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The Great Chase

A comparison between “Taming of the Shrew” and “Ella Enchanted”

Prince Charmont had been visiting Frell when a mob of his fangirls began to chase after him. While escaping, Prince Charmont runs into Ella as she is walking home, and tries to hide behind her. Ella, who is avidly against royalty and their treatment of the kingdom’s species, is not thrilled by this turn of events and brushes him off. Prince Charmont isn’t used to this treatment from the ladies and develops an interest in Ella. Despite Ella’s attempts at driving him away, Charmont insists on seeing her home. Unlike in the “Shrew,” Charmont and Ella interact before Charmont starts to like her and wants to pursue her. He hopes that by being courteous, she will warm up to him and eventually return his feelings. Prince Charmont’s infatuation with Ella when they first meet is much more subtle than Lucentio with Bianca -- he simply hopes that they’ll meet again instead of trying to trick her by impersonating her teacher.

Ella and Prince Charmont are resting in an giant’s pub after several days of adventure. The two are sitting by the fire together and talking about their lives prior to meeting each other, along with other current events. After an especially touching moment where Ella tells Charmont that he will be a good king, he decides that he wants to kiss her. Similar to the scene from the play, this moment between Ella and Charmont shows the beginning of their relationship and how Ella was able to overcome the prince’s shortcomings (much like how Bianca overlooked Lucentio’s lies). This scene and the scene from the “Shrew” both reflect that a strong bond can be formed in only a few days as long as the effort is there.

Ella and Prince Charmont have just met and are arguing with each other when Hattie bumps into them. Hattie is shown to be an expressive fangirl of Charmont, and gets jealous upon seeing Ella close to the prince. Even though her reasoning for interfering and end goal differs from Baptista, she is also trying to prevent a relationship happening between Charmont and anybody but herself. Hattie realizes that there are already romantic feelings growing between her step-sister and the prince, and she wants to avert those feelings -- thus, becoming an obstacle in Charmont’s path to Ella.  

In both the play, “The Taming of the Shrew”, and the movie, “Ella Enchanted”, the main couples -- Lucentio and Bianca, and Charmont and Ella -- successfully marry each other in the end. In these cases, the pursuit of a person resulted in the “happy ending” for the characters involved. Even though this isn’t the most realistic scenario, there is a grain of truth in that when something or someone is desired, then it is worth striving towards.

Works Cited

Haver, Tommy O, director. Ella Enchanted . Netflix, Miramax, 2004

Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. Edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, Washington Square Press, 1992.

Married to Money

Comparing The Taming of the Shrew to My Fake Fiancé

The Taming of the Shrew shows that marriage as an economic institution has been around for a while, or in other words, both parties do it for the money involved. In this play, Baptista, a father of two daughters, Bianca and Katherine, has to deal with multiple suitors trying to gain the attention of his two very different daughters. Bianca is the youngest so she must wait until Katherine gets married. Multiple suitors want Bianca, who is seen as the more level-headed sister, while Katherine only has one man who thinks he can change her ways. Shakespeare wants the reader to see that emotions don’t really play a primary role in marriage. Money plays the main role in which man gets to marry one of Baptista’s daughters. The more money they have, the greater chance they have with getting married to one of them.

In the 2009 movie My Fake Fiancé, Jennifer and Vince meet at a mutual friend’s wedding and decide to get married for the monetary benefits. Both of them were in need of money and didn’t have any real feelings toward each other. Like The Taming of the Shrew, money has a primary role in the movie. These texts reveal that, while men are not as expected to offer money to the future wife’s family, marriage is still viewed as an economic institution rather than solely being based on love.

“I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;

If wealthily, then happily in Padua.”

(Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 76-77)

In this scene, Hortensio is sort of pitching an offer to Petruchio about marrying Katherine so that he can be able to marry her younger sister Bianca. Petruchio is being very straight forward in his response about his opinions on marriage and money. Now that he is in Padua, he wants to find a wife that has money so that he can continue to live happily. This part of the text shows the importance this character believes money has in a marriage. Rather than saying he will be happy meeting the woman he will eventually marry, he says that he will be happy when he marries a woman with money. This sets aside all other aspects of the woman like her looks, her personality, or if she even loves him. Jennifer and Vince find themselves in a similar discussion about money when they first meet each other.

In “My Fake Fiancé,” when Vince and Jennifer first talk about how many gifts the bride and groom are getting, Vince says “I guess in theory It’s like a savings account. We’re supposed to get that money back one day when we get married.” Both Vince and Jennifer view the wedding as something that is just bringing in money for the bride and groom. Rather than talking about the couple being in love, they focus on what the couple is going to be receiving because they are getting married, such as money or gifts, and how they will benefit from that. It makes them think of their own future wedding in a similar fashion when comparing it to money they will receive back. Like Petruchio, they value the monetary aspect of getting married.

“I promised we would be contributors

And bear his charging of wooing whatsoe'er.”

“And so we will, provided that he win her.”

(Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 218-220)

At this point in the play, there are multiple suitors trying to go after Bianca. As stated before, Katherine must get married first. Hortensio and Gremio are still trying to talk Petruchio into marrying Katherine in order for them to be in competition to win over Bianca. They even go as far as saying they will cover Petruchio's expenses. The discussion of who will “win” either sister is highly based on how much the man can provide for her as well as offer her father. This applies more to Bianca since she is the only one with more than one suitor. This is more of a business deal rather than a competition of who can win over her heart. The discussion of who will “win” Bianca plays in societal idea of what it means to be husband and wife. That the husband should be able to provide for the wife and the wife should please the husband. That wives should aim to be “trophy wives” or simply let the man do all the work and bring in all the money. The situation between Jennifer and Vince is completely based on the money they will bring in from wedding gifts.

In this scene, Jennifer and Vince are discussing the fact that Jennifer just lost furniture during her move and Vince owes someone over 10 grand due to gambling. In order to fix this, they decide to stage a fake wedding. Vince says, “It’s perfect. I’m in. We stage a fake wedding. We invite everyone that we know. You register for all the stuff you want to replace, I get to keep all the cash.” Both Jennifer and Vince are agreeing to use the wedding as a way to support themselves financially. Like the suitors, money determines their future actions. If not enough money is offered from the suitor, they can not get married to Bianca. If it weren’t for the money involved, Jennifer and Vince wouldn’t be discussing a marriage. In this case, the societal roles of the husband having to provide for their wife does not apply because they don’t plan on forming an actual relationship after they get what they wanted from the fake wedding.

“Be patient, gentlemen. I choose her for myself.

If she and I be pleased, what's that to you?

'Tis bargained 'twixt us twain, being alone,

That she shall still be curst in company.”

(Act 2, Scene 1, Lines 321-324)

When the other men see how Katherine is talking to Petruchio, they begin to question whether or not they have a successful relationship. Petruchio thinks that the “bargain” made over the couple, specifically between him and Baptista, should be kept to themselves and not important to the other men. It doesn’t matter how rude Katherine is to him as long as he still has an amount of money agreed upon with her father. Petruchio’s opinion shows that the qualities of the woman don’t really matter to him as long as her or her family has money. He doesn’t see the negative behavior of him or his wife as a reasoning for the marriage not to work since they are both pleased with having money. Jennifer and Vince fall into a similar situation when they reveal that neither of them are happy with the other person’s attitude.

In this scene, Jennifer was finally able to get in contact with Vince in order to talk over a deal that will make money for the both of them. Although this deal involves a marriage, her and Vince aren’t very fond of each other. This doesn’t stop them from going through with the plan. Like Petruchio, they know what they are getting themselves into and the behavior each will have to deal with but they still get married for the money. To both of them, whether or not they actually like each other is important. Petruchio knows about Katherine’s bad attitude from what Bianca’s suitors told him and Vince and Jennifer already butt heads at the wedding when they first met.

The similarities between the movie and the play show that over the years, the audience can still relate to that topic. This idea of marriage being an economic institution leads to people getting into relationships for the monetary benefits. Families during the time of Shakespeare’s writing would want to get married for the wealth while the modern day version of it was Jennifer and Vince using the wedding gifts to benefit themselves. Even though the play and the movie were created centuries apart, the ideas of marriage as an economic institution are still relevant to people today.

Works Cited

My Fake Fiancé. Dir. Gil Junger. ABC Family, 2009. DVD.  

Comparing “Taming of the shrew” to “17 Again”

Taming of the shrew is a play that Starts as Lucentio arrives in Padua. Lucentio hears that the merchant Baptista has two daughters. One daughter is prettier and respectful but she cannot be married until Katherina the second daughter and the oldest gets married. Blanca is the youngest daughter that Lucentio wants to marry.

In the film 17 Again Mike O’Donnell is a high school basketball star, but he has a girlfriend that he really cares about. Scarlet has some shocking news to tell Mike before the biggest game of his life. Twenty years later Mike’s has married Scarlet. Their relationship has been rocky and failed that Scarlet filed for divorce. He has a chance fix his past by transforming back into a teenager in high school.

