The play “Taming of the shrew” contains multiple methods of courtship, but the one that seems most prevalent is the art of deception. In the play, the character of Lucentio chose the road of deception instead of honesty to try and get his woman. The 2012 movie “Think Like A Man”,  one of the main characters Dominic sets out to do the same to get the girl of his dreams, even if he doesn’t match her standards.

Dominic shares many qualities  with Lucentio  They both fell in love at first sight and both pretended to be something they weren’t in order to get closer to the girl. The only difference between the two was their  status. Lucentio was already in a position of power, and so was the woman he was after. In contrast, Dominic was considered a dreamer and didn’t really have any money to his name, but he pursued a successful business woman that made six figures.

Both of these situation lead to hilarious moments and show the audience the blur between the honesty and deception as both men attempt to woo their women. Even in modern times, it is  actually encouraged when attempting to start a relationship with someone to be evasive and cunning so you can get exactly what you want. Both of these formats suggest that in order to be with that special someone, one must use deception to get closer to the one that they love. Honesty is not enough because that alone may not get a person to the place they want to be at to make a lasting impression.

[ACT 1. SC 1., Lines: 196-198]

TRANIO "You will be schoolmaster And undertake the teaching of the maid: That's your device"

Lucentio and tranio begun to hatch their plan to dress lucentio as a schoolmaster while tranio impersonates lucentio so that the real lucentio could get closer to bianca and make her fall in love with him without her father or the other suitors knowing.  Notice the underhandedness of this move just so Lucentio could get closer to bianca. He went as far as to disguised himself as another just for the chance to be alone with bianca. Granted there weren’t many options in lucentio’s case as he had to compete with the other suitors. He even got his friend involved with the lie by having tranio dress up as him so no one would know that the real Lucentio was missing. In this case Dominic from “Think Like A Man” wasn’t far off from what Lucentio did in “Shrew”.

Dom’s manager told him to work valet and get this rich man’s car for him. Long story short he came back with the car and lauren was outside getting in her car, when she saw him she thought that the car was his. Dom took advantage of this and stayed in the other man’s car and drove off to follow lauren to ask her on a date. The defining moment was when Dominic decided to stay in the car. He knew that it wasn’t his car but lauren didn’t and he used that to his advantage. Since he went along with what she believed to become so rich man that he was not he actually got closer to lauren. In both situations Dom and Lucentio felt as though being deceitful and putting up facades were the quickest ways to get closer to a woman. Also take into account that the two happening hundreds of years apart which leaves one to infer that men having been using this tactic for years. This also means that deep down people actually believe that it’s socially acceptable to lie in this sort of capacity.

[ACT 3. SC.1, Lines: 33-39]

Lucentio “HIc ibat, as I told you before, Simois, I am Lucentio, hic est, son unto Vincentio of Pisa. [Sigeia] tellus, disgusted thus to get your love, Hic steterat, and that “lucentio” that comes a-wooing…”

This takes place some time after Tranio became lucentio and lucentio took the role as cambio, Bianca’s latin teacher. He takes this time to try and get closer to bianca by telling her that he is really lucentio and that he loves her and did this to be with. Previously stated both Lucentio and Dom had succeeded through deception to get closer to their love. Lucentio felt as though he was close enough to reveal his true identity and even if she doesn’t reciprocate the feeling immediately he got what he wanted and that was to be closer.  Dominic however chose to stay masked by the illusion he created to get what he wanted.

Dominic and Lauren are on their first date and Lauren asks Dom what he does for a living. Domini lies and states that he is a high class chef in between jobs. This made Lauren pry even further until Dominic began to talk about his dream to have his own restaurant. Dom then apologized because they agreed to stop talking about work but Lauren interrupts him and states that what he said was not work but a dream and she liked to talk about dream. After this exchange you could see that they had become closer. Even if the facade that he put about being a high grade chef was false the dream he shared was true. See the his lie was needed to get close enough to the one he love just so he could show her the real him at that point leaving it up to her whether or not she loved him back, much like lucentio.

If Naysayers stopped to think about it, they would realize that being deceitful and deceptive are all apart of falling in love . Yes it’s dishonest and one shouldn’t lie but it can also means that that person cares enough to try and get closer. It’s just doing so in a bad way. The main goal is to get closer to the one you love and be deceitful is fair game besides it’s been done before for a long time now.

A comparison of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” and the 2014 romantic comedy, “The Other Woman.”

