with 12 concentric circles, 11 circuits, 28 U-turns representing the lunar cycle, and six right-angle turns.
The Labyrinth comprises four quadrants symbolizing four seasons. Inside the Labyrinth, individuals must turn 13 times to reach the center, which is almost the same as living through 13 full moons during one year.
As I look back into my museum experiences, I realize how impressive and fascinating a visit to a museum can be. Museums are perfect places for recreation and socialization, as well as personal development and intellectual growth. Artworks provide excellent food for thought which, nonetheless, is not readily available for everyone.
Visiting a museum is not as simple as it seems. Museums do not reveal their secrets to the unprepared. Visitors must apply considerable efforts to understand the hidden meanings. Otherwise, most works of art will remain under the veil of secrecy and confusion. Like the Labyrinth, all pieces of work in the Delaware Art Museum welcome contemplation and thinking.
The Labyrinth itself and the rest of the Delaware Art Museum exemplify a perfect place of peace and meditation (Anonymous, 2010). Regardless of the period in which different works of art were created, they serve a gateway into the hidden meanings of our culture.
Conclusion/ Summary
Visiting a museum is equally fascinating and challenging. The Delaware Art Museum is a unique place, with numerous works of art created at different points of human development. George Tooker’s White Wall is a reflection of individual moods during the civil rights era. By contrast, the Labyrinth is a complex representation of medieval symbols. Whatever the purpose, visiting a museum is always a pleasure. The Delaware Art Museum serves a gateway into the hidden meanings of our culture.
Guedea like Amenemhat II the 10′ Pharaoh was carved in honor of a leader and king who ruled in the early 2144-2124 BC. By the inscriptions that were found on it, the sculpture forms part of a collection of the pieces in the temples built by the Guedea in Ur Nippur, Asdab Uruk and Bad-Tibira.
They were both carved as symbols of influence and prominence in the Sumer[1] society. Both pieces of art were carefully crafted to reflect the feelings and impressions of the personalities they represented along with the nature and feel of their periods of reign.
Amenemhat II the 10′ Pharaoh compares to the Guedea by its rather lavish but carefully crafted sense of pride that falls in line with the pomp and style that came with the reign of the Pharaohs[2]. It stands 10 foot tall almost the size of a monument with characteristically broad shoulders and a narrow waist that portrays a rather athletic and muscular personality.
Clearly, the reign of the pharaoh between 1919 and 1885 was full of energy and an active mood. The facial completion and the buildup of the facial features tend to make it look like the Ramesses II who rued between 1279 and 1213. The general composure of the piece cultivates a proud and authoritative picture and mood[3].
The Guedea on the other hand is a smaller and more condensed version of kingship. This reflects the early form of art due to its lack of refined and more clearly defined trimmings due to the tools and equipments that were used at the time. The piece of art is rather small and simplistic as to represent the amount of influence and importance that the personality gave to art.
Both motivated by a similar objective, the artworks were created by the people who obviously worshipped them. The sculptures, therefore, have a common theme that only differs in expression and lay out. The Pharaoh was created to thrill, which is reinforced by the wide open eyes and the outburst impression.
The Guedea on the other hand stands to honor the king and recognize the throne as well as represent a rather humble and more reserved king who needed little attention and was more focused on development. The piece was found among the pieces of trade and, therefore, follows the commercial rather than artistic importance[4].
Another important element that characterizes both sculptures and shows distinctly the difference between them is the position the characters are depicted in. The gestures of the characters seem to be one of the links that bring these artworks together. Both sitting in the same position, the Pharaoh and Guedea put their hands in their laps, as if humbly waiting for something or someone to come.
One of the most significant details in the sculptures of the ancient idols, the proportions of the artifacts in question are strikingly different. Speaking of the Pharaoh, one must mention the tremendous size the sculpture has.
Taking a single glance at the sculpture is enough to understand that the creator of the artwork was aiming at emphasizing the magnificence and the power of the beholder of the throne. Hence, the proportions of the sculpture are not distorted, but considerably exaggerated if compared to the size of a real person.
In contrast to the sculpture of the Pharaoh, the Guedea sculpture is tiny and almost insignificant. It is obvious that the creator of the sculpture was not intending to express the grandeur of his creation with help of its size. On the contrary, the sculpture of Guedea seems to command esteem with the air of composure and restraint about the figure.
The Egyptians considered these two characters as deities and could therefore not put a commercial price tag on their sculptures and symbols[5].
