No Gold Diggers Here
When adapting The Taming of the Shrew into a movie to appeal to a modern audience, the director of Ten Things I Hate About You chose to emphasize the American ideals of love and respect instead of the commonly held Elizabethan belief that unions were akin to mutually benefitting business arrangements. Such an adaptation of the plot is demonstrated by the relationship between Patrick Verona and Kat Stratford—characters who respectively mirror Shakespeare’s Petruchio and Katherine.
In both Shakespeare’s play and the modern adaptation, the Petruchio character agrees to ‘tame’ the Katherine character under the pretenses of monetary gain. In The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio is promised “twenty thousand crowns” upon his marriage …show more content…
Contrasting this, in The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio and Katherine have no choice but to stay together. It may be argued that by the end of The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio and Katherine have developed feelings for one another; yet, despite this, they stay together because the ties of marriage bind them. If given the opportunity to dissolve their union with no monetary or social consequences—the same opportunity that faces Patrick and Kat—it would be feasible that they would separate. This differs from the end of Ten Things I Hate About You where Patrick and Kat reconcile, clearly choosing to remain a couple as they deeply care for one another, not because they stand to gain anything from reconciling. They are not legally bound to one another, nor do they financially support each other—it is their choice to stay together due to their mutual affection. This choice perfectly appeals to modern audiences by providing just enough closure to the previous conflict, while creating the heartwarming, “happily-ever-after” ending that everyone knows and loves: Patrick reaffirms his love for Kat by choosing her above her monetary worth and gifting her with a guitar bought with his
When adapting The Taming of the Shrew into a movie to appeal to a modern audience, the director of Ten Things I Hate About You chose to emphasize the American ideals of love and respect instead of the commonly held Elizabethan belief that unions were akin to mutually benefitting business arrangements. Such an adaptation of the plot is demonstrated by the relationship between Patrick Verona and Kat Stratford—characters who respectively mirror Shakespeare’s Petruchio and Katherine.
In both Shakespeare’s play and the modern adaptation, the Petruchio character agrees to ‘tame’ the Katherine character under the pretenses of monetary gain. In The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio is promised “twenty thousand crowns” upon his marriage …show more content…
Contrasting this, in The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio and Katherine have no choice but to stay together. It may be argued that by the end of The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio and Katherine have developed feelings for one another; yet, despite this, they stay together because the ties of marriage bind them. If given the opportunity to dissolve their union with no monetary or social consequences—the same opportunity that faces Patrick and Kat—it would be feasible that they would separate. This differs from the end of Ten Things I Hate About You where Patrick and Kat reconcile, clearly choosing to remain a couple as they deeply care for one another, not because they stand to gain anything from reconciling. They are not legally bound to one another, nor do they financially support each other—it is their choice to stay together due to their mutual affection. This choice perfectly appeals to modern audiences by providing just enough closure to the previous conflict, while creating the heartwarming, “happily-ever-after” ending that everyone knows and loves: Patrick reaffirms his love for Kat by choosing her above her monetary worth and gifting her with a guitar bought with his