         "The Taming of the Shrew" ties together relationships and possession in multiple ways. At the time the story takes place, one of the most important things to men was acquiring a woman that would show off their worth, whether that meant marrying one of great beauty or riches. In the book, many suitors are after a young, beautiful woman, Bianca, because of her value in the society. Her older sister, though cranky and "un-ladylike," is also sought after due to her wealthy background. In the movie “The Other Woman,” a wealthy business man, Mark, cheats on his wife, Kate while also technically cheating on his mistresses as they do not know he is married. His mistresses and his wife band together to get him back and confront him in the end. His mistresses and wife pursue Mark based on what he can do for their status all while he, too, is looking to possess them for their value. These texts show that throughout the centuries people have chosen their significant others based on the value that possessing them will bring.

"She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house, My household stuff, my field, my barn, My horse, my ox, my ass, my anything."

Act 3, Scene 2, Line 236

         In this scene Petruchio has just married his “shrew” of a wife Katherine. After their wedding, Katherine wanted to stay with her family and enjoy the dinner that was made for them but Petruchio wanted to be on his way. In this line he is explaining why he must take her and never let anything happen to her. Petruchio married wealthy Katherine in hopes that he would become of even greater status due to the dowry that came with her. He did not care that she was crazy or undesirable in every other sense. He wanted the value that possessing her would bring to him. This was her money with which could bring him all the goods he mentioned.

         Petruchio’s reasoning is a lot like Kate’s in “The Other Woman.”

In this scene, Kate just met Carly, his first mistress, the night before. This was shortly after Carly had found out Mark was married and had stopped seeing him. The next morning, Kate shows up on Carly’s doorstep confiding in her. Kate says: “I just thought we...maybe we could talk...because my whole world just blew up, and I don’t have a job, and I have no money of my own, and I honestly do not know what I’m gonna do at all, and I have no friends to talk to because all of my friends are Mark’s friends…” Kate depended on Mark for everything. He was her money, her friends, her life. This sounds like Petruchio’s motives in marrying Katherine. Although, in the movie, it was a woman who was possessing a man for his money and the other way around in the book.

"...I firmly vow never to woo her more, but do forswear her As one unworthy all the former favors That I have fondly flattered her withal...I will be married to a wealthy widow Ere three days pass, which hath as long loved me."

Act 4, Scene 2, Line 30

         A suitor of Bianca, Gremio, has just found out that she loves Lucentio and not him. At the time Gremio knew Lucentio to be a teacher and not the wealthy man he really was. As a result, he says he will go marry a widow because she has been in love with him for years. This shows that he only wanted her because she was beautiful and pure. He also hated that she would even like a schoolmaster. After finding out that she was infatuated with another person, she lost her value to him. He wanted her because she would raise his status as a beautiful girl would’ve loved and had eyes for only him. Now that he saw she liked a man of low status, he did not want her as she would be of no value to him.

This was a lot like when Kate found out about Mark cheating.

         In this scene, Kate finds Carly’s work to find her and talk to her after finding her number in his phone. Some of the dialogue is as follows:

“Carly: If you have any questions about your husband, you should ask him.

Kate: Oh, well, well, I would, but I’m pretty sure he’s lying to me and sleeping with you...Am I right?...You’re sleeping with my husband?

Carly: Sorry, I had no idea, I swear...could you please keep it down?

Kate: I did not expect this at all. I thought I would come down here and you would tell me that I’m crazy. I did not think that I would be right at all. I did not think that I would be right at all. I mean, maybe a little. In that too horrible to be true kind of way.”

         In this case, Kate is like Gremio finding out that their love is infatuated with another. As a result, they both want nothing to do with them. This shows that because their love could not help their value, they do not want them anymore. It's also different in that it's the woman that is finding out the news while in the book it is the man.

Both the movie and the play show society's ideas about dating. They both tell the reader that when dating, one should look for someone that makes them of higher value. This can mean someone who brings great wealth to the table, or great beauty. Although they both share this idea, the gender roles are switched. In the case of the movie, it was women pursuing and trying to court a man, while in the play it was men trying to get a woman.

In Taming of the Shrew, there is an underlying message of how a man needs to go to the extreme to please or keep the one he fell in love with at first sight. In the book, Lucentio falls in love with Bianca, the girl he had just seen. He was determine to woo her  and get her for his own no matter the consequences. In the movie, 50 First Dates, Henry, who is known as the player or better called womanizer, who eventually falls in love with Lucy, a girl who has short term memory loss. He loves her and was determined to win her love over and over again every morning, in doing so always winning the trust of her family.

