10 Things I Hate About You is an American romantic comedy - released on March 31st, 1999. The story is an adaptation of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, set in an American high school.
10 Things contains many relatively subtle references to Shakespeare's works. Careful comparison of Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things reveals some similarities, mostly in character names and general plot ideas.
For instance, the two sisters in The Taming of the Shrew are named Katherina and Bianca, while the two sisters in 10 Things are named Katarina and Bianca.
Katarina and Bianca's last name is Stratford, making reference to Stratford-upon-Avon, the English town known worldwide as the birthplace of Shakespeare.
Katarina's suitor in Shakespeare's play is Petruchio of Verona — becoming Patrick Verona in 10 Things.
In 10 Things, the high school is named Padua, the city in which Shakespeare's play is set.
Comparison of the two works will also reveal similar plot ideas. For instance, like the character Cameron in the film, Shakespeare's Lucentio wishes to wed Bianca but cannot until her older sister Katarina is married.
Knowing that Bianca cannot enter into any relationships, he poses as a tutor in order to become closer to Bianca - just as Cameron acts as a French tutor to Bianca in 10 Things.
In the same vein, compared to most other teen comedies of its time, the characters of 10 things are unusually verbose (not just the nerds but the jocks, the rebels and the plastics alike). This is in keeping with the style of Shakespeare.
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