Taming Of The Shrew Character Traits

From the outside Bianca from Taming of the Shrew appears to be a spoiled, self-centered woman who goes along with any man that is interested in her. Though upon taking a deeper look into the characterization of Bianca, one would discover that there is much more to her than meets the eye. Bianca has a slight reputation for being fairly malicious and ill-intended, however there is a reason for her demeanor that takes much more than a simple “once-over” to comprehend. Bianca is a highly misunderstood and misinterpreted character. Bianca Stratford is a supporting character in Gil Junger’s 1999 film, 10 Things I Hate About You, which was inspired by Shakespeare’s play, The Taming of the Shrew (where she is known as Bianca Minola), and she is often

Despite Bianca Stratford’s detailed description, in the Shakespearean version of this play, Bianca’s character is much less developed, however their character traits remain consistent. Though Minola clearly has the same beauty and attractiveness as Stratford, Minola has much less of a clear backstory. She has a very submissive demeanor, as can be seen when her sister, Katherine, ties her up and Bianca says “Or what you will command me will I do, so well I know my duty to my elders” (Shakespeare). It appears as though this, along with her looks, has caused her to have been sought after by men her entire life. Similarly to Stratford, Minola is somewhat ditzy, and she can come across as a bit of an egoist at times. This is apparent because both Biancas assumed that their sisters were jealous of them. Minola did so when she said to her sister, “Is it for him you do envy me so?” (Shakespeare). Minola had this mindset because her father and all those around her constantly elevated her above her sister, leading her to assume how Katherine felt about her. Bianca Minola’s self-centered mannerism, similarly to Bianca Stratford’s, was also a product of her

Both Biancas face many social standards and (peer) pressure to be nearly perfect and very exclusive. In Taming of the Shrew, Bianca Minola is once questioned by Katherine, asking her whether or not she had feelings for anyone. Bianca responds by saying “Believe me, sister, of all the men alive I never yet beheld that special face which I could fancy more than any other.” (Shakespeare). Katherine then questioned Bianca, inquiring about her specific feelings toward Hortensio, the Taming of the Shrew equivalent of Joey, and Bianca says, “If you affect him, sister, here I swear I’ll plead for you myself, but you shall have him” (Shakespeare). Because of the connection between the two stories, Bianca Minola’s disregarding of Hortensio in Taming of the Shrew can also be assumed to apply to Bianca Stratford in 10 Things I Hate About You in regard to Joey. This once again proves that Bianca did not fall for Joey in any way, instead she felt as if she should like him because of their similar social status and popularity. At a specific point in the film version, Bianca is speaking to her “best friend,” Chastity, and it seems as though there is almost a competition between the two about who is cooler/more popular: when Bianca brings up that she cannot go to a boy’s house with Chastity because she had to be home in twenty