Commentary: ’10 Things I Hate About You’ Reveals The Timelessness Of Shakespeare
by Frank Martin
A truism: William Shakespeare is considered one of the greatest writers of all time. One of the secrets to his longevity is that his written works exist in script form. Without any long prose of exposition, the story exists as a blueprint for crafting plot and characters. Because of this, his work has not only been adapted for centuries, but it’s also been reimagined for the modern era. The 1999 teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You is one such example, and it demonstrates why these reworkings of classics are so successful decades later.
The film stars two sisters, Kat (Julia Stiles) and Bianca (Larisa Oleynik). Their father disapproves of their dating; Bianca wants to go out with boys while Kat has no interest. So he comes up with a plan that Bianca can date when Kat does as well. A plot is concocted by Bianca’s potential suitors to hire a local bad boy, Patrick (Heath Ledger), as Kat’s date so that her sister can be free. Hi-jinks ensue when nothing goes according to plan and Kat discovers the ruse.
The film makes several references to Shakespeare because it is a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew. Unlike some Shakespeare adaptations, the plot was loosely inspired, freeing up the film to be a much more modern experience. As it is almost thirty years old at this point, there are definitely dated elements. Nevertheless, the overall framework of the film is still just as compelling as the day it was released. That’s because Shakespeare really knew how to write humanly relevant drama and characters. Regardless of the time period, this type of plot will always be engaging, proving that Shakespeare understood something fundamental about storytelling regardless of the era the story is being told in.
10 Things I Hate About You is now streaming on Disney+.