The movie, 10 Things I Hate About You, directed by Gil Junger, and the play, Taming of the Shrew, written by William Shakespeare, are based on the same storyline. There are two sisters, the elder, Katarina (Kat), is unpleasant and unlikable. However, everyone adores the younger sister, Bianca. Men constantly try and win Bianca's love, but she is not allowed to have suitors/dates until Kat does, but no one wants to have anything to do with her. Finally, someone is able to grab Kat's attention, which allows Bianca to date. Though the basis of these stories are the same, many key details differ. The girls" true personalities, other characters" actions, and the endings are different between the film and the play.
First of all, Kat and Bianca have the same personalities in both the movie and the play. Kat is a shrew that absolutely no one can stand to be around. Bianca is considered a goddess to all of the men who see or meet her, and is envied by women everywhere.
Also, in both 10 Things I Hate About You and Taming of the Shrew, money is the driving force for the man who attempts to woo Kat. In the movie, this man is Patrick, who is played by Heath Ledger, and it is Petruchio in the play. Joey, played by Andrew Keegan, likes Bianca and pays Patrick to take Kat out. In the play, Baptista, the girls" father, offers a large dowry in order for Petruchio to marry Kat quickly, which in turn gets her out of the house.
In addition, both the film and the play, portray Kat as seemingly being "tamed," to some extent or another. In 10 Things I Hate About You, Kat appears to have genuinely become a better person. It is still difficult for her to trust people, but overall she is a much more amiable person. In Taming of the Shrew, it is difficult to know whether or not Kat is truly tamed. She seems to be in what she says and how she acts, but it is possible that it is only be sarcasm.
Even though Bianca and Kat have the same personalities in both the movie and the play, the reasons behind their actions are different.