Lucentio and Henry are similar in their overall goal of winning their love at first sight, yet they are quite different in personality and ways of wooing the one they love.  Lucentio goes undercover as a school teacher, using the identity of his servant in order to get closer to Bianca, in order to win her over all the other men who are eyeing her. Whereas Henry, who had been known as a lady’s man, being with so many women, finally love someone, who he have to win over again everyday, in doing so always having to reintroduce himself. These texts portrays men as dominant and in control, and because of that, they are the one who have to work in pleasing the girl they want. What is different is how they do that work. In the past, it involved romantic work as well as financial, but in modern times, all that matters is love. However, in both cases, the expectation is that the man does the work to win the woman, not the other way around.  

“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”

(Act 1, Scene 1, 150-155)

In this quote, Lucentio is describing of what he never thought to be possible, him falling in love. He is pouring out his emotion and confesses that he needs to have Bianca. This can lead to a sad heart break if Bianca doesn't love Lucentio back, but Lucentio is not scared and insist, since he is a man, there’s an underlying expectation of him to work to win Bianca.

Henry finds himself in a similar situation of falling in love in the movie with the girl he just met, but his acknowledgment on loving the girl was after talking to her unlike Lucentio.

In this early scene, Henry is seen talking to Lucy for the first time as she tries to make her waffle tepee. Henry approached Lucy holding a toothpick and saying, “You know….why don’t you try this? It’s kind of a hinge (makes squeaky noise)”. It was the thing that drawn Henry to Lucy, the playfulness of a child, similar to Lucentio falling for Lucy and her modestness in the beginning. Although both of the men started off similar, how they deliver to pursue the girls are different.

“Tranio, be so, because Lucentio loves,

And let me be a slave, t’ achieve that maid

Whose sudden sight hath tralled my wounded eye.”

(Act 1, Scene 1, 124-126)

Lucentio had just arrived in Padua to attend college, so nobody really knows that he is the real Lucentio, the son of Vincentio. With that advantage, Lucentio agreed to swap places with Tranio. Since Lucentio has now taken on the identity, he will be able to focus on pretending to also be a school teacher in hopes of getting close to Bianca, to be able to woo her. Lucentio was suppose to be there for college, but he dropped everything and focused his attention towards Bianca and making the first move. As a man he is expected to approach the girl and be the one to win her love, but that is not expected from the girl at all.

Sue(waitress) informs Henry on Lucy’s condition of having short term memory loss.

Henry had learned that Lucy would wake up only remember her pass up to the day of the accident, on October 13th. She wakes up thinking it’s October 13th, and the new memories are gone. Sue said, “She has no memory that she ever met you.” After learning this about Lucy he would not have a harder time winning Lucy’s love and keeping the relationship going. Through how masculinity is portrayed in the movie, Henry, a man, would now have to be the one to keep trying ways in hopes to be with his love Lucy and dealing with her short term memory loss. Which meant Henry would need to win over Lucy everyday, as if he had just met her. Similar to Lucentio, they both goes out of their way to pursue the girls of their dream, but differently in the way of doing so Henry is through the truth, while Lucentio through a lie.

“Why, then, the maid is mine from all world,

By your firm promise. Gremio is outvied.”

(Act 2, Scene 1, 406-407)

Lucentio was boosting about his wealth and what he owns, going head to head against Gremio wealth and status. It was how Baptista(father of Bianca) chooses who will get to have his daughter Bianca, by looking at the men’s wealth and status in society. Due to Lucentio male figure, his wealth and status is a huge factor in getting Bianca to be his wife, since that is what the society expects of a man portrayed in the play.

Henry is confronting Lucy’s protective father and brother.

Henry is confronting Lucy’s father and brother in a way to show that he loves her and is sincere. The father said “What are you trying to say?” Henry replied, “I just wish there was another way besides, “sorry we couldn’t trick you today.”” Unlike Lucentio, Henry is trying hard in helping Lucy through being truthful and hard work in winning her love over everyday. It’s the challenge, that he is trying to find an alternative to, so Lucy won’t be as upset, also gaining the trust of Lucy’s family. Whereas Lucentio is not using just love, but also his wealth and status in getting Bianca.

Henry does win Lucy over and also found a way to help her with her short term memory lost showing that modern time expectation is different from the past. Lucentio ended with having Bianca as his wife through going undercover and his wealth. The similarity is how it reinforces the expectation in society that the man is the one to work in winning the women The difference is how in the past men use not only romance, but also finance to win women over, whereas in modern time, love is all that matter.