They, however, had an extremely high value in the religious realm and were therefore considered holy. The Sumerians, on the other hand, valued the symbols and sculptures of their rulers and their gods in the commercial and religious realm. This, therefore, explains the reason as to why the Guedea was found among other items of trade.
Bibliography
Edzard, Dietz Otto. Gudea and His Dynasty. Buffalo, UK: Toronto: University of Toronto Press Incorporated, 1997.
Frayne, Douglas . Sargonic and Gutian Periods. Buffalo, UK: University of Toronto Press Incorporated, 1993.
Krysten Cunningham works in physics laboratory but does other tasks. For example, Giattino reports her saying that “For instance I am working on a video project called ‘3 to 4’ that uses color as way to expand out notions of dimension”. The lecturer’s work passes on desired messages through figurative artistic work captured in sculptural and craftwork. Krysten laments, “I use weaving in a way that ignores the warp and weft.
So if you think about my weaving as text, the words have left the page” (Giattino 2). A woven article needs to be seen as a whole not in terms of warps and wefts.
However, the krysten’s work does not directly unveil the intended themes. For instance the colors selected, in lurking way, address the societal problems of racial discrimination and prejudices. She says “The Quercitron sculpture is named for its color” (Giattino 2).
She believes that the differences existing amongst individuals is a matter of how we visualize and interpret issues occurring in our environment. Furthermore, through her sculptural work, krysten emphasizes on the need for change of perceptions to enhance a harmonious understanding of all people differences and ways of life. To her this is manageable through multi-dimensional space visualizations.
She inquires, “When you suggest an alternative to the pedagogy, using authoritative tone with blatantly subjective information, what happens to the viewer? How do they process the information when the signals are crossed…?” (Giattino 2)` Our mind deceives us by giving wrong interpretations of issues just as a sculpture could be given different forms and colors to portray different messages.
She could not recognize her sculpture remembrance to the hypercube but on viewing hypercube video, she was able to see it.
Her work is draws interest especially on learning that what is importance is availing comparative information to people to make them fully appreciate themselves and the society they live in: something she amicably does through her sculptural and craft work. Pictures are worth million words!
Mary Weatherford
Mary Weatherford lives and work in Los Angeles as an artist. Apart from her job, she participates in painting and group and or individual artistic painting works exhibitions. She effectively voices her concerns through paintings.
Rachael Kushner laments that “her canvases have changed by fascinating degrees over her long career: from the feminist-tinged minimal targets she was painting when she started up; to spare washes of color” (Robert Para 2) indicating that she handles many painting tasks. Her artistic work can be described as long-term critical marks of recognition that have not yet but are waiting to take their rightful places in museums.
Despite Mary Weatherford’s position that “all that comprises a good deal depend on one’s price range” (Robert Para 1), her paintings are wonderful investments. By careful selection and blending of colors, Mary Weatherford is able to make her paintings reflective of her metal affiliations about the society.
She drives the theme of deeply ingrained unity home. According to her artistry, folks seem to be united from distances but on taking closer look, it is not the case. For example, the painting at sisters and cottage home show exemplify this theme as knight reports that the “…the autumnal beauty of the image melds with a fecund profusion of linear marks to curve out remarkably deep layers of space” (Robert Para 4).
I get particularly interested in that “Her works suggest that a painting represents the exquisite irregularities of material reality at its own peril” (Robert Para 4) comparable to differences amongst folks in the society. Through additional inclusions to the paintings, she attempts to document history.
Take for instance, the ‘light hearted’ painting featuring four Los Angeles artists: Coughlan, Reeder, Root, and Weatherfold. She glued sponges, starfish and seashells onto tan, blue and purple pools indicative of seashell collecting times. This is quite a unique way of historical narrations using precise a language.
Agreementwith other film industries to open the markets for films placed France within the major risk of foreign interference. Subtitling was also not allowed per se leaving dubbing as the solitaryoption of domesticating foreign films.
The 1920’s
By 1920’s, the whole of France and Western Europe was recovering from the destructions of the world war one, thus they were making desperate moves to dominate a large portion of the market as possible. In the early 1920’s, there was no stiff competition in the film industry and films were produced mostly for the local market.
There was no foreign competition due to quotas which limited the number of films that could be imported where American films were permitted to a maximum of 20%. But later on, the market share taken by America in the film industry on foreign markets became colossal making it impossible for a single country to challenge America single-handedly (Thompson 1996).
The ascending to power of Edouard Herriot brought about great changes in the French market, when he called for Europe to unite and have a common market. French film industry was poorly structured and many firms in the film industry were family owned and small which released a few films before going under. On top of that, dubbing was expansive, time consuming and labour intensive making film production to require much higher budgets than France could afford (Danan 1991).
