She's the man or What you will.

Until now, we've watched a LOT of movie adaptations based on the works of William Shakespeare. Most of them have a clear connection to the play, through the title or the characters names. However, in some cases, you don’t even know you’re watching an adaptation until you actually read the play or learn about its existence. I don’t consider myself an ignorant person, but I also don’t care to admit I didn’t know anything about Twelfth Night.

Let me introduce you to these two: 

They are Channing Tatum (Ladies, control yourselves) and Amanda Bynes, and not so long ago -only 10 years from now app- they both starred on a movie called She's the man. When I saw this movie, which of course is a comedy, I had no idea it was actually based on Twelfth Night. So when our dear professor started to talk about the play, I got this odd sensation of Déjà vu. For a moment there, I thought maybe I had read about the play somewhere or that I (crazy of me) had actually read it.

It wasn’t until I heard the names of the characters that I was able to connect the dots.

She’s the man is a modernized version of the play. It follows the same plot: girl disguises herself as a man, falls in love with a guy who thinks he’s in love with a girl who is actually in love girl number one’s male version. I know, pretty confusing. Just like in the play.

The characters in the movie are called: Viola, Sebastian, Duke and Olivia. Oh, and they eat at a restaurant called Cesario’s. (You can see it in the trailer)

In the movie version, however, Viola disguises herself as her twin brother Sebastian. He wants to scape to London and tells Viola to help him out by not telling anyone. Viola loves playing soccer and given that she’s not allowed to play in her school because “girls at not good at it”, she decides to take advantage of the situation and switch places with her brother who is also supposed to go to a new school. Wanna guess the name of the school? No? Well, it’s Illyria Boarding School.

In her new school Viola decides that she’s going to make it into the soccer team and show everybody that girls are as good as boys at it. GIRL POWER everyone! Sisters before misters! (Ok, sorry)

In the process, Viola notices that she actually not that good (poor girl didn’t know better) and accepts the help of Duke Orsino (*OMG, all the references*). Of course, in the movie he’s a hottie and Viola falls for him. The trouble begins when she finds out that he is in love with Olivia. She tries to control herself when talking to him and sometimes fails to hide all the hormones.

VIOLA

I'll do my best

To woo your lady:

Aside

yet, a barful strife!

Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife. (1.4.7)

Aaaaaaaand because Sebastian (actually Viola) is such a sensible and thoughtful man, Olivia falls for him/her. They start to hang out and soon Duke notices, so he asks him/her to help him out in the classic “talk about me, say good things about me” way.

I will stop at this because people say I’m always telling spoilers, but you can imagine how it goes (maybe you actually read the play).

Now, what is actually important to mention about both the movie and the play, is the theme of roles, and more specifically the role of woman. We know by now, that in the play Viola is posing as a man to work for Duke Orsino because as a woman she cannot get a job. In the movie, we have Viola trying to get in the boys soccer team because woman are not good at it. Both, movie and play can be viewed as a reference to feminism and in that sense one might even say that Shakespeare has always been ahead of his time, but in reality what should shock us the most is the fact that these roles have not changed much.

In the case of soccer, it is true that there are now lots of soccer teams conformed by only girls, and that now they even get to go to their own championships, but ask aby guy if they’d like to a have a girl play in their favorite team. How about the men in charge of those teams? Do you think they’d hire girls? Maybe one day.

Let’s not even begin to talk about jobs.

It is also important to mention the theme of genders because it is closely related to roles. For that matter, we should see genders as something that, although it shouldn’t, is pretty much socially constructed. Don’t say no because we all know that the moment a man starts talking in a higher pitch and in a let’s say ‘fancier’ way, people immediately think he is a homosexual. And for that reason, the movie and the play are very good at proving this point. The fact that the two Viola’s convince everyone that they are male just because they talk with a deep voice and they dress with ‘manly cloth’ should give it away. Viola’s constant struggle to keep her real self hidden is a reminder that gender is based on what society tells us to do.

VIOLA

Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we!

For such as we are made of, such we be. (2.2.3)

Now, of course there are other themes that are worth discussing, but I'll leave that up to you.

So, yes, if you read the play and watch the movie you will find that there are many differences, but I think the movie is a pretty good adaptation and it doesn’t fail to depict the problems of both old England and current society.

Watch the trailer here.

Also: Watch the goofy montage Very 2000's.

You can comment below and discuss whether you agree with me on some of the things that I mentioned.

Do you think the problems of feminism in our current society are comparable in one way or another to those of old England?

And you can answer this if you want to (they are just for fun): If someone told the only way to achieve your biggest dream is by changing your gender, would you do it? 

Would you like to switch places with a man/woman for a day?