Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and its modern adaptation 10 Things I Hate About You both explore the tension between love and feminism, though they do so in vastly different social worlds. Shakespeare’s Renaissance Padua, romantic relationships are shaped by patriarchal authority, where women are expected to submit to male dominance both in marriage and in family life. In contrast, 10 Things I Hate About You translates these dynamics into a 1990s high school setting, where teenage rebellion and self-expression challenge those same structures of control. Instead of being “tamed,” Kat Stratford exposes how control limits love itself, suggesting that true connection can only exist when both partners are free to be themselves. By reimagining Shakespeare’s, The Taming of the Shrew through the lens of modern feminism, Kat Stratford transforms a story once defined by male control into one that celebrates female agency and equality in love.
Kat isn’t the only one challenging gender norms and expressing genuine love. Patrick Verona also defies traditional expectations by showing that men do not need to be controlling to be strong and that love can exist as an equal partnership. In The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio’s servant remarks, “By this reck’ning, he is more shrew than she,” (4.1.79), hinting at Petruchio’s domineering nature. However, as CineFix notes in its analysis, “In 10 Things I Hate About You, there is a complete inversion of Shakespeare’s misogyny as the rough neck bad boy Patrick is himself tamed in this pursuit to attain Kat,” (CineFix, 5:46-5:56). This shift from male dominance to gender equality highlights how modern adaptations reframe Shakespeare’s original ideas about love and power. Through Kat and Patrick’s evolving relationship, as well as Bianca and Cameron’s more innocent romance, the film redefines what it means to love and be loved in a world where women no longer exist to be tamed.
In the play, The Taming of the Shrew, we are welcomed to Padua; a society controlled entirely by men. We meet Lucentio who falls for the faire, Bianca, after coming to Padua to study Philosophy. However, marriage is treated as a transaction rather than an act of love. Baptista, the father of Bianca and Katherine, declares: “That is not to bestow my youngest daughter before I have a husband for the elder,” (1.1.50-51). This statement makes clear that both girls do not have control over their lives; they are merely pawns to be exchanged for worth. Katherine, however, is labeled as a shrew and becomes an obstacle for Bianca.
Petruchio has come to Padua to see his old friend Hortensio, who is a suitor of Bianca. Hortensio asks him to become Katherine’s suitor. Petruchio agrees, but not for companionship; he views the marriage as a business deal, driven by the image of money, power, and dominance over a woman, who is hard to control. He openly admits his intent: “For I am he am born to tame you, Kate” (2.1.291).
This moment defines the old societal gender roles in the play, where men attempt to control woman and their behavior. With Petruchio’s lie of love to Baptista (who never checks in on how his daughters feel), Lucentio is allowed to marry Bianca, and Petruchio achieves his goal of taming the shrew while acquiring her wealth. We see this dynamic of power through Petruchio’s harsh methods; starving Katherine, depriving her of sleep, and humiliating her, reducing her identity to obedience. “I will be master of what is mine own” (3.2.235), he declares, reinforcing the idea that a wife is property. By the end of the play, each piece of Katherine’s final speech, especially: “Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper” (5.2.162), suggests complete surrender. Her submission, genuine or not, reveals the painful truth of a woman’s survival in a patriarchal society.
While Shakespeare’s play is harsh, violent, and ends with female submission, 10 Things I Hate About You begins with resistance, innocence, and feminism. The film transforms patriarchal control into teenage-rebellion, gender equality, and real love. Kat Stratford, based on Katherine, refuses to conform to expectations of femininity. She is headstrong, independent, and unapologetically vocal. Patrick Verona, the film’s version of Petruchio, initially mirrors his Shakespearean counterpart’s confidence and charm, but is not after dominance or wealth. While Petruchio seeks control; Patrick’s interest in Kat begins with a deal; money offered by Joey, the modern Hortensio, to take her out. Yet as Patrick spends time with Kat, his intentions change. The story shifts from manipulation to mutual understanding.
This shift in the film’s tone is what makes it distinctly feminist. Kat is never “fixed,” “obedient,” or “broken” to fit into a man’s world. She challenges Patrick to be her equal. Patrick then ends up quitting smoking for her, swearing less, trying new things, and getting to know the little things about her. In one of the film’s most emotional scenes, Kat drunkenly reveals her vulnerability at a party, and Patrick, instead of leaving or exploiting the moment, or making it about him, listens intently, stays with her, cleans her up when needed, and then drives her safely home. This moment alone shows how modern love is built on respect rather than control.
