I read this not only because I like Shakespeare, but I'm a big fan of "10 Things I Hate About You." I mean, who isn't? I must have seen the movie well over a hundred times by now. After reading the play, I gotta say I was a little surprised. I knew the movie wouldn't be even close to accurate, but there was one big change I didn't expect. While in the movie Heath Ledger "tames" the shrew Julia Stiles with things like openness, kindness, persistence, kisses and paintball, in the play Petruchio tames the shrew Katherina with starvation and sleep deprivation. It's not so much a romantic comedy as a guide on how to torture your wife to force her to submit to your every whim.

Petruchio even proves to all the other male characters of the play that torture is the proper path to take when dealing with women, even if they aren't shrews. In the final scene the men have a contest to see who's wife will better listen to him. Lucentio, who chose the opposite path as Petruchio and won over Bianca with love and kindness, lost the wager by a long shot. And all the men laugh at poor Kate.

I expect a bit of chauvinism in Shakespeare, I even find it entertaining, but this was too much. Sorry Shakespeare, but I can only give it two stars.