Market Dominance
The film Europe policy of 1920’s allowed importation of films into the French market, thereby increasing the number of films coming in from other European countries especially Germany at the expense of the local industry (O’Brien, n.d.).
Importance of dubbed films also increased films from the United States of America which was advanced technologically compared to France increasing the foreign dominance in the French market. Though France also exported dubbed films to other European countries especially Germany, its industry was not technologically advanced to compete favourably in the market. Between 1926-1930, enormous portions of the French market was held by foreigners with the USA controlling up to 50% while Germany controlled around 23% (Bergan 2008).
To protect the local film industry, the French government introduced regulations to limit the number of imported dubbed films on 1st may, 1928 to seven for every one film produced in France. This was later to be changed to three imported dubbed films for every one locally produced by Frances’s chambre syndicale on 27th February 1929 (Remi 2002).
The Invention of Sound
Invention of sound in the film industry in 1929 reduced foreign competition due to language barrier. Also with the expectation of sales increases, investment in the film industry increased.
Furthermore, larger firms like “Gaumont-Franco-Film-Aubert”, ventured into the industry and production increased significantly with the target being the French speaking countries. This saw the decrease of foreign dominance with America’s market share decreasing to 43% by 1932. Incidentally, there was an over estimation as to the extent to which language will be of benefit to the French industry.
Dubbing technology was quickly advanced to counter the language barrier, and once again France found itself in the middle of a crisis with stiffer competition not only in the foreign market but also in the local one (Danan 1994). Due to the high rate of collapsing among the firms in the film industry investment remained low as well as credit, which gave room for importation of dubbed films as Frances’s local demand was higher than the supply.
Importation versus Local
The number of imported dubbed films dominated the local market in France in the 1920’s and early 1930’s with the majority being from America and Germany while the local industry was deteriorating (Richard 1984). The cooperation between France and Germany in the 1920’s promoted the dominance of Germany in the French market, and further weakened the French industry because among other factors dubbing was done by foreign firms.
The quota of dubbed features hindered specifically the number of foreign films allowed into the country to 140 from 24th July 1933 to 30th June 1934 and 94 to the end of 1934, leading to the decline of the foreign market share (Film birth 2009).
As a result of this, the popularity of French films improved over the American imported films increasing the local market under French control to nearly 50%. On the other hand, inbox receipts increased raising the income of the local firms alleviating the crisis that had prevailed in the film industry (Steer 1995).
The French film industry was made up of small firms which were not innovative coupled with the fact that they were not well structured, making France unable to control their market and perform poorly in the foreign market. Due to this, dubbing was also foreign based where all films were dubbed in foreign countries and only imported as finished products (Szarkowska 2005). Consequently, France was forced to keep its budgets low therefore unable to benefit from large scale production.
Dubbing was also allowed on the condition that it was to take place in French territory, which was a move tailored to ensure that the dubbing process was healthy to the French economy while at the same time allowing local industry to flourish (William and Hughes 2001). This made the government to pass a decree on 29th July 1932 which allowed only films dubbed in France in the market (Walford 2007).
Conclusion
Dubbing was inevitable in France since culture and language had to protect. On the same note, importation of dubbed films contributed to the weakening of the local cinema industry hence affecting the economy as a whole. Invention of sound was not as advantageous as was expected by the local industry.
The government of France therefore, needed to implement rules and decrees which could the process of dubbing health to the economy. Much still needed to be done other than the decrees and quotas, in boosting the local film industry which had lugged behind both technologically and financially.
You Were My Everything was among the top songs in the American Music Chart in year 2004. On a literature perspective, Aviation song was and is still successful because of the extensive use of literary elements. The most eminent literary elements include point-of-view, theme and cultural-context. Nonetheless, how do they influence the success of the song as a piece of literature? The analysis below gives a clear-cut answer to this question.
Theme
The main theme of the song is lost love. Throughout the poem, the artist makes it explicit regrets losing the person he loved most. In the fourth paragraph, the artist explains the reasons that caused him to lose his love and his desire to have that person back. He treated that person badly ‘I can’t forgive myself for the way I treated you so’ (Aviation 2).
The artist also tries to show how he wishes that he could have the chance to love that person again ‘I really wanna show you I really need to hold you’ (Aviation 5). He finds it difficult to admit that he has lost his love ‘I guess now, we’ll never know’ (Aviation 20). As we see, every line focuses on the theme. The reader/listener cannot help but feel the artist’s intense sadness, love, regret and his cry for forgiveness.