17 Again and Taming of the shrew have a different but similar idea of what is a relationship.  Lucentio and Bianca have a vitalized relationship because Lucentio and Bianca love spending time together and also have a common vision of what they want in the relationship. While Petruchio controls Katerina in the relationship because he believes the only way a relationship works, is if one partner takes control. Mike and Scarlett’s relationship is similar to Lucentio and Bianca but Mike wants Petruchio’s type of relationship. Scarlett wanted a relationship like Bianca’s relationship, which means she wants Mike to spend more time with her and the children, and also wants common need.  The play and the movie show that men are still interested in basing the relationship off of control. However, the play and the movie are also different because Petruchio has control of his relationship, but Mike because his relationship to fail. This reflects the audience’s belief that vitalized relationship seems to be a healthy relationship but true relationship depends on the Personality of the couple.

“I will be Master of what is mine own. She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house, my household stuff, my field, my barn, My house, my ox, my ass, my anything. And here she stands, touch her whoever dare.”

(Act 3, Scene 2, line numbers 235-239)

In this quote, Petruchio describes himself as domineering husband and take control of the relationship. He makes it seem that Kate is his property. Once married, women had no legal right to their own.

In 17 again the connection of Mike Petruchio has been shown

In the early scene from “17 Again” Mike and Scarlet are having a dialogue about how their relationship has been ruined. Scarlet is changed her yard but Mike told her “Yeah, Well, the divorce isn’t final for another two weeks, so you have no right.” Isn’t Scarlett given “Really? So I’ve spent the last 18 years of my life listening to you whine about the things you could’ve done without me, and I have no right?” This prove any answer of why their marriage has failed.

“Why, gentlemen, you do me double wrong To strive for that which resteth in my choice. I am no breeching scholar in the schools. I’ll not be tied to hour nor ‘pointed times, But learn my lessons as I please myself.”

(Act 3, Scene 1, line numbers 16-20)

Bianca describes her relationship by saying that she does not control by anyone. Bianca knows that Lucentio is actually suitor trying to prove his love to her. She believes that a relationship should be controlled by one partner.

A vitalized relationship is caring about a person

Naomi is trying to Persuade Scarlett to start dating again. Scarlett wants to her men to tell her that she is beautiful and have a common connection also respect. This proves that Scarlett wants a vitalized relationship.

“Well, I say no. And therefore, for assurance Let’s each one send unto his wife, And he whose wife is most obedient To come at first when doth send for her Shall win the wager which we propose.”

(Act 5, Scene 2, line numbers 67-71)

Petruchio has made a wager with Lucentio and Hortensio about who the wife is more obedient. The plan was to call each wife into the room. Whoever wife that come in the room will win the wager. Hortensio calls his wife in a nice way but she said no because she has something do. Lucentio calls Blanca and she said no because she was with the other wives. Petruchio calls Kate and she walks in the room ask him for anything he wants.

Each relationship need a happy ending

Mike is giving one of the heartfelt speech about his relationship before Scarlet divorce him. “Scarlet, before you go through this, I want to remind you of September 7th, 1988. It was the first time that I saw you. You were reading Less Than Zero, and you were wearing a Guns 'n' Roses t-shirt. I'd never seen anything so perfect. I remember thinking that I had to have you, or I'd die... then you whispered that you loved me at the homecoming dance, and I felt so peaceful... and safe... because I knew that no matter what happened, from that day on, nothing can ever be that bad... because I had you. And then I, uh... I grew up and I lost my way. And I blamed you for my failures. And I know that you think you have to do this today... but I don't want you to. But I guess... if I love you, I should let you move on.”  The speech has proven that he should try to listen to Scarlet.

In the 17 Again Scarlett want a husband who compliments and shows love to her. Also, she was happy with both partners. A vitalized relationship isn’t for every couple. In taming of the shrew Kate relationship was different because in the book Kate has a change to adapt to her relationship by being control by Petruchio. The ending of the film Mike and Scarlett give another chance at their relationship.

Work Cite:

Shakespeare, William, et al. The Taming of the Shrew. Pocket Books, 1963.

Steers, Burr, director. 17 Again. 17 Again, New Line Cinema, 14 Apr. 2009.

Miguel Rivera

Ms. Pahomov

English 3

16 April 2018

Control is the Key to Any Relationship

Clueless and The Taming of the Shrew

Love and its legitimacy has caused many debates over the years. Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew(1590s) shows how control has more to do with relationships than actual feelings. He shows this through the relationship between Petruchio and Katherine, which involves Petruchio consistently demanding that Katherine change her personality and agree to fictitious ideas just for the sake of saying he could do it. Katherine has to stay with him due to the pressure of the institution of marriage. Amy Heckerling's Clueless (1995) displays a similar relationship between characters Dionne and Murray, as Murray constantly disrespects and invalidates Dionne.

Although Shakespeare's work and Heckerling's film take place three centuries apart, the theme of control is prevalent in both portrayals of romantic love in relationships. In both relationships, the male is seen controlling their partner and showing disrespect. Murray does it by purposefully doing or saying things he knows Dionne dislikes, such as calling her 'woman', to get a reaction from her. Petruchio uses physical and mental abuse to force Katherine into a docile state. Not only does this show how men abuse their power in relationships, but also how women are pressured to stay in these relationships despite being mistreated, as Dionne and Katherine are. Both these texts show how societal pressures cause women to stay in toxic relationships, which in turn instills more power in men causing them to be more controlling.

“Katherine: Now must the world point at poor Katherine; And say ‘Lo, there is mad Petruchio’s wife, If it would please him come and marry her.’”

(Act III Scene II, 17-20)

In this scene, Katherine is waiting for Petruchio on their wedding day. Katherine is telling her father, Baptista, about how she would be unhappy in their marriage if it happens. Petruchio not showing up on time to the wedding was one of the first things that he did to control Katherine and disrespect her. He knows that the wedding day is important to Katherine like many women during this time. Petruchio has power over her if he makes Katherine wait for him. He knows that Katherine would wait for him because she is pressured by her father and society to get married. Also, Katherine is fearful of the public option and how others would see their marriage. She doesn’t want people to think that she was left at the altar or marrying a mad man. In Clueless, Dionne also feels a social pressure to stay with her boyfriend who is not respectful.

In this scene of Clueless, Dionne is talking to Cher about how Murray was constantly paging her over the weekend then Murray walks up to Dionne. He confronts Dionne about not answering his pager and calls her “woman.” The word “woman” is something that Murray knows Dionne dislikes, but he constantly says it throughout the movie. It is a way for Murray to control Dionne and make her feel like she doesn’t has a voice. The use of the word “woman” tells Dionne that she doesn’t have control over his words. Also, the word causes Dionne to have a negative reaction and get upset. Murray enjoys this reaction and attention that he gets from Dionne. Murray knows that he can disrespect Dionne in this way because he is popular and having a popular boyfriend is a status symbol for Dionne like many other girls in their high school. Dionne is willing to handle his disrespectful comments to keep her popular boyfriend. This is similar to the relationship of Petruchio and Katherine because Katherine is also fearful of public opinion and being alone.  

“Petruchio: Now by my mother’s son, and that’s myself, It shall ne moon, or star, or what I list, Or e’er I journey to your father’s house. [To Servants] Go on and fetch our horses back again,-”  

(Act 4, Scene 4, 7-15)

In this scene, Petruchio and Katherine are on their way to Baptista's house. Petruchio says that the moon is the sun, but Katherine knows that he is wrong. When Katherine corrects Petruchio and says that the moon is the moon, he threatens to take Katherine back home and not allow her to visit her father. Katherine agrees with Petruchio’s claim that the moon is the sun because he has power over her and could control her. If she disagrees with him then she wouldn’t be able to leave their house or see other people. The idea that Petruchio wants Katherine to believe anything that he says, even things that are nonsense, is to belittle Katherine. Katherine is not able to push against his control because it would end with Katherine being abused in some form. In other words, the institution of marriage and public option are forcing Katherine to stay with Petruchio. Petruchio is using these social pressures to control Katherine.

In this scene of Clueless, Dionne confronts Murray about cheating on her. Murray tries to convince Dionne that the hair that she found in her car belongs to her. However, Dionne knows that she doesn’t wear that type of hair. Murray tries to distort the truth just like Petruchio. Dionne, unlike Katherine, has more power in her relationship. This causes Murray to shift the focus on the hair found in the car to inferring that Dionne is moody or emotional because “it is that time of the month.” Instead of making Dionne believe in a lie like Petruchio did with Katherine. This reaction belittles Dionne and causes her to lose focus on the cheating. It rails the whole conversation and Murray doesn’t have to tell the truth. The rails of the conversation leave viewers feeling that cheating is a topic that is not that important. This scene reinforces the norms that “boys would be boys” and an angry woman must be on her period. These social norms create pressure for women to accept the disrespectful behavior of men.

“Katherine: I never saw a better-fashioned gown, More quant, more pleasing, nor more commendable.”

(Act 4, Scene 3, 106- 109)

In this scene of The Taming of the Shrew, a tailor makes a gown for Katherine, but Petruchio doesn’t like the dress. He says that the dress is ugly and not in style, but Katherine loves the dress and wants to wear it. In the end, Petruchio doesn’t allow Katherine to wear the dress, but he pays the tailor for making it. Petruchio wants to control everything about Katherine down to her clothes. He wants Katherine to be codependent on him causing Katherine to change her personality. She changes from being strong and independent to being obedient and passive to Petruchio.

