Taming of the Shrew (1997) and 10 things I hate about you (1998) are two films with a lot in common. Both films were made in the same year, 1967. In 10 Things, the characters are placed in similar situations as those in Taming of the Shrew. The setting and the time period may be different, but they still represent the main point.
In the drama Taming of the Shrew the protagonist is Petruchio. This man wants to wed Katherine, but she has a temper. Lucentio loves Katherine’s younger sister Bianca and will stop at nothing to win her. Patrick falls for Kat, a girl with a bad temper, while Cameron falls for Bianca Stratford. Bianca is Kat’s sister. In both the play as well as the movie, the characters are very similar. Kat’s character in the movie is also tamed, as Katherine is in the original play. In 10 Things I Hate About You, the couples in the play are younger and the relationship is less serious. The plots of Taming of the Shrew, and 10 Things I Hate About You are the same.
The story of Taming of the Shrew revolves around Lucentio’s, Gremio’s, and Hortensio wanting to marry Bianca. Their only obstacle is Katherine, her older sister. Katherine’s father demands that Katherine marry before Bianca. So, they went out to find Katherine a husband and found Petruchio.
He is eager to marry her, at first only because Baptista has given him a dowry. Petruchio, Katherine, and their relationship improves over time as they develop feelings for one another. Cameron, Joey, Michael, and Bianca want to win Bianca in 10 things I dislike about you. But her father says that Kat can’t date Bianca until she has dated Kat. They pay Patrick Verona to date Kat. Patrick and Kat begin to feel the same way Petruchio did with Katherine. They were also paid differently. Joey was the one who paid Patrick for taking Kat on a date, while Petruchio received money from his dowry. The plot is similar in all other ways.
Comparing texts in different contexts allows audiences to understand the evolution of values over time. Shakespeare’s Taming Of The Shrew, written in 1590, illustrates Elizabethan values such as Patriarchy. It also highlights the importance of relationships and their value within society. Gil Junger’s 99 film 10 Things I Hate You contrasts with 20th Century ideologies that subvert patriarchal views and promote loving partnership.
Tots depicts patriarchy as a result of the abuse and mistreatment of women in Elizabethan society by their husbands and fathers. Baptista controls Katherine and Bianca’s lives with the authoritarian actions he takes. The marriage negotiations were conducted in the absence of his daughters, which further demonstrates this. The metaphor, “I’m a merchant,” shows that Baptista is willingly trading his daughters with economic gain in exchange for marriage. The audience is told that the Elizabethan era was a time when women were seen as burdens and commodities. This reinforces patriarchal values, where women are viewed as the property of their fathers. Petruchio’s treatment of Katherine shows the male dominance within Patriarchal Society. Katherine is depicted in the play as an individual who refuses societal expectations and expresses their own uniqueness. As a result, she is dehumanised. The modern adaptation “10TIHAY” values individuality and does not oppress it. Petruchio’s use of animal imagery, “My falcon has become sharp and is passing empty,” conveys the idea that he plans to manipulate Katherine by using a technique similar to falcon hunting which was once a pastime for upper-classes. It seems that Petruchio’s knowledge and social standing are what underpin the patriarchal authority he wants to assert on Katherine. “To have her know her Keeper’s Call” implies that Katherina must become obedient in order to be able to comprehend her subservience towards Petruchio.
“10IHAY”, a film about the 20th-century, shows a society that is more egalitarian and less patriarchal. Kate Stratford is a good example of how, while males are still dominant in society, women no longer feel repressed. The low angle shot that shows her father disapproving of Kate’s choice of collage, and the fact that he does not approve of it, conforms to the patriarchal expectations within families. Kate is also in the background, subverting the expectations. She is shown as the person with more power. A low angle shot shows the father doing some sit-ups. His old body and lack of strength make him look like a Jocular dad, appealing to the audience. The relationship the daughters share with their fathers is one of complete control. In the film “10TIHAY”, however, the father does not seem to care about what happens in his daughter’s life. Petruchio, in “TOTS”, exerts social control to Katherine until she becomes humiliated. Kate exerts her control over the relationship in “10TIHAY”. Patrick sings “Can’t get my eyes off you” and is embarrassed to do so in order for her to feel happy.
“TOTS” emphasizes that in Elizabethan society, relationships were not built on love or affection but instead on economic and societal gain. This play repeatedly brings up the idea of status, that only men with high social standing, Nobel-educated, and respectable could marry beautiful, modest women who had large dowries. The parallelism, “I come in order to wed wealthily and happily in Padua,” shows how for Petruchio marriage and wealth are synonymous. He said, “She may be old as Sibyl” in a metaphorical way. This is a clear indication of his selfishness and materialism.
The 10 I Hate About You song has been adapted to fit the expectations of modern culture and to meet the ideals of marriage, love and relationship of modern audiences.
