10 Things I Hate About You as the female leads in the original play. Their surname is Stratford, a nod to Shakespeare's birthplace. Patrick's surname Verona references the home of his relative character Petruchio. The characters attend Padua High School, named after where the play is set. Cameron (Lucentio, who disguises himself as a tutor named Cambio) tutors Bianca in French and slips in a line from play while obsessing over her: ""I burn, I pine, I perish"". Patrick's character reflects the outlandish behavior of Petruchio, and Michael coerces Patrick into the marching band incident with the words from Sonnet 56: ""Sweet love, renew thy force"".
10 Things I Hate About You assists by convincing Joey to pay Patrick to take out Kat, under the pretense that this will allow Joey to date Bianca. Patrick agrees to the deal, but Kat rebuffs his first few advances. Michael and Cameron help him by prying Bianca for information on Kat's likes and dislikes. Armed with this knowledge, Patrick begins to win Kat's interest. She goes to a party with him, which enables Bianca to go as well, much to Walter's dismay. At the party, Kat becomes upset when she sees Bianca with Joey, and responds by getting drunk. Patrick attends to her, and Kat