In this scene of Clueless, Murray and Dionne are at a house party. Dionne is running around for most of the party trying to find Murray. When she finds Murray, he is cutting all of his hair. He doesn’t let Dionne know about it. Murray is controlling Dionne by changing his image. He takes one of the most important things that Dionne cares about the public image by cutting his hair and embarrassing her. A bald head is something that Dionne doesn’t find cool or popular. Murray is cutting his hair two weeks before picture day. Murray shows Dionne that he has all the control in the relationship by cutting his hair and that he doesn’t care about the opinion of Dionne. This is similar to the scene with the dress and Katherine because it shows the male in the relationship taking away something that the female in the relationship wants. Petruchio takes away a dress from Katherine and Murray takes away a good image from Dionne.

In Clueless, the relationship of Dionne and Murray is toxic because of the controlling actions by Murray. Control is also the main reason for the toxic relationship of Petruchio and Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew. The idea that works three centuries apart can have very similar relationships shows that audience throughout the ages can relate to controlling relationships.

Work Cited

“The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb).” The Internet Movie Script Database, www.imsdb.com/scripts/Clueless.html

Rudin, Scott, Amy Heckerling, Alicia Silverstone, and Paul Rudd. Clueless. Hollywood, Calif: Paramount Pictures, 1995.

Shakespeare, William B. The Taming of the Shrew. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York, NY: Washington Square, 1992. Print.

Social Relationship Status: What “Superbad” and “Taming of The Shrew” tell us about clout chasing

“The Taming of the Shrew” is a Shakespeare written play that depicts a harsh reality of marriages at that time period. It mainly revolves around the marriage between Katherine and Petruchio. They are forced into a marriage where Katherine is expected to be controlled by Petruchio because she is a woman. It can be implied that Petruchio enjoys marriage for the control more than for the love between a man and a woman. The 2007 film Superbad has a similar take on sexual intercourse within the movie. This film mostly revolves around Seth and Evan who are trying to lose their virginity before they finish high school. However, the main reason for Seth’s sexual desires is due to the fact he wants a higher social status.Both “The Taming of the Shrew” and Superbad present worlds   where individuals pursue both sexual experiences and relationships as a way to improve their social status and become more popular.

“Superbad” and “The Taming of the Shrew” both reflect how relationships, specifically romantic ones, can be used for superficial personal satisfaction. In The Taming of the Shrew every male character in the play does not consider women’s thoughts and feelings towards marriage. Those men had an expectation for women to follow all of their orders and marry whoever was assigned to them no matter the cost. Occasionally men from this book would use marriage as a way to show a luxurious lifestyle, or boost their social status. It allowed men of that time period to appear successful towards other men.

Petruchio: “To me she’s married not unto my clothes Could I repair what she will wear in me, As I can change these poor accoutrements.”

(Act 3 Sc. 2 119-121)

This quote “The Taming of the Shrew” when Petruchio dressed in a ridiculous outfit at his wedding with Katherine. Petruchio did this to make a point about how Katherine would marry him no matter what he did in order to boost his own ego. That action also models how Petruchio lacks empathy towards Katherine because he did not restrain from embarrassing her to make himself appear in full control. The movie “Superbad” puts a similar emphasis into sexual intercourse and dating that “The Taming of the Shrew” put into marriage.

“Are you insane?! Look at Jules's dating record, she dated Dan Remmeck who's had a six pack since like kindergarten. Jason Stone who looks like Zack Morris, and Matt Muer he's the sweetest guy! Have you ever stared into his eyes? It was like the first time I heard the Beatles.”

-Seth

One of the main characters Seth implied in the beginning stages that he felt worthless due to the fact that he is a virgin and less sexually desirable to women than his peers. His best friend Evan tried to cheer him up by bringing up his crush Jules and saying that Seth had a chance to get in a relationship with her. At first Seth was discouraged because he noticed how many men Jules dated prior were much more physically and emotionally appealing. However, later in the movie he gets invited to a party by Jules which makes him believe that she has mutual feelings for him. Despite this opportunity Seth only had sex on his mind instead of trying to get in a relationship with Jules. This is similar to the way marriage was viewed in “The Taming of the Shrew”. Instead of being a gesture made by love it was one indulged with selfish intentions to fulfill one’s ego. Seth’s main reason for wanting to have sex with his crush Jules was because he wanted to feel an accomplishment from a task. He initially preferred this over any type of emotional connection and initially only saw her as an opportunity to boost his social status.

Despite the similarities between The Taming of the Shrew and Superbad there are certain drastic differences. The most crucial difference is the overall presence of men in each story. In The Taming of the Shrew just about every male character has the same views towards women as Petruchio Their philosophy was that women should always sacrifice themselves to men, especially in marriage.

“Hortensio: Yea, and to marry her, if her dowry please.”

(Act 1. Sc. 2 186)

This quote shows how women were auctioned off for marriage and treated as a product to men. The lack of remorse for their situation displays how embedded this mentality was within their time period and reflects of most men from that era.

However, in Superbad there are characters to balance out Seth’s lust driven mentality. The most notable character with a different view from Seth was his best friend, Evan. Throughout the film Evan is also pursuing a romantic encounter with a girl named Becca. He has a different mentality towards Seth because he is open towards having sexual intercourse, but he does not let it become his main focus. His main focus was trying to connect to her as a person in order to eventually have a successful relationship with her. At one point in the movie Evan refuses to have sex with Becca because he did not want to take advantage of her while she was intoxicated. This action is gigantically unlike the men from The Taming of the Shrew, as they would often force sex upon their wives and other women throughout the play. Finally, the last way Superbad and The Taming of the Shrew and Superbad differ is because of the character growth, or lack thereof.

At the end of Superbad Seth runs into Jules at a mall after failing to hook up with her at party the previous night. Instead of continuing his immature tendencies he decided to grow as a person and admit his mistakes. Seth apologized to Jules for being shallow towards her and he offered to buy her makeup to cover the black eye he had caused from the party. That moment implied that Seth began to realize there is more to romantic relationship than sex and status symbols. In The Taming of the Shrew Petruchio did not become a less abusive person than the reader was first introduced to in the play. Petruchio remained the twisted person he was from start to finish.

Work cited:

Rogen, Seth, and Evan Goldberg. “Superbad” . Performance by Jonah Hill, and Michael Cera, 2007.

Shakespeare, William. “The Taming of the Shrew”. Dover Publications , 1770.

Amado Alfaro-Allah

English 3

4-11-18

Fire Stream

The Wedding Shrew

The Wedding Singer is a 90’s movie that takes place in 1985, it follows the story of a locally famous wedding singer named Robbie. When he tries to get married it turns out that his fiance, Linda doesn’t feel the same way so she abandons him at the altar and leaves Robbie. As Robbie’s depression sets in his gigs become more and more mediocre until he meets a waitress named Julia and instantly falls in love. Robbie later finds out that Julia is marrying a Wall Street shark named Glenn Gulia. Throughout the movie Robbie tries his best to woo Julia with his singing and save her from marriage.

A lot of the instances in the movie correlate with the book Taming of the Shrew, the theme of of men competing for the heart of a young promising women with sidekicks who help the hero win the heart of the lady. Lucentio’s wing man in Taming of the Shrew, is Tranio, when they switch places and Tranio keeps putting in good words of Lucentio, while the wingman in the wedding singer is Sammy, Robbie’s best friend . The main idea of both the book and the movie is that the competition of whoever can marry Julia the fastest. While Glenn is marrying Julia for her to just have a wife when he admits to Robbie he cheats on her contanlly and will continue to do so , like how Petruchio is marrying Kathrine for the money partly. While Robbie truly loves Julia and keeps her in his songs. Just like how Lucentio gives Bianca secret messages in latin. Both Robbie and Glenn want to marry Julia for different reasons but they both know if they marry her then for Glenn it would mean full access of Julia’s father money but for Robbie it would be true love.The whole idea of the Wedding Singer is that Robbie loves Julia so much, he would do anything while its not said if Petruchio truly loves Katherine or he is just marrying her for the money, like how Glenn’s goal to to marry Julia then cheat on her with other women. The money affects how people behave in marriage

(Act 1, Scene 2, Line 117-129)

O Tranio, till I found it to be true,
I never thought it possible or likely.
But see, while idly I stood looking on,
I found the effect of love in idleness
And now in plainness do confess to thee
That art to me as secret and as dear
As Anna to the Queen of Carthage was,
Tranio, I burn, I pine, I perish, Tranio,
If I achieve not this young modest girl.
Counsel me, Tranio, for I know thou canst.
Assist me, Tranio, for I know thou wilt.

This scene in the beginning of “Taming of the Shrew” happens when Luciento and Tranio just arrived in town and are getting ready to attend university until Lucentio sees Bianca for the first time and instantly falls in love. In this scene Lucentio is talking to Tranio how he has instanlly fallen in love with Bianca and asks Tranio to help him out. This connects to the scene in “The Wedding Singer” when Robbie is in a bar and realizes Julia is going to marry Glenn who will constantly cheat on her with other women. While he is talking about how much his loves her with his best friend Sammy, just like how Lucineto talks to Tranio about Bianca.

