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Welcome to Fire Stream's Film Criticism!
This is a collection of pages where students are comparing selections from William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" to a film of their choice.

Full assignment instructions:

Your task is to write a visual essay which compares and/or contrasts 'The Taming of the Shrew' with a modern movie or play that focuses on courtship/dating. The final product will include both writing and screen shots of the movie you choose. Here's how to plan and execute this:

1. Pick one of the seven focus areas from our Forum to "zoom in" on:

1. Male ideas on courtship/dating 2. Female ideas on courtship/dating 3. Boyfriend/girlfriend as a status symbol or possession 4. Parental interference in courtship/dating 5. Romantic love/love at first sight 6. Male/female expectations in relationships 7. Honesty and deception in relationships

2. Think about which movie also has a message about this focus area. You are strongly encouraged to pick a comedy. The movie should also depict "modern" life, from the last 30 years or so.

3. Watch that movie (again) and identify a SPECIFIC SCENE that you can compare/contrast with a specific scene in "Shrew." Again, the forum will help you identify which moments could be good for this analysis.

In your analysis, seek to answer the following question:

What do these portrayals show us about society's attitudes towards courtship/dating? (Identify what the main messages of "Shrew" and your movie are, and describe HOW they are similar or different.)

A few requirements:

- Your final product should have a clever title, a comprehensive written introduction, two examples from the play (direct quotes) and two examples from your movie (screen shots). - Each example should have a caption with explains how it supports your main argument. - Make sure your writing is professional! IM-speak and typos will not be tolerated.

COPY AND PASTE these instructions directly into your wiki page. Then, as you complete each section, delete them!

** // Clever title goes up top // **
// Name your play and your movie in the sub-title so the clever title doesn't seem random //

//After your title comes your intro description, which should include the following info:// //- names of the play and your movie selection, plus an introduction to the characters you're talking about and their basic situation.// //- a thesis statement that compares/contrasts the movie and the play. You it should be clear which focus area you're zooming in on from the intro paragraph--set the reader up to understand the scene(s) you'll be presenting!//

// After you have the intro, it's up to you how you organize your film stills and quotes. I chose to alternate between the play and the movie, starting off with the play. Put the play quotes in BIG FONT to give the reader something to latch on to. And remember to give enough CONTEXT in your captions for each quote and picture, or else the reader will be confused! //

// Here are sample formats you can use. For the play, start with a direct quote in a bigger font: //

**"Quote from Play"**

(Act x, Scene x, line numbers)

// A few sentences go after quote, including sufficient CONTEXT that tells the reader what's going on in "Shrew," and also a bit of ANALYSIS linking to your thesis. //

You then TRANSITION into your comparative scene from a movie. Include a transition sentence and then put in the screen shot:


 * IMAGE GOES HERE **

//After the screen shot, you need to do the same thing that you did for the quote from "Shrew" -- sufficient context that describes what's happening in that scene, and analysis that connects back to your thesis (and states what the comparison and/or contrast is to "Shrew.)//

Then, you need a second (and possibly a third) set of comparisons: play, movie. Play, movie. Don't forget to use a larger font!

// Finally, you need your CONCLUSION. This paragraph should specifically mention BOTH the play and the movie, and touch on the central question of the assignment: // What do these portrayals show us about society's attitudes towards courtship/dating?