The tone of their relationship and the film’s gender equality and love take a turn when Patrick’s initial intentions become known. Joey reveals the bet when talking to Patrick in front of Kat, mirroring the plays manipulative tone. When Patrick realizes the importance of his actions, he confesses, “No, I didn’t care about the money, okay? I cared—I cared about you,” (Junger, 1:26:13). Despite the betrayal, Kat has fallen for him. She expresses her pain in class through her poem assignment. She displays her emotions and flaws by ending her poem on, “But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all,” (Junger, 1:30:26). She chooses to change humiliation into empowerment. Through Kat’s tone of voice, her emotions, her vulnerability, Parick realizes his mistake. He buys her a guitar, not as a bribe but as respect to the person she is, and he makes a public show of apologizing to show his love.
The film’s tone also changes from patriarchal society to gender equality and love for Bianca and Cameron as well. When Cameron first sees Bianca, he exclaims, “I burn, I pine, I perish,” (Junger, 5:00), directly quoting Lucentio from The Taming of the Shrew. In the modern version, this declaration becomes lighthearted rather than possessive. He proves that his love is real and not just an attraction by learning French for her, helping Patrick get with Kat, and even taking a punch from Joey for her. Bianca finally reciprocates her love by defending Cameron, hitting Joey, once for him, once for herself and once for Kat. Bianca’s defiance highlights one of the most important messages in the film. That both sisters know how to defend themselves and each other, rejecting the idea that women must compete for male approval and dominance. Their reconciliation deepens feminism in the film, showing that sisterhood; family are one of the most important aspects of love.
The contrast between the play and film about feminism, control and love is striking, yet beautiful. While The Taming of the Shrew depicts Petruchio taming Katherine and Lucentio asserting dominance over Bianca, 10 Things I Hate About You celebrates female agency, choice, and empowerment. Proving Kat has all the power in who she falls for and what she does, a natural feminist. Heidi Bird the author of 10 Things I Hate About You: From Shrew to Feminist, agrees by saying: “The decision to make Kat a feminist coincides with modern social values. This change makes the character more easily relatable for a modern audience.” (4). This demonstrates that the adaptation not only updates the story for modern audiences but also reinforces respect, equality, and self-determination.
Gender equality is so important, but so is men knowing that they don’t have all the control in the relationship or any control over a human being at all. Patrick proves in the film that he understands gender equality and respects Kat when he changes his intentions for her. He realizes that his love for her is stronger than money and that he does not want to change who she is. Aleesha Y. the author of In 10 Things I Hate About You Movie Review: A Modern Retelling of a Shakespearean Comedy, voices Patrick’s understanding by saying, “He learns to appreciate her for who she is, not for who he wants her to be, which is a key element of his character development,”(10). This proves Patrick’s growth is essential to the film’s feminist tone. He recognizes Kat’s autonomy, and he values her true self. As Aleesha says, “The ending of 10 Things I Hate About You is far more empowering than the original play.” (17). Through these examples, the film reimagines Shakespeare’s story to celebrate respect, equality, and female agency. To which almost everyone in this time period can agree.
Shakespeare’s plays are filled with violence, men “taming” woman, men acting as woman, and the show of either obedience or straight up infatuation. Adaptations today, like 10 Things I Hate About You, give a different more modern approach to this. For people like me, these movies give me depth and a way to love Shakespeare’s plays. They speak to not only woman, but men and children alike. They prove that even centuries later, Shakespeare’s themes still connect to audiences, showing how love, power, and identity continue to evolve but never lose their impact.
Works Cited
McCullah Lutz, Karen, and Kirsten Smith, screenwriters. 10 Things I Hate About You. Directed by Gil Junger, Touchstone Pictures, 1999.
Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. Edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, Folger Shakespeare Library, 1992. https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/the-taming-of-the-shrew/read/
Bird, Heidi. “10 Things I Hate About You: From Shrew to Feminist.” Making a Scene Reviews, 7 Jan. 2016, https://makingascenereviews.wordpress.com/2016/01/07/10-things-i-hate-about-you-an-on-screen-interpreataion-of-shakespeares-the-taming-of-the-shrew/.
Y. Aleesha. “10 Things I Hate About You Movie Review: A Modern Retelling of a Shakespearean Comedy.” MovieReview, May 5, 2025, https://www.moviereviewed.com/2025/05/10-things-i-hate-about-you-movie-review.html
CineFix. “10 Things I Hate About You – What’s the Difference?” YouTube, March 27, 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb6zWf1F18U
Sprockets and Springes 