In this scene Robbie is having a drink with his friend Sammy right after he learns that Julia is really going to marry Glenn, Robbie explains to Sammy how much he loves Julia and wants to be with her but Robbie still thinks that Julia likes Glenn more because he has money in the stock market and a big house. I decided to compare this with the scene where Luciento talks to Tranio and explains his grand plan to Tranio to woo Bianca. Some constraints between the two are that when Sammy gives Robbie the pep talk about love he goes straight away to Julia’s house to try to tell her how he feels, while Lucentio quietly sits back and makes his plan to woo Bianca.

In the plan Lucentio once he begs Tranio to help him while they’re together, like in the movie Sammy and Robbie are talking in the bar while Robbie opens up to Sammy about his feelings about Julia.

(Act 3, Scene 1, Line 32)

Luciento: Hic ibat, as I told you before, Simois, I am Lucentio, hic est, son unto Vincentio of Pisa, Sigeia tellus, disguised thus to get your love, Hic steterat, and that “Lucentio” that comes a-wooing, Priami is my man Tranio, regia, bearing my port, celsa senis, that we might beguile the old pantaloon.

In this scene of “Taming of the Shrew” Lucentio and Hortensio are both giving their “lessons” to Bianca and during their lesson Lucentio while teaching Bianca latin he sneaks in some messages explain who he is and how he is trying to woo her. I compared this to the scene in “The Wedding Singer” when Robbie is playing guitar for Julia in an empty venue singing about love. The reason why I decided to compare these to together because while Lucentio is wooing Bianca directly with fake latin translation, Robbie is wooing Julia indirectly by singing his song about love, being together forever and being happy together married and partly how his ex fiance abandoned him.

Up until this point of the movie Robbie and Julia have spent a lot of time together, Robbie has been helping Julia plan her wedding with Glenn, when they’re trying to find a person to do the music at the wedding Julia convinces Robbie to show off one of his songs he wrote. When Robbie performs it in front of Julia she visibility is interested and is feeling somewhat woo’d to this point, she starts to fall for Robbie at this point. I decided to compare this part of the movie to the part of the book “The Taming Of The Shrew” to the scene where Luciento gives Bianca a fake message in Latin about him. While Bianca tells Lucentio he needs to try harder she is a little interested in him at this point. This scene is comparable because Robbie because although a bit indirect both male characters successfully build there chances with the female leads. While Robbie is focusing on singing his song Julia isn’t worried about money right now she’s thinking about him. Just like how Bianca didn’t know that Luciento was loaded with money but she did start to fall for him even though she almost knew nothing about him.

(Act 5, Scene 2, line 145-180)

Katherine: Fie, fie! Unknit that threat'ning unkind brow
And dart not scornful glances from those eyes
To wound thy lord, thy king, thy governor.
It blots thy beauty as frosts do bite the meads,
Confounds thy fame as whirlwinds shake fair buds,
And in no sense is meet or amiable.
A woman moved is like a fountain troubled,
Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty,
And while it is so, none so dry or thirsty
Will deign to sip or touch one drop of it.
Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,
Thy head, thy sovereign, one that cares for thee,
And for thy maintenance commits his body
To painful labor both by sea and land,
To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,
Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe,
And craves no other tribute at thy hands
But love, fair looks and true obedience—
Too little payment for so great a debt.
Such duty as the subject owes the prince,
Even such a woman oweth to her husband.
And when she is froward, peevish, sullen, sour,
And not obedient to his honest will,
What is she but a foul contending rebel
And graceless traitor to her loving lord?
I am ashamed that women are so simple
To offer war where they should kneel for peace;
Or seek for rule, supremacy and sway
When they are bound to serve, love, and obey.
Why are our bodies soft and weak and smooth,
Unapt to toil and trouble in the world,
But that our soft conditions and our hearts
Should well agree with our external parts?
Come, come, you froward and unable worms!

In one of the final scenes in Taming of the Shrew, Katherine gives a big speech on how she really loves Petruchio and she wants to stay loyal to him. She explains how she wants to be with him and heckles the other women for not having the same amount of compassion and loyalty towards their husbands. At this point it is unclear if Katherine is being loyal to Petruchio for the money or she genuinely loves him This relates to the scene in The Wedding Singer, where Robbie gives his big song explaining how much he loves Julia and how marriages should be between the people you love.

Just before this scene Billy Idol hypes Robbie up by explaining to him that “You can tell if someone really loves you, if they’re willing to be with you no matter what and it's not about money, fancy cars or anything like that”. Robbie is currently on a plane trying to woo Julia one last time before she flies to vegas and gets married to Glenn. In Robbie’s song he explains how money and a big house doesn’t matter as long as he is with her in which Julia kisses him. This compares to the scene in Taming of the Shrew where the last speech Kathrine gives on being a loyal wife and in response after her big speech Petruchio commands Kathrine to kiss him. This relates to the thesis because it could be said that Katherine is only marrying Petruchio for his money but in the wedding singer, Robbie wants to marry Julia because he has such strong feeling towards her.

Both this movie and book hold many differences and similarities when they’re compared side by side. The main issue in this movie was that Robbie assumed he could never be loved or get married because (like his rival Glenn) he didn’t have a lot of money or a big house. Giving the viewer the idea of “If you're not financially stable, no one will want to marry you” or “It’s easier to get married, if you have a lot of money. While the theme in Taming of the Shrew is the competition of who can woo Bianca the fastest and how Petruchio “tames” Kathrine. At the end of the book even if Kathrine did just marry Petruchio for his money it wouldn’t be as frowned upon as it is today. In the movie when Robbie tells Julia that “She’s just marrying him for the money” she gets upset, the reason for this is because people who usually marry rich people without really loving them are labeled “gold diggers” which refers to someone who is only interested in someone for money. This shows us that society even if its a little bit , thinks its dignified to marry someone for who they are and not there money.

Work cited

Crowther, John, ed. “No Fear The Taming of the Shrew.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. Web. 26 Mar. 2018.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. The Taming of the Shrew. New York :Signet Classic, 1998. Print.

The Wedding Singer, Robert Simonds, Jack Girraputa,

A Manipulation of Love

Comparing “Taming of the Shrew” and “Revenge of the Bridesmaids”

In Shakespeare's “Taming of the Shrew,” the manipulation of love is proved through the character Petruchio. Petruchio manipulates Baptista and others by telling them that he has wooed Katherine and she will be married to him without her actual consent at the time. As manipulation is a common action done to make people “fall in love” back in the days, it also happens in present day as well. In the movie “Revenge of the Bridesmaid,” Caitlyn, the soon-to-be bride manipulates her soon-to-be husband into being pregnant in order for her to marry him.

Although Caitlyn and Petruchio share the same tactics to get what they want, they feel differently about their situations. As for Caitlyn, she’s going through with her plans for the sake of her mother’s bankruptcy in return for getting the perfect wedding that she’s always dreamed of. As for Petruchio, he’s going through with his plans because his goal was to get a wife and that wife was to be Katherine. Even though everyone tells him that she is almost impossible to wife, he claims that he will woo her and she will be the one he marries.  It almost becomes a game to him, if he can woo her, he proves his victory in winning the woman that no one wants or can woo.  Based off of the play and movie we can see that they are conveying how people manipulate their significant other into love so that they can get what they want from them without having to actually love them.

“What, with my tongue in your tail? Nay, come again, good Kate. I am a gentleman --”

“That I’ll try” (she strikes him)

(Act 2, Scene 1, lines 231-233)

At this point of the play, Katherine and Petruchio meets for the first time and Katherine, as expected, does nothing but deny his request and proposal with all her attitude. At this point, the reader can predict that the wedding is not going to happen because Katherine was not being wooed by Petruchio. Though Petruchio does not give up whatsoever. Petruchio continues to try to woo Katherine, but the moment she strikes him, he loses his motivation for a slip second saying “I swear I’ll cuff you if strike again.” In this part of the play, Petruchio is trying to manipulate her into loving him by saying he is a gentleman and he loves her although they just met. Katherine clearly denies him and does not love him.

(Caitlyn pushing Tony’s buttons about the cake.)

(Tony pulling her to the side away from everyone else.)

(Caitlyn nervously looking around.)

In “Revenge of the Bridesmaids,” Caitlyn, the soon-to-be bride and Tony, the soon-to-be groom is cake tasting for their wedding. Caitlyn says to Tony as they taste their third option, “Tony-bear, participate. C’mon we need an opinion from the groom.” Tony then pulls her to the side away from everyone else in the room to respond with, “Look Caitlyn, I’m doing what everybody wants here. It’s just cake.” Looking at Tony’s dialogue, the audience can predict that Tony is not very excited nor cares about the wedding. Caitlyn then nervously looks around and smiles to fake an “everything is okay” and loudly says to everyone, “Yes, you do like milk with your cake. Why don’t you go get some milk.” Tony then walks away with disappointment all over his face mumbling, “I think I will” as Caitlyn nervously continues to smile at everyone else. At this point of the movie, it is clear that Tony has no love for Caitlyn, but he knows he has to marry the woman only because he got her pregnant. Unlike Petruchio’s situation, he’s stuck in a loveless marriage for a mistake he has made. But similar to Petruchio’s tactics, Caitlyn continues to act like everything is fine because she will marry Tony regardless of his actions and the way he feels personally.

