Similarities Between Taming Of The Shrew And 10 Things I Hate About You

The definition of romance varies depending on a person’s view of it; their experiences, their surroundings, and other people’s influence. Society plays into this as well, since societal norms often change in line with peoples’ ideations of love. Societal gender norms play a role in how relationships develop and the balance of power, as shown in William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and the modern-interpretation, 10 Things I Hate About You, directed by Gil Junger. As seen in both works, many male characters are seen to conform to the societal norms at the time, in which men were expected to be the “dominant” one in the relationship and court women to become their wives while women were expected to submit to their suitors and husbands.

While he courts Bianca for her affection, he does eventually expect her obedience to him, for which she does not give. Meanwhile, in the movie equivalent, Cameron James “courts” Bianca Stratford out of interest and lacks an ulterior motive. As the relationship develops, both works demonstrate unconventional courting out of love through the characters’ language. However, the Taming version ultimately conforms to societal expectations through power imbalances while 10 Things refrains to do so due to Cameron’s unwavering adoration, which upholds the equality between the two, creating a more modern definition of affection and devotion. The Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You both demonstrate an ideal relationship, but one fails to uphold power equality within the relationship, creating similar yet contrasting definitions of romance. Both works display these definitions through the characters’ language, but Taming also utilizes power dynamics and imbalances while 10 Things illustrates it through unwavering

When Lucentio first gained sight of Bianca, his initial reaction consisted of immediate and instant interest. He immediately begins fantasizing about her, comparing her to what “that daughter of Agenor had,/That made great Jove to humble him to her hand/When with his knees he kissed the Cretan strand (Shakespeare 1.1.169-172) As opposed to many of Bianca’s suitors, when discussing Bianca with Tranio, Lucentio compares her to literary works and uses many intellectual metaphors to describe her beauty and his passion towards her. This contrasts the other suitors’ infatuation with her that could be compared to a competition to gain Bianca’s favor, treating her akin to a prize one has to win, an axiomatic rule in the 1500s. Unlike Lucentio, there is no love in the courtship, only an obsession with Bianca’s beauty and submission. Bianca also uses clever language to present her feelings towards Lucentio. During their first lesson together, Lucentio speaks to her about his true intentions, enshrouded in between the lines of a Latin paragraph. She responds in a similar way, exhibiting her feelings towards him.