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In 10 Issues I Hate About You, Kat has autonomy and management over her selections, not like Katherina in Taming of the Shrew. Kat and Patrick’s relationship within the trendy adaptation relies on mutual respect and understanding, fairly than cruelty and abuse. The movie delves deeper into the characters’ vulnerabilities and reveals a extra nuanced understanding of affection, difficult outdated societal values.
The 1999 teen drama 10 Issues I Hate About You, directed by Gil Junger, is loosely based mostly on William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. On this romantic comedy, Patrick (Heath Ledger) is paid thus far Kat (Julia Stiles) in order that different boys from their faculty can date her youthful sister, Bianca (Larisa Oleynik). Similar to in Shakespeare’s traditional, their father has declared that candy, naïve Bianca can not entertain suitors till her abrasive, stand-offish older sister Kat (Katherina in Shakespeare) does. Each tales start with the identical premise, however their general message is completely different. The Taming of the Shrew is a questionable story a few man who “out shrews” a girl he married for cash and forces her into submission. Ten Issues I Hate About You is a heartwarming movie about two people who find themselves largely misunderstood by the world coming to like and take care of one another.
How Do Kat’s Selections in ’10 Issues I Hate About You’ Differ From Katherina’s in ‘Taming of the Shrew’?
Picture through Buena Vista Footage Distribution
The primary main distinction between the 2 tales is Kat’s autonomy. In The Taming of the Shrew, regardless of her father’s declaration that Petruchio should “win her love” Katherina by no means consents to the wedding. Petruchio declares to the viewers that he is not going to take “no” for a solution and he does not. Katherina protests to her father whereas Petruchio tells him she has agreed. Her father is stunned however, doesn’t watch for his daughter to substantiate. He prepares for the marriage, presumably glad handy her off eventually.
In 10 Issues I Hate About You Kat’s father is overprotective and controlling however in the long run, he listens to Kat and permits her to make her personal choices. He permits her thus far Patrick and pays for her tuition to the school she selected as a substitute of the one nearer to dwelling he had chosen for himself. It’s noticeably tough for him to let go and permit her to make her personal selections, however he finally does. That is one in every of many adjustments that present a denouncement of the poisonous masculinity rampant within the Elizabethan period.
This theme of autonomy is touched on once more when Patrick tells Kat “Do what you need.” and Kat retorts “You are the one one who thinks I ought to.” Regardless of Patrick’s persistence in asking her out 3 times earlier than she accepts, the selection continues to be hers to make. He finally wins her over by feigning an curiosity in her favourite band. It will not be trustworthy, however he doesn’t merely power her to exit with him no matter what she has to say about it.
How Is Kat and Patrick’s Relationship Completely different Than Their Shakespearean Counterparts?
Very similar to Katherina in The Taming of the Shrew, Kat is sharp-tongued and usually outspoken in her disdain for males. She can be essential of capitalism and social norms and hates doing what others count on. Her scathing retorts maintain her friends at bay and her lecturers on her case. Patrick, not like Petruchio, is variety and thoughtful however leans into his repute for being harmful. He permits rumors of an alleged jail sentence to run rampant and even engages in harmful actions like inserting his hand in flames to encourage them.
Like Katherina and Petruchio, Kat and Patrick are each strong-willed and sharp-tongued. In The Taming of the Shrew, this high quality pits the 2 leads towards one another. Katherina and Petruchio interact in fixed banter and a battle of wills. Kat and Patrick interact in the identical entertaining sass, however their mutual frustration for the world finally turns into a degree of connection fairly than battle. They’re each typically disliked of their faculty because of their disdain for conformity and this enables them to bond. Not solely are they finally capable of have enjoyable collectively, however they work collectively (Kat getting Patrick out of detention) and direct their mischievous natures on the surface world fairly than one another.
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’10 Issues I Hate About You’ Provides Us a Extra Susceptible Have a look at Love
In The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio reveals up late to his wedding ceremony to humiliate Katherina. He then isolates her by taking her away from her hometown and starves her until she conforms to his will. Katherina finds that even her sharp wit and fast mood aren’t any match for her husband’s shameless spousal abuse. She finally breaks and tells him that the solar is the moon if he says it’s so. From this second she confesses to like him and behaves as an obedient spouse.
The second when issues change for Kat and Patrick is totally completely different. Kat hits her head at a celebration and Patrick reveals real concern for her. He stays together with her to ensure she does not go to sleep. This second of vulnerability causes each of their laborious exteriors to falter, and so they start to bond. Having the lead present kindness as a substitute of cruelty is a particular enchancment that displays society’s bettering (although nonetheless imperfect) perspective in the direction of ladies. Patrick “tames” Kat with kindness and respect as a substitute of hunger and isolation.
The viewers by no means learns a lot about Katherina and Petruchio aside from their fast wit and powerful wills. It is likely to be entertaining (to a degree) to see them argue and attempt to foil one another whereas figuring out they’ve an attraction for each other, however the viewers by no means sees a lot of what lies past the floor.
As Kat and Patrick bond, nonetheless, the viewers learns extra about who they’re beneath the floor. Kat turned standoffish in the direction of males after being jilted by the self-obsessed Joey (Andrew Keegan). It seems Patrick was not in jail when he missed all these months of faculty. He was caring for a sick member of the family.
In The Taming of the Shrew Petruchio behaves as obnoxiously and disrespectfully as he can till it wears Katherina down. She stops preventing again. The play ends with Katherina’s sharp tongue “tamed” as she submissively does her husband’s bidding and chides her sister for not obeying her personal husband as completely. It’s the story of a robust lady being proven her “place” on the planet as a subservient spouse. In 10 Issues I Hate About You Patrick surprises Kat by treating her with respect and kindness. She learns that generally it’s protected to belief and be weak. The connection is just not good. It begins with lies and bribery. Patrick, nonetheless, takes full accountability for his errors and, not like Petruchio, is just not abusive.
10 Issues I Hate About You has all of the spice and sass of The Taming of the Shrew, but it surely reveals a deeper, extra nuanced understanding of what love is and the way society can misunderstand individuals. Kat and Patrick don’t merely argue till one or the opposite provides in. They get to know one another, get weak, make errors, and finally work by these errors. The setting is just not the one factor that’s up to date in Gil Junger’s model of Shakespeare’s traditional. The outdated Elizabethan values are too.