"I tell you 'tis incredible to believe How much she loves me. O, the kindest Kate! She hung about my neck, and kiss on kiss She vied so fast, protesting oath on oath, That in a twink she won me to her love. How tame when men and women are alone, A meacock wretch can make the curestest shrew."

(Act 2, Scene 1, lines 325-332)

At this point in “Taming of the Shrew,” Petruchio and Katherine has met for the first time. Although this meeting does not go as Petruchio expected, he claims that all is well and he has done his duty and wooed her into marrying him. During the meeting, Katherine is rude and denies everything Petruchio proposes, but when Petruchio comes back to speak with Katherine’s father Baptista, he says that he was successful in his duty. He manipulates the father by telling him that Katherine is now in love with him and they will be married soon even though she has not given consent, if anything, she has denied his proposal.

(Rachel telling the girls that Caitlyn is pregnant with Tony’s baby.)

In this specific scene Rachel tells Abigail and Parker that Caitlyn is pregnant, “No they have to get married, it’s a secret it’s a big secret, I’m not suppose to tell anyone, Caitlyn’s pregnant” and therefore he has no choice but to marry the her. By the looks of Rachel’s reactions and dialogue, the audience would be able to assume that Caitlyn is pregnant because no one finds out that it’s a lie until later on in the movie. Rachel tells the girls which OBGYN Caitlyn went to to get her results. Similar to what Petruchio does in the play, Caitlyn has already manipulated everyone in believing that she is pregnant with Tony’s baby.

"Then tell me, if I get your daughter's love, What dowry shall I have with her to wife?"

"After my death, the one half of my lands, And in my possession, twenty thousand crowns."

"And, for that dowry, I'll assure her of Her widowhood, be it that she survive me, In all my lands and leases whatsoever. Let specialties be therefore drawn between us, That covenants may be kept on either hand."

"Ay, when the special thing is well obtained, That is, her love, for that is all in all."

(Act 2 Scene 1 lines 126-136)

By this scene in the play, Petruchio is conversing with Baptista before his first meeting with Katherine. The reader can tell that some type of deal is going on here for the marriage of Katherine. Baptista approves of Petruchio’s ideas and offers all that he can to Petruchio if he does win Katherine over by wooing her. The idea of manipulation falls into this action because of how Baptista manipulates Petruchio to marry Katherine in order to get his ownings after his passing.

(Caitlyn showing her mom (Mrs. McNabb) that her dress is the wrong color.)

(Caitlyn coming at her mom for promising her the perfect wedding in return of getting all of Tony’s fortunes.)

At this point of the movie, it has finally come to the day of the wedding and everything seems to be going wrong. It starts out with the wedding dress. Caitlyn receives her wedding dress and it’s a different color than what she actually ordered. She cries in distress to her mother, “Look look look at it see?!” Her mother responds, “What? What am I looking at?” Caitlyn then has a mental breakdown saying, “Look blind mother! It’s summer pearl.” Along with that Caitlyn reveals and discusses their deal to the audience, “You promised me! Every detail of this wedding has to be exactly right. I’m only marrying this guy because of all the money you went through. I don’t mind a loveless marriage, but I will not tolerate anything less than a perfect wedding!” In these few lines, Caitlyn reveals the huge secret of why she’s been manipulating people into believing that she is pregnant in order to marry the guy with money only for his money.  Unlike Baptista, Mrs. McNabb wants the money and that’s why she wants her daughter to be married, whereas Baptista is paying off Petruchio to marry his daughter with whatever it takes.

The manipulation from both the movie and the play shows how love is portrayed in society’s attitudes towards courtship/dating. Since back then, parents of the individual in the relationship has always been involved in some way. Baptista, the father of Katherine (from the Shrew), proves through his actions of paying Petruchio and manipulating him into wooing his daughter in return to get his fortunes after his death.  Whereas in “Revenge of the Bridesmaids,” Mrs. McNabb manipulates her daughter for her to decite others into believing that she is pregnant so that she can marry Tony for his wealth since the McNabbs are going bankrupt. In return of this manipulation, Caitlyn will get her prefect dream wedding. This shows us that in society, people’s attitudes on love and romance is that more wealth equals more happiness in a marriage.

How Michelle in Southside with You and Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew show a major shift in relationship and gender dynamics

Though William Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew has been celebrated as an early example of romantic comedy, it has also garnered plenty of criticism from literary scholars and modern audiences for its seemingly misogynistic politics with women and courtship. In the play, a man named Petruchio tries to win both the heart and submission of his romantic partner, Katherine, the titular “shrew” of the play. Though Katherine is rather resistant to Petruchio’s efforts, he eventually converts Katherine from a headstrong and asocial woman to a overly obedient housewife by depriving her of necessities, such as food and sleep.

The 2016 drama film Southside With You displays a more modern and reformed idea of courtship. In the movie, a 28 year-old Barack Obama attempts to woo his colleague, Michelle Robinson, on an innocent summer date in the South Side of Chicago. Though Michelle is also rather resistant to Barack’s advances, his charisma and ebullient personality eventually win her over by the end of the date.

Though Barack and Petruchio may have similar goals in mind, their tactics are markedly different, and that is indicative of a major shift in worldview. They both want to win over a woman’s heart, but while Petruchio finds it perfectly fine to force Katherine into showing him affection through inhumane means, Barack is much more respectful of Michelle’s discretionary freedom. He is understanding of her reluctance and acknowledges that it would be abusive to use coercion tactics to achieve his end goal. This shows that though the concept of male pursuit is still very much alive, coercion is now generally looked down upon while the personal freedom of romantic partners is championed.

Petruchio: Come, come, you wasp; i' faith, you are too angry.

Katherine: If I be waspish, best beware my sting.

Petruchio: My remedy is then, to pluck it out.

(Act 2, Scene 1, Lines 222-225)

In this scene, Petruchio and Katherine are arguing somewhat comically as Petruchio plots his “taming” of her. He tells Katherine that she is too angry and compares her to a wasp. In response, Katherine says that Petruchio should then fear her sting, and Petruchio says that he will pluck her stinger out. This is Petruchio’s way of asserting that Katherine is powerless against him because he will always find ways to control her and stifle her disobedience.

In all likelihood, Shakespearean audiences would have laughed heartily at this scene, and it would not have offended many or garnered much controversy. This is because it was normal for men at the time to assert conjugal control, even if that meant threatening violence to their partner. This scene is a key example of the overbearing tendencies of men at the time of Shakespeare. Women were scorned and punished for trying to declare any type of control, just as Katherine is here.

Many modern romance movies are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

In Southside with You, Michelle Obama is depicted as a strong-willed woman, similar to Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew. One of the main differences between the two is how their willfulness is perceived. In this scene, Michelle, maddened by the fear that the date will cost her her job, fires up at Barack, saying that he should have been more respectful of her request to keep everything professional. Barack is silent the whole time Michelle is talking, carefully listening to her without trying to shoot her down, as Petruchio does to Katherine. Viewers of the film can see that Barack has is doing his best to understand Michelle’s point of view, though he may not agree with it. This major difference reflects a more modernized perception of how women should be treated—with unwavering respect as a peer and not property. Unlike the play, the film does not celebrate taming, but rather it seeks to put the lead male character and lead female character on a more equal level of control.

No shame but mine. I must forsooth be forc’d

To give my hand oppos’d against my heart

(Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 8-9)

This line comes from Katherine on the day of her wedding, shortly before Petruchio’s arrival. Petruchio’s tardiness to his own wedding makes Katherine go into a fit of both anger and sadness, as she mourns the fact that she is being forced by her father to marry a man that she does not have romantic feelings for. This is reflective of the marriage regime at the time of Shakespeare. Marriage was an extremely important cornerstone of societal structure, and unfortunately, women were often left disenfranchised from the process of courtship and marriage. Many women, like Katherine in this scene, were forced to marry men whom they did not love.

While this line may have been dismissed by the Shakespearean audiences as normal, audiences today would likely have much more empathy for Katherine. Marriage now is more of a consensual covenant, usually involving vows and legal documents. This alone shows a societal leap in ideology: women are now expected to have dominion over their own romantic affairs. This means that, in most cases, a father no longer decides whom his daughter marries, like Katherine’s father does for her.

The new system of courtship surfaces notably in Southside with You.

In this scene from the beginning of the movie, Michelle expresses her reluctance to Barack about going on a date, saying that it would make her look bad if she dates her coworker. Barack, understanding of her situation, then eases her angst by telling her that it is not officially a date until she wants it to be. Unlike Petruchio, he is considerate of Michelle’s disinterest and his pursuit subsides a bit. The mere fact that Michelle is able to express her disinterest to Barack shows a huge difference in power structure from Shakespeare’s time. Had Katherine told Petruchio she does not care for him, she likely would have been dismissed or perhaps even violently punished. Here, Barack is able to relent pretty quickly, without so much as a heated argument. Viewers should take close notice to this small scene because it illustrates the modern customs surrounding relationships: women have a much more prominent role in the courtship process, as they are more easily able to reject suitors without major backlash.

