10 Things I Hate About You Analysis

The Taming of the Shrew was a Shakespearean play that was written between 1590 and 1592. Set in both Padua, and Verona, Italy, the play details the “love” story of Petruchio and Katherina. Shakespeare had written the play to be a comedic piece. In 1967 Franco Zeffirelli transformed The Taming of the Shrew into a movie. Maintaining the original story line and setting, Zeffirelli worked the relationship of actors Richard Burton, Petruchio, and Elizabeth Taylor, Katherina into the comedic movie. In 1999 the Shakespearean play was transformed again and directed by Gil Junger. Junger’s movie, 10 Things I Hate About You, is a modernized take on the original play. Changing Katherina to Kat, and Petruchio to Patrick, Junger immersed the movie in the popular culture ideals of the 1990’s. Interpretations of the texts differ from person to person, this opinions will be based upon an individuals beliefs and values. I interpreted both texts to be misogynistic, although The Taming of the Shrew is more so than 10 Things I Hate About
Junger adapted the Shakespearean play to the societal norms of the late 1990’s meaning that opinionated women were not as frowned upon as they were in the era that Zeffirelli’s movie was set. Zeffirelli’s adaptation was entertaining as it contained comedic aspects that entwined the outside lives of the actors into the movie. Both adaptations of the Shakespearean play displayed elements of misogyny although there were some elements of love that shone threw in Zeffirelli’s adaptation and even more so in Junger’s. Based upon my beliefs and values I preferred 10 Things I Hate About You when I considered both movies. I felt as though I related more to the character of Kat, than I did to Katherina, as she was portrayed as a high school student, around my own age and was experiencing issues still common within schools