Taming Of The Shrew And 10 Things I Hate About You

The Evolution of Culture Through Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You

“How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways.” And count the ways she did. This altered quote from the famous sonnet written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning was used as a tagline for the 1999 teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's famous play Taming of the Shrew. Both productions thrilled audiences with their witty comedy and romantic themes but in some exceedingly different time periods. Both stories follow the sharp-tongued Katherine and her alluring younger sister in a story of manipulation, courtship and abiding to societal expectations. Though both these stories follow all three of these themes, they differ immensely

This movie took Shakespeare's famous play and placed it into a modern high school setting complete with altered names, new characters and an updated language and humor. Of course, this movie was not without its alterations and tweaks of plot to give it more of a 1990’s prevalence. Ignoring the name and setting changes, the modernization really stands out in the movie’s main couple, Katherine and Patrick (Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew). Katherine and Patrick show a much more stable relationship than in the original playwright, first beginning in mutual hatred and manipulation from Patrick but then slowly evolving into reciprocated love and understanding. Near the beginning of the movie, you can see Patrick quickly realize that Katherine is almost immune to typical flirting, surprising Patrick immensely. It is not until Patrick begins making an effort in understanding Katherine that progress is made. You can see his realization in effect when Patrick takes Katherine to the party and she becomes heavily intoxicated. After their tender moment, you can see Patrick using the money being given for manipulation used to win over Katherine rather than personal use. It’s obvious then that Patrick is performing acts out of romantic interest rather than monetary gain. This greatly differs from the original Taming of the Shrew that is practically void of romance and is based

Nowadays, we no longer think of marriage as a contract. Over the years, marriage became more about the concept of love and relationship then property and attaining possessions. Not only is this because of the prevalence of romance in today's culture, but also the shift in gender equality. In the fifteenth century, women had very little presence in society and culture. A movie taking place in the late twentieth century having the same cultural standpoints as a late fourteenth century playwright would be extremely odd and unfitting. The creative liberties taken with 10 Things I Hate About You are not necessarily a bad thing however. Though it does change some of the main themes and lessons shown in Taming of the Shrew, the movie teaches a valuable lesson on love and shows just how much we’ve learned from Shakespeare's original play. It’s amazing to see such a positive outcome from the cultural shift between time periods; to see a world where marriage has changed from a trade of goods to a bond of love. The difference between Katherine’s prevalence in her relationship is also an example of the time change. Both Katherines start out as “shrewish” and untamable women but instead of her being forced to change her personality to fit a societal mold like in Taming of the Shrew, Katherine in Ten Things I Hate About You