“Now, go thy ways, thou hast tamed a curst shrew”

(Act 5, Scene 2, Line 205)

This line is spoken by Hortensio at the very end of the play, as all the male characters feast cheerfully and commend Petruchio on his successful taming of Katherine. The most important detail modern audiences will notice in this scene is how Petruchio’s coercive abuse has earned him acclaim among all the men, as if he had proved himself a valiant and respectable man. The scene is communicative of the history of marital coercion, and how it was not uncommon for men to find coercion perfectly fine in a relationship. This play is an example of a larger historical pattern: love being won not with the heart, but with the fist.

Romance has conceptually changed for the better in this regard.

Unlike Taming of the Shrew, Southside with You ends on a precious note of romance and the power of wooing with charm and chemistry. There are very few words in the last scenes, allowing room for body language to come to the forefront. After a long date with ups and downs, Michelle and Barack share a special moment after he buys her chocolate ice cream, which she mentioned was her favorite dessert earlier in the date. Though Michelle’s infatuation with Barack had become gradually more evident throughout the course of the date, this act is the one that finally wins Michelle over. It is important to note how Barack did not use any type of coercion to romance Michelle. Instead, he used his naturally alluring personality, which distinctly sets his actions apart from that of Petruchio, who does not even seem to have a genial conversation with Katherine throughout the whole play. In the end, things work out favorably for both Barack, the pursuer, and Michelle, the pursuee, which truly highlights the contrast in what 21st century movie-goers want to see in a romance film: gentle courtship that ends in consensual happiness.

Both of these works can be interpreted as romanticized capsules of real-life attitudes when it comes to love. While it tends to be very easy to overlook entertainment history, by analyzing the romantic works of a time period, one may arrive at a deep understanding of how relationship ideals and gender roles have evolved over the course of time. Truth be told, The Taming of the Shrew and Southside with You are not that different in that they both use the plot device of a man pursuing a woman. However, with the rise of modern feminism and an always maturing civil culture, these movies offer two opposing archetypes of how that should be done. The ideological divergence here is evident, and it may be a guide in objectively studying where the impressive change has come and where change is due next.

The book “The Taming of the Shrew” reflects how romantic relationships between man and woman were in the past. Petruchio, one of the main character of the play who is arrogant, confident and, a man who sees himself as a superior over the other people and even more over woman who he  claim to love. With the romantic love story of love at first sight such as Lucentio and Bianca who fall in love and both of them abandon the standard relationship ideas of the time period . It’s possible to appreciate these two situations, in the movie, “ Crazy, Stupid, Love” where The Character Jacob has in a way really similar values to Petruchio's. However, this values seem to be forgotten when he meets Hannah a young woman who, he seems to love at first sight. She isn’t delighted by Jacobs’ tactics initially and forced to turn around Jacobs ideas of what a relationship is. As the text and the movie show, man ideas on relationships had been and still are stereotyped as the males are supposed to be the Alpha of the couple and even more they are supposed to be always self- confident . However, when love is involved  it changes the way both member of a relationship behave and the stereotypes that are normally put into play disappear.

"Petruchio:

You knew my father well, and in him me,

Left solely heir, to all his lands and goods,

Which I have bettered rather than decreas'd.

Then tell me, if I get your daughter's love,

What dowry shall I have with her to wife?"

(Act 2, Scene 1, 960)

At this specific moment of the play, Petruchio is fighting and negotiating with to get Katherines handIn this quote and earlier in the text, we can see how he is justifying his possible marriage with Bianca showing his amount in power and richness as if he was supposed to show his “manhood” with this. And trying to show how he is the “Alpha male”, in the relation. How he is supposed to be in that way in order to be a good husband. Just like Jacob is going to try to prove Hannah how he is the Alpha Male of the club.

In this scene Jacob is showing Cal how to pick up girls in a bar and his strategies to convince a woman to be with him. He is asking girls to invite them for a drink. In this way he shows firstly that he has the ability of carrying on a relationship as, like said before, the Alpha male. Really close of the showing of that Petruchio did with Baptista in order to marry Katherina. However something will change in Jacob life as he will learn about true love.

In this scene of the movie, the public is able to see how the eventhough Jacob is use to be a player and to be able to control his emotions, he now is eboked to a romantic love that he can not control and would take this idea, that he had of himself, of being an Alpha male down. Love towards Hannah has changed his mind in a complete way and no matter how he tries to show off is not going to work because love will interfire and this idea of the Alpha male will end up disappearing.

“Lucentio:

Tranio, I burn, I pine, I perish, Tranio,

If I achieve not this young modest girl"

(Act 1, Scene 1, 156-157)

During this scene Lucentio realizes that he is in love with Bianca. His stereotypical manhood is blown and even at the end of the play it gets proven that he is not the Alpha of the relationship. He just like Jacob and Lucentio change their attitude in a way proving how this Idea of the Alpha male is just an stereotype and in the relations no one should be the dominating.  However, in the play love is used also as a way of control when Petruchio justifies his actions over Katherina with it.

In both the movie Crazy, Stupid Love and in the book The Taming of the Shrew is easy to appreciate how society during the years has ruled how man should be the leaders in a couple and how they have to proof their manhood during their life. However, as it’s shown in both the play and the movie when love appears all this stereotypes are vanished and in many cases the relationship doesn’t have a leader but a team.

Guess Shrew

Shamus Keough

    The Taming of the Shrew is a romance story that is about two men trying to start relationships with two women who are partially being controlled by their father. Baptista, who is the father of the women (Katherine and Bianca) doesn’t want one of them to get married without the other one getting married. Because he doesn’t want this, he is not letting either of them get married unless the other one is setting up a marriage too. Both Petruchio and Lucentio wanted to marry Bianca but had to set up a plan where both of them would marry a daughter.

    Guess who is a movie about a black girl named Theresa, who is in a relationship with a white man named Simon, and are planning to get engaged soon. Theresa and Simon are very happy together, the one problem is, Theresa’s family doesn’t know Simon is white. After Percy (Theresa’s father) meets Simon, he starts to criticize him a lot and tries to get his daughter to stop dating him. These two stories both are about a father trying to involve himself in the daughter’s relationship, mainly because he cares about his daughters and wants to make sure they are okay. The stories also differ, like in the way that Baptista wanted to make sure his daughters get married, and Percy is mostly against who his daughter is dating. In every romantic relationship, family should be involved to protect their child even if it can cause negativity.

"And for I know she taketh most delight in music, instruments, and poetry, schoolmasters will I keep within my house fit to instruct her youth."

(Act 1, Scene 1, 94-97)

This quote is from Baptista, trying to speak highly about his daughters and their intelligence. He is speaking about them highly so any men that meet them may hear about them and think they are great women that they would want to marry. He is showing that he cares a lot about his girls and their relationships, and doing it in a very nice way.

Baptista is showing his concern for his daughter’s relationships in a positive way, trying to get some men to be interested in dating his daughters. Percy on the other hand, cares about his daughter, and shows it in a slightly negative way.

Percy in this scene is about to sleep next to Simon, in an effort to try and scare him. He also does it  to make sure Simon doesn’t wake up in the night, sneak in to Theresa’s room, and have sex with her. Percy is obviously showing that he cares about his daughter, but in a more negative way. His method of trying to scare Simon is negative, and he could have just tried to be polite and make sure Simon doesn’t do certain things.

“Faith, gentlemen, now I play a merchant's part and venture madly on a desperate mart.”

(2, 1, 345-348)

In this quote, Baptista says a metaphor as if he was a businessman and it is his job to work out his daughter’s marriages. He is speaking about it because getting his daughters married is extremely important to him. This is a nice way to show that he cares about his daughter’s relationships. (It is also a little negative since he is caring about himself partly, but it’s still positive in a way.)

Again, Baptista is trying to help his daughter’s out with their relationships in a nice way, and not really being negative to anyone. In this scene from the movie on the other hand, Percy is caring about his daughter, but trying to make the things he has been doing to Simon seem okay.

In the current scene, Percy is talking to his daughter, and she just asked him about why he has been so mean to Simon. Percy says it is because he doesn’t trust him, and he doesn’t want his daughter starting a relationship with someone who might do something wrong to her. While it is nice that he is doing something to try and protect his daughter, Percy is still being rude and trying to scare away Simon. Simon is someone who genuinely cares about Theresa and loves her, and doesn’t deserve what Percy is doing to him.

"I come to wive it wealthily in Padua; if wealthily, then happily in Padua."

(1, 2, 76-77)

This quote is from Petruchio, and he is speaking about how he only really cares about the money he will get when he marries one of Baptista’s daughters. The important thing about this quote is that it shows why Baptista has been caring about his daughter’s marriages, because he wants them to both to get married and to get married to men that actually care about them.

Baptista, once again was trying to be nice, and protect his daughters from people like Petruchio because they could treat his daughter’s badly if all they care about is the money. Percy, in the movie scene, is once again showing why he was treating Simon bad, and why he will treat him okay now.

