The transformation of characterisation from Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” to the modern film adaptation “She’s the Man” involves significant changes to engage contemporary audiences, particularly through the lens of gender roles and societal norms.
Modern Adaptation Techniques
Gender and Identity: “She’s the Man” modernizes the gender-bending elements of “Twelfth Night” by setting the story in a contemporary American high school, where Viola disguises herself as her brother to join a boys’ soccer team. This adaptation addresses modern issues of gender identity and sexism, reflecting feminist themes relevant to today’s audiences (김민경, 2014; Klett, 2008; Martindale, 2008).
Cultural Localization: The film uses strategies of localization, similar to other cultural adaptations of Shakespeare, by incorporating elements like soccer to resonate with American adolescent culture. This approach helps in making the story more relatable to a modern audience (김민경, 2014).
Homoeroticism and Queer Themes: While “She’s the Man” dampens some of the homoerotic elements present in “Twelfth Night,” it still retains a queer legacy through its exploration of gender and identity, albeit filtered through Hollywood’s lens of queerbaiting and capitalist strategies (Publius, 2020).
Character and Plot Adjustments
Character Dynamics: The film retains the central plot of gender masquerade and romantic complications but simplifies and modernizes the relationships to focus on a happy heterosexual union, aligning with mainstream cinematic norms (Martindale, 2008).
Supporting Characters: The film introduces new characters and subplots to emphasize modern relationship dynamics and comedic elements, such as Viola’s ex-boyfriend and her brother’s girlfriend, which are not present in the original play (Martindale, 2008).
Conclusion
The transformation from “Twelfth Night” to “She’s the Man” involves adapting the original play’s themes of gender and identity to fit a modern context, using cultural localization and addressing contemporary societal issues. This approach makes the story accessible and engaging for today’s audiences while maintaining a connection to Shakespeare’s original work.
References
, 김., 2014. 〈쉬즈더맨〉 : 할리우드의 셰익스피어 대중화 전략. **, 57, pp. 43-63.
Klett, E., 2008. Reviving Viola: Comic and Tragic Teen Film Adaptations of Twelfth Night. Shakespeare Bulletin, 26, pp. 69 – 87. https://doi.org/10.1353/SHB.0.0004
Martindale, S., 2008. She’s the Man (review). Shakespeare Bulletin, 26, pp. 135 – 138. https://doi.org/10.1353/SHB.0.0009
Publius, X., 2020. Diffraction Patterns of Homoeroticism and Mimesis between Twelfth Night and She’s the Man. Connections: A Journal of Language, Media and Culture. https://doi.org/10.29173/connections8
