10 Things I Hate About You Analysis

Shakespeare 's play “Taming of the Shrew” and the 1990’s film, 10 Things I Hate About You,both aim to reflect the common ideas of- relationships, feminism, appearance verus reality and transformation. However, the context and intended audience of both texts forces varied representations and interpretations of these ideas. The use of film techniques and modern day music are used in 10 Things to appeal to a modern audience, while Taming of the Shrew is represented using literary techniques. 10 Things I Hate About You is set in a 1990’s high school and follows a stronger feminist approach to cater to a modern audience. However, both the play and the film portray a society where outspoken and aggressive women are deemed “shrewd” and undesirable. The …show more content…
In both texts, Kat is established as outspoken and “shrewed,” however, the context impacts how Kat is perceived and her ability to express her opinions and values. In the film, Kat is a feminist, evident when she is seen reading “The Bell Jar.” She is first characterised through the use of upbeat rock music and a close up of her intimidating facial expression to hightlight the fact that she is not a “traditional” teenage girl like her peers in the blue car. In Taming of the Shrew Kat is often characterised through animal imagery. This is communicated when Petruchio threatens to turn Kate from a “Wild Kate” to a “Household Kate” in order to tame her, demonstrating that women in the play 's context are regarded as subhuman. The modern context of the film has allowed Kat to form her own values and beliefs, and communicates the feminist approach of the film. A close up-of Kat reading “The Bell Jar” is shown to highlight. Kat defiantly declares that “expressing my opinion is not a terrorist action,” indicating that the society that Kat lives in has allowed her express her opinions without being treated as