Point of View
The song uses the first person point-of-view. As we see, the word ‘I’ is repeatedly used throughout the song. The first person viewpoint gives the reader an opportunity to get inside the character’s experiences. In every chorus, we see the word ‘I’ in the first six lines, ‘I need you and, I miss you and, I want you and…’ (Aviation 8).
The reader gets to know the artists deepest thoughts about the woman he loves and therefore, the reader feels the intense love like if he/she was the one in love. In essence, the reader feels like the artist is sharing his deepest feelings, feelings that he would have difficulty telling his closest friend. As a result, an association, attachment or intimacy develops between the reader and the artist.
Cultural-context
The song is in the contemporary era where people talk openly about love issues, and where everything, including love is fast-paced. As we see, the artist has no reservation when explaining or expressing his feelings. He tells of the little things he did with the woman he loved ‘Remember when we kissed?’ (Aviation 18) and what they meant to him ‘I thought you’d be there for me’ (Aviation 18) without minding how other people would respond.
In addition, he tells us about how he met that person on the first day and they ‘hit if off’ (Aviation 17) immediately. This shows that they never had time to know each other like in earlier times. It was fast love (love at first sight), the modern way. This makes it easy for any reader to relate with the song.
Conclusion
A successful piece of literature associates itself with the reader and is easy to understand. From the analysis, the use of cultural-context and the point of view makes it easy for the reader to associate him/herself with the song. The theme used is one that any reader can easily understand. This is what makes the song a success.
Works Cited
Aviation. You Were My Everything. Metrolyrics, 2011. Web.
Inspired by “The Taming of the Shrew” play by William Shakespeare, the “10 Things I hate About You” movie commences with the main character, Cameron, Padua High new student, in the office of a quirky counselor Perky who is the guidance mistress. Michael procedure on to walk Cameron around the school compound and later, they become close friends clique.
When Michael is passing him through the orientation process, Cameron quickly notices a very beautiful blonde called Bianca Stratford from sophomore. Unfortunately, the only impediment towards getting to know her better is that she has no permission to date whatsoever just like Katrina, her ‘shrew’ sister.
Interestingly, Katrina is the opposite of Bianca in that she has fallen for feminist prose, indie rock, and totally despises conformity. Along the way, their father allows them to date on condition that Katrina had to have a date for Bianca to do so.
Thus, the dilemma to Cameron, who is interested in Bianca, is to fix a friend to date Katrina in order to be with Bianca. Fortunately, Michael comes to his rescue by tricking the pretty model collage mate called Joey Donner in believing that his only chance to get to Bianca would be paying someone to date Katrina.
Written in the Elizabethan Era, the play “The Taming of the Shrew” reflected upon the assumption of this era when men were perceived as superior to women. The theme of patriarchy as a status determination facet has been addressed by William Shakespeare.
This orientation was applied in status determination, and defining traditional values to be imposed on the womenfolk. Reflectively, modern appropriation seems to embrace the same trend though hidden in ‘parental protection’ assumption as presented in the movie, the “Ten Things I Hate About You” produced by Gill Junger.
In the Shakespeare’s era, the society had sophisticated speech as compared to the rugged informal one characters use in the movie. Though Shakespeare’s language was refined, the movie used colloquial dialect characterized by slangs such as ‘heinous bitch’ in reference to Katrina. In the Shakespearean text, ‘wild beast’ and ‘shrew’ was used to define Katharina’s character.
Generally, in the Renaissance era, men dominated and exercised authority quite regularly. Shakespeare’s Katharina is defined by Lucentio and Gremio in the first interaction as hell irrespective of her feelings. In comparison, Kat has enough freedom at the expense of her sister Bianca. As a form of rebellion form male dominance, the character Kat is independent and free to exert her feelings irrespective of the consequences.
Fathers in both writings reflect on society and culture across the generational transition. In the “Ten Things I Hate About You play”, Bianca’s father is over protective due to fears of alcohol and drugs influence on his daughters. He is not ready to allow the two teenagers to go into early sexual relations.
In contrast, Batista, Katharina’s father in the Shakespearean era, is eager to let go of his daughter into marriage due to fear of eroded family reputation. From this analysis, it is apparent that drug abuse and alcoholism was absent in the renaissance era.
Conclusively, it is clear that the “Ten Things I Hate About You” and “The Taming of the Shrew” share many themes which reflect on the nature of societal orientations in different span of time. Factually, the social, cultural, and historical context of Shakespeare’s play influenced the plot and themes in the film “Ten Things I hate About You”, especially on teen culture in the 20th century.