In this movie scene, Percy and Simon are home alone at the house, just after Percy’s wife, Marilyn, and Theresa just left them and are currently staying at Marilyn’s sister’s house. Percy at this time is starting to see that Simon isn’t a bad person, and is now treating him nicer. Now that Percy knows Simon is a good person who cares about his daughter, he isn’t feeling like he needs to try and scare him off, and can be nice to him.

Both of these stories deal a lot with the idea of parents trying to be apart of their children’s romantic relationship. They both have fathers that show that they care, but both show them in different ways. In Taming of the Shrew, Baptista shows that he cares about his daughter’s and their relationships in nice ways, like when he speaks nicely about them to make men want to be in a relationship with them. He talks about how he will set up many of the things in their relationships for them, and overall is showing he cares in many different nice ways. Percy on the other hand shows that he cares by trying to get his daughter to date someone else. Percy doesn't trust Simon with dating his daughter and tries to scare Simon off. Overall, showing that he cares in a negative way. Both fathers show they care about their daughters a lot and show that they do throughout both of the stories. The ways they care show that while some parents can show how much they care about their children’s relationships in a nice way, many can still show it in negative ways like scaring away a person they don't trust with their child. While it is shown that negativity can be caused, the stories still show that family should be involved in romantic relationships to protect their children.

Work Cited

• Shakespeare, William. The Taming of The Shrew

Success in Relationships: A Walk to Submission

Comparing “The Taming of the Shrew” to “A Walk to Remember”  

“The Taming of the Shrew” higlights a theme that is still present in relationships today. In the play, Petruchio “tames” his wife Katherine and convinces her and the world that she is better off for it. This same idea is showcased in the more modern love story in “A Walk to Remember”. In this movie, Landon Carter is the stereotypical bad boy who falls for Jamie Sullivan after being forced to do community service as a result of one of his many offences. Their interaction impacts both of their personalities and outlook on life.

Although the male does not have all the power in their relationship, like in “Shrew”, in this movie the control is still important even though it is more two sided. Petruchio is not embodied by just Landon or Jamie for the entire movie. Rather, both Landon and Jamie have the opportunity to have control and manipulate each other during the movie. As a result, both of them have to take on the figurative role of Katherine, the submissive partner, in the relationship.These works reflect that even if it’s for short periods of time, audiences still believe that the success of a relationship requires the submission of one party.

“... Let him that moved you hither remove you hence. I knew you st the first you were a movable”

(2, 1, 203-206)

This quote is from the first time Petruchio and Katherine meet. Katherine is still ruthless and doesn’t care too much for Petruchio. Before he has the chance to tame her, she is painted in a negative light. This shows the reader that the submission of a partner is necessary and anticipated. Because Katherine has not submitted to Petruchio, the relationship does not exist.

Similarly, the individuality of Landon and Jamie prevents their relationship from beginning.  

This scene begins with Jamie attempting to start small talk to Landon. He then proceeds to shut her down and tell her about herself. She warns him to not presume to know her and lets him know that she doesn’t care what people think of her. This is identical to Katherine's initial attitude. The women in both the book and the movie make it clear that they are their own people and do not worry themselves with the opinion of others. What’s different is that in “A Walk to Remember”, this is viewed as independence while in “Shrew, it is seen as insolence. Regardless, this rashness is what is stopping the women from their pending relationships.

"When you are gentle, you shall have one too, and not until then”

(Act 4, Scene 3, 75-76)

In the scene, Petruchio is continuing his mission to tame Katherine. He does this by mocking her with material things that he has no intention of giving her. He says the quote to her to show that she can get what she wants from him when she behaves herself. This act involves the submission of Katherine. If she does not submit and act accordingly, she won’t receive the things that she wants to wear.

A similar bargaining and mocking technique can be seen in “A Walk to Remember” .

In this scene, Landon attempts to win Jamie’s heart after denying her in front of his friends. After that event, Jamie concluded that “there was no good in him.” Landon wants forgiveness and approaches Jamie only to be shut down by her demand to “prove it.” In this scene the figurative roles of Petruchio and Katherine have switched. Jamie is the person in control. In the same way Petruchio does to Katherine, she demands that Landon prove himself to her. Consequently, Landon has to act in a way that is pleasing to her in order to get want he wants, her friendship. What’s different is that Landon was placed in this position because he intentionally took on the role of Petruchio when he denied her because he was embarrassed of her. He would prefer Jamie act in a different way but she doesn’t give in. This causes him to realize that he needs to change to get her back. If he didn’t submit and apologize, their relationship would have ended. This supports the idea that the progression of a relationship relies on the submission of someone in the duo.

"I am so ashamed that women are so simple to offer war where they should kneel for peace, or to seek rule, supremacy, and sway when they are bound to serve, love, and...",

(Act 5, Scene 2, 177-180).

In this scene, after showcasing her obedience to Petruchio, Katherine scolds her sister Bianca, and the widow for not being better wives. Her entire speech sounds like words that Petruchio got her to believe. Katherine tells that she is a better person because of Petruchio and invites the other women to change for the better as well. This quote is important because it shows Katherine’s complete submission. She has been tamed and believes that she’s better off because of it. Without this submission, Katherine could not have the relationship she has now and couldn’t be able to reprimand the “bad” wives.

Similarly, in “A Walk to Remember”, Landon owes his transformation to Jamie.

In this scene that concludes the movie, Landon tells the audience of the result of his relationship with Jamie. He, like Katherine, praises Jamie for “saving his life”. His relationship with Jamie made him a better person. The fact that she challenges him to act in a better way is very comparable to Petruchio taming Katherine. The difference here is that Landon has changed, not by becoming obedient, but by being a more kind and gracious person. Landon would not have become and better person if he hadn’t submitted and changed for Jamie.

In the same way “Shrew” does, “A Walk to Remember” romanticizes the total submission and transformation of someone in a relationship. In “Shrew”, Katherine becomes totally obedient to Petruchio while in “A Walk to Remember” Landon becomes more kind and gracious. Today, the values Landon gained are seen as positive while during the times of “Shrew” being obedient may have been seen as positive. If “Shrew” was made today, the total submission into obedience would be frowned upon. If “A Walk to Remember” was made then, the values of kindness would mean nothing. In “Shrew”, Bianca is the kind and gracious maiden  but in the end she is not the best wife because obedience reigns supreme. This shows the audience that not only is submission in a relationship is crucial, but also that the qualities gained from this submission reflects the values of the society. Regardless, submission is painted as a necessity because it keeps the relationship going and changes people. 

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. The Taming of The Shrew. New Folger ed., Washington

Square Press, 1992.

Shankman, Adam, director. A Walk to Remember. Warner Bros., 2002.

Fear is an unpleasant feeling triggered by the perception of danger, real or imagined.  When fear comes into play, its strength can affect a person’s willingness to take risks, our choice to pursue the unknown, or even their ability to accomplish a goal. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the schoolboys who are stranded on the island have a fear of not being able to survive without any adults in a new society empty of order and rules. The fear that builds within each of the boys makes them hallucinate and believe a “beast” exists, which is a projection of the their combined fear. This terror motivates the young boys to try their hardest to survive, but, amidst overcoming their fears, their panic overwhelms their ability to make rational decisions.

In the beginning of Lord of the Flies, in fear of having no adults, the boys decide to select a leader from their group. When Ralph becomes leader, he chooses to make a group of hunters. His choice to divide and conquer is in reaction to his yearning for rescue from the island and survival. Ralph pushes through all his fears of the unknown because he, like the other boys, wishes to survive. He masks his fear with his strength to make the boys believe that everyone will overcome their isolation on the island. “That was nightmare,’ said Ralph. ‘He was walking in his sleep.” (85) In this quote Ralph is acting like he is not feared by the horror nightmare that all the boys silenced because of how the vivid dream terrified them. The boys were scared while Ralph acting like he didn’t care at all. To motivate himself as leader, he had to show all bravery and that nothing phased him. In order to show why he is leader, he must overcome his own mind. If the other boys saw him scared, he would have no order or followers.

An example of this behavior also took place when the Cold War happened. The Cold War was a war used to end international affairs. This was right after the World War II. A senator named Joseph McCarthy, he made the citizens feel discomfort. This is a connection to the book because the boys felt discomfort and were terrified and McCarthy made the people of America feared. The people were in fear of something that they weren’t even sure was that real, they were scared of the discomfort of the new senator, the war, the way things were being handled. This related to the book because the books feared everything of being alone without any adults and the leadership they were under was just someone who knew not much more than them and they had no control. This also relates to the idea of power and civilization. Over all, the presence of fear impacts or overpowers human beings’ ability to make decisions and find comfort in encountering the unknown.

In the novel, Jack, of the boys stuck on the island, was a kid who tried to overthrow Ralph for his power of the leader. Jack is power hungry and tries to get the boys to abandon Ralph. Jack calls for a meeting, and he tells everyone that there is a beast. Ralph doesn’t know what to say so Jack suggests that the boys come with him. He creates a hierarchy by gathering his new group and just naming himself the leader. “Henry brought him a shell and he drank, watching Piggy and Ralph over the jagged rim. Power lay in the brown swell of his forearms: authority sat on his shoulder and chattered in his ear like an ape.” To avoid any problem or life threats, the younger boys bowed to Jack’s needs. The beast was the first thing they all shared, as Jack became more violent, he was the new chief. In a way, he was becoming the very monster they once ran from. He was no longer just a 12 year old boy, he was the ruler of fear.

