10 Things I Hate About You Analysis

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A text alone allows readers to gain an insight into a particular culture or issue, however the reading of several texts open up a whole new world of ideas and perceptions, providing the information we as individuals need to form educated opinions. Clearly, this awakening is evident in comparing the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You directed by Gil Junger which is an appropriation of Taming of the Shrew, a famous play published by William Shakespeare in 1590. Juxtaposed to a more patriarchal view of women in “The Taming of the Shrew”, the depiction of the roles of women in “10 Things I Hate About You” are brought up through the use of third wave feminism. A comparison of the texts allows audiences to recognise the shifting attitudes towards …show more content…
With “10 Things I Hate About You” boldly claiming women can too be seen as the protectors of the relationship; a role more commonly reserved for men, while Taming of the Shrew urges the opposite. In Taming of the Shrew, Bianca is constructed to be the ideal wife of 1500s Elizabethan society: obedient and submissive to her husband. As a result, she exerts no power in the relationship, this behaviour is depicted as something all wives should strive to achieve. I noticed this when Lucentio stated “But in the other's silence do I see, Maid’s mild behavior and sobriety.”. In this sentence , after seeing Bianca for the first time, he understands why so many men find her attractive and points to silence and obedience to be the cause, supporting the social norms for women in that culture. Katherine, however, represents the discrimination women experienced for not abiding by their roles in the relationship. This is shown when Petruchio explicitly declares that “I am he am born to tame you, Kate,And bring you from a wild Kate to a Kate Conformable,”, he employs the language of animal domestication by characterising her as an animal: “wild Kate”. This speech sets Petruchio’s plans for moulding Katherine into the submissive women he wants. Of course as …show more content…
While “10 Things I Hate About You” embraces femininity’s many forms,“Taming of the Shrew” strengthens the values of a patriarchal society by providing just one character for all women to shape in to . The play is mainly constructed around the idea of the male as dominant and the female as submissive, something seen as an unquestionable part of society in 1500s Elizabethan society. Bianca, represents the ideal woman—she is reserved and obedient; while Katherine rebels against this stereotype with her energy and refusal to conform . Society does not allow Katherine to create her own identity as female independence was unacceptable in 1500s so this was no surprise to me. In act one, scene two Tranio claims “…hear I do that he hath two, the one as famous for a scolding tongue as is the other for beauteous modesty.” in this phrase he juxtaposes Bianca with Katherine; the submissive woman with the independent; the accepted with the rejected. Using words such as “scolding” he implies his disapproval of Katherine while suggesting the opposite for Bianca by complimenting her looks and timidness, representing exactly what society valued in women; looks and conformity. Fast forwarding to a slightly more modern society, “10 Thing I Hate About You” opens its arms to non-conforming women. Kat Stratford’s third wave feminism plays a major role in her rejection of conforming, but her