In conclusion, the feeling of fear has ability to be the controlling or the controlled. There is fear in every one of the boys’ hearts. They have been torn of their innocence, and rational mentality becomes the irrational. When approached with a life threatening experience, it makes people motivated to do whatever is possible to survive. Survival at all cost, even if it means savagery and loss of order.

Whether it’s a friendly nickname that people may have for someone or an insult to describe people they hate the most, nicknames can have a lasting  effect on the person. Majority of the time when people have nicknames each other it signifies a close bond between the individuals. As oppose to insults which obviously indicates a strain of tension between them. Sometimes nicknames aren’t even accepted. In some cases names are given to people based on their physical appearances 0r personal issues that they deal with. Nicknames become harmful when The victim in the situation never addresses the issue and it eventually becomes what they are known as.  

In Chapter 1 of “ Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, Ralph and Piggy have just encountered each other on a deserted island and Piggy who is a rather heavy boy shares  personal experiences of being teased with Ralph. “Ralph was faintly interested. ‘What was that?’. The fat boy glanced over his shoulder, and then leaned toward Ralph. He whispered. ‘They used to call me ‘Piggy’’”-Pg. 11. In this quote Piggy is explaining to Ralph what he used to be called back at his school. Because of his size and weight the name was Piggy. Although he has shared this with Ralph he just wants it to be between the two of them. Furthermore in the story Ralph and Piggy find a conch (a fancy seashell) on the beach. They blow through the conch to alert anyone else who may be on the island. After a numerous amount of  attempts other boys their age slowly start to show up. These boys along with Ralph and Piggy begin to assist each other in surviving on the island. As the boys are introducing themselves to each other Ralph accidentally tells the others Piggy’s name. Piggy is extremely outraged and goes off on Ralph.

This situation connects to many more in today’s society. For example the nicknames that people have made for the infamous president of the United States. According Billboard Names such as Cheeto, Agent Orange, and The Angry Creamsicle all come at his short temperance, insanity, and orange hair. Does he deserve to be called these names? Very likely, but regardless of what the person has done bullying or assault shouldn’t be the only the option.

Works Cited (MLA format)

1. Golding, William. Lord of the Flies . New York: Penguin, 2006.

2. “Donald Trump Is a 'Desperate Cheeto' in Hilariouus 'Despacito' Parody.” Billboard, www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin/7997614/donald-trump-desperate-cheeto-despacito-parody-video.

What qualities make a good leader? People have different leadership styles and some people respond well to only specific leadership styles. Human beings look to work alongside and under leaders in whom they have faith. Leaders they are comfortable with will make them feel safe. However, what do people look for when their leader is losing their leadership power? Typically with humans, if somebody is afraid of their own actions they choose or make up something else to scapegoat. To them they believe that their scapegoat justifies the action. The Lord of the Flies demonstrates that in society, people will often not take responsibility for their destructive actions and blame it on something else.

In the novel The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of British school boys are stranded on an island. The boys, who have never been alone in the wild before decide to come together in order to survive and work together to find a way for them to be rescued. The leader of the hunters breaks off and slowly it goes from the rest of the hunters going him to most of the boys joining him. By Chapter one the original leader, Ralph is on his own. By exposing readers to Ralph’s betrayal, William Golding emphasizes how contexts, particularly those that are isolating, influence how people treat one another. Despite Ralph’s strong relationship to the other boys in the beginning of the narrative, he is betrayed because his leadership approach is ineffective. This is a challenge that people come across in their lives and sometimes some people’s betrayal is larger than others. Ralph gradually loses his grip on his fellow boys after a while, forcing him  to lose his power in leadership. The team members begin to dislodge themselves from the team before Ralph even knows it.

Jack does not agree with Ralph’s plans for the fire - to just leave the beast alone. Jack feels insulted by Ralph and believes that Ralph is not a fit leader - Jack doesn’t want to play their games - he runs off and builds his own fire - Ralph notices that there are few bigger kids in his tribe and so the hunters and big kids abandon him.

An example from the book where they refuse to take responsibility was when Jack, Maurice, and Robert steal fire from Ralph’s tribe. After this occurs Ralph and his tribe refuse to take responsibility for their fighting because they are ashamed that they inflicted harm on each other for their blindness in the dark; they are afraid of themselves (for their unspeakable actions). Like with Ralph and his tribe, people in society bring harm upon themselves, but in the end they refuse to admit their flaws and apologize because they believe they will only embarrass or further harm themselves. After Jack, Maurice, and Roger decide to attack Ralph’s tribe Ralph wakes up to noises and other people fill into his hut. “Ralph twisted sideways on top of a writhing body and felt hot breath on his cheek. He began to pound the mouth below him, using his fist as a hammer… A knee jerked up between legs and fell sideways… “I got my knee up,” said Eric with simple pride, “and I hit him in the pills. You should have heard him holler!... (after the fight) Ralph moved suddenly in the dark; but then he heard Eric working his mouth. “What’s the matter?” “Jus’ a tooth loose.” (pgs 167-168) After this the boys realize that they were actually fighting themselves rather than attacking Jack and his team mates.

(Dr. Aaron Van Saun enters the stage as audience claps)

Randy: Thank you! Thank you! I appreciate the claps. So today we’re back on the show, Dr. Aaron Van Saun. Today, we have a special guest. Her name is Jeanette Walls. She recently made a book called The glass castle. She is her with her mother, Rosemary Walls. Can we get a round of applause for both of them.

(Round of applause for Jeannette Walls and Rosemary Walls as both enter the stage)

Randy: please sit down here,please sit down here ( shakes hands with Jeanette and Rosemary)

Isabella: I’m very happy to be here

Sarah: Yeah me too

Randy: So, hey Jeannette Walls how are you today?

Sarah: I’m good how are you?

Randy: I’m good. So talk about your book The Glass Castle

Sarah: So basically it’s about my family growing up and how there wasn’t always much money and my mother's free- spiritedness to growing up and kind of letting kids be kids. And learn whatever they want. And end up well in the end

Randy: So today you’re here with your mother. How long have you been seeing each other?

Sarah: Umm..well we see each other on and off. Our relationship growing up was kind of rocky. We kind of made amends a few years back.  

Isabella: yea we put all that stuff in the past.

Randy: so if we are going to continue with the past, growing up, were you ever afraid or ashamed by how other people see you?

Sarah: I think that in a way I was but then I was not. Kinda based on my parent's spirit of we’re gonna raise, or kids, we don’t care what anyone says. Like they can deal with than. So yeah.

Isabella: Yeah we always raised her to not care about what other people think.

Randy: Bouncing off of what Jeanette has said, are you proud of what Jeanette has become? And how she is as a person today?

Isabella: I am very proud of what Jeanette has done with her life. She has a very comfortable living, unlike she did when she was growing up. But I raised her right, I know I did. One thing I feel like she didn’t grasp on was how she shouldn’t care what other people think of her. She is ashamed of me and her father because we chose a lifestyle that wasn't conventional and we didn’t have much money. So you know, we lived on the street.

Randy: Going off of what rosemary just said, is it true about how you think about your parents?

Sarah: I wouldn't say that's totally true. I’d say that yes, there living style is different from mine. And yes growing up I did want to leave that style. And I’m and adult, their adults. I was also taught to respect other people’s ways of living. I would’nt say that I was ashamed, more that I was worried for them. And that’s different from being ashamed

Randy: Any questions from the audience please? Yes, the young man in the gray.

Ethan: Yes I have a question for Jeanette! Why don’t you live by the parents your parents raised you?

Sarah: I actually touched on this question before. I was talking about how I wasn’t exactly unhappy I just wanted more growing up. I wanted to create a better life for myself growing up. That doesn’t necessarily mean I completely forgot about my parents’ ways, I just used some things from them.

Isabella: Yes, I know you kids wish you had more than you got. But look where it got you. One it gave you a great story and you made tons of money off of it. You kids don’t need that physical stuff.

Sarah: So you’re saying I didn’t need food growing up or electricity. I didn’t need new clothes. Yeah, I didn’t need physical stuff at all!?

Isabella: Well obviuosly you guys needed physical stuff like water and food. But me and your father tried!

Sarah: Yeah my father tried

Randy: Woah, Woah calm down

Sarah: He went to bars, he got drunk.

Isabella: And you think that's my fault?

Sarah: Ms. I can’t get a job, I need to focus on my artwork. How does that help your kids?

*Isabella walks out*

Randy: Stay stay! …. Does your mother always act like this?

Sarah: Yea she can’t confront her issues. She’s all happy and go lucky and we’ll figure it out. Well what if we don’t figure it out?

Randy: Well do you think your father has any play into this?

Sarah: Yes,he was drunk all the time, he’d come home, get mad at my mother and things would go south.

Randy: So where is he now?

Sarah: He passed away a few years ago...

Randy: Oh. Thank you ladies and gentlemen for watching the Aaron Van Saun Show. Jeanette ( shakes hand) thank you for coming.

Sarah: Thank you for having me!