“The Taming of the Shrew” & “The Silver Linings Playbook”

Deception & honesty are  recurring events in “The Taming of the Shrew”, between the characters. The same thing goes for the 2012 movie “ Silver Linings Playbook,”.

Pat Solatano, Jr. is a bipolar man, who has just been released from prison after he beat up his wife’s secret lover.  His later love, Tiffany Maxwell is a recovering sex addict. Her husband, Tommy Maxwell recently died. Pat & Tiffany could be compared to Petruchio and Katherine’s relationship but in reversed. Petruchio uses devious tactics to get with Katherine’s. In “Silver Linings Playbook,” Tiffany uses similar tactics on Pat. She made him think that her goal something else but in reality, it was something completely different. In dissimilarity, Pat isn’t knowledgeable of Tiffany’s goals until the end of the film. Katherine although, most likely knew Petruchio’s plans already. These stories shows that,while deception and dishonesty aren't moral, they can benefit you a lot depending on the way you use them.

"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.

Katherine: Ay, if the fool could find where it lies.

Petruchio: Who knows not where a wasp does wear his sting?  In his tail.

Katherine: In his tongue.

Petruchio: Whose tongue?

Katherine: Yours, if you talk of tales, and so farewell.

Petruchio: What, with my tongue in your tail?"

(Act II, Scene I, 207-214)

In this scene, Petruchio and Katherine are first meeting.  While on the surface they are insulting and testing each other mentally, they are also making hints at the sexual attraction between the both of them. This represents deception, because they are hiding true meaning behind their words.

Pat & Tiffany’s Interaction

 Pat and Tiffany meet for the first time at Pat’s friend Ronnie’s house. Pat first says that Tiffany looks nice, and soon after asks about her dead husband. Which then turns into awkward and sub- hostile conversation between both of them.  However, during the conversation, they are both giving each other attracted stares all in front of Ronnie. When Tiffany leaves him and Ronnie, she gives Pat a sensual look, implying her intentions, just like Katherine and Petruchio. This is a perfect example of each other. Their relationship starts off little hostile but then grows into something more special.

"Signor Hortensio, ‘twixt such friends as we

Few words suffice; and therefore, if thou know

One rich enough to be Petruchio’s wife—

As wealth is burden of my wooing dance—

Be she as foul as was Florentius’ love,

As old as Sibyl, and as curst and shrewd

As Socrates’ Xanthippe or a worse,

She moves me not—or not removes at least

Affection’s edge in me, were she as rough

As are the swelling Adriatic seas.

I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;

If wealthily, then happily in Padua."

(Act I, Scene ii, 62–73)

Petruchio explains to Hortensio about his intention of finding a bride in Padua. He states that his main goal is to marry for money. Petruchio says that he does not care about anything else. He says that the woman may be as “foul as was Florentius’ love”, “old as Sibyl” or “unpleasant as Socrates’ Xanthippe”. Petruchio does not care as long as she is rich. This show’s his feelings towards her at first are blatant about his materialism and selfishness. Later on in the book he falls in love little by little.

In this scene Pat is walking Tiffany home. They start to talk about what just happened and then Tiffany offers the option of sex. He rejects and she walks away. This shows her first attempts and stating her objection of the relationship but Pat is slowly falling in love and doesn’t see her intentions. She originally only wants sex and tells him that but from the beginning Pat fell in love with her slowly.

Both of these prove dishonesty and deception can affect future situations.  Petruchio’s manipulation and deceit at first only brought a difficult relationship and a forced marriage. But, in the end Katherine ended up to be happy. In Silver Linings Playbook, Tiffany does something wrong, very manipulative and dishonest. Throughout the dishonesty that is part of her friendship with Pat, comes an honest

Comparing "The Taming of the Shrew" to "50 First Dates"

PETRUCHIO:

You lie, in faith; for you are call'd plain Kate,

And bonny Kate and sometimes Kate the curst;

But Kate, the prettiest Kate in Christendom

Kate of Kate Hall, my super-dainty Kate,

For dainties are all Kates, and therefore, Kate,

Take this of me, Kate of my consolation;

Hearing thy mildness praised in every town,

Thy virtues spoke of, and thy beauty sounded,

Yet not so deeply as to thee belongs,

Myself am moved to woo thee for my wife.

Petruchio and others were in an argument behalf the subject of Petruchio marrying Katherine. No one could easily sink that idea of Petruchio wanting to marry Katherine since Katherine wasn’t someone who is easy to handle. Petruchio managed Baptista to give him permission to have a chat with Katherine. Baptista calls Katherine and leaves Petruchio and Katherine in a  room where the they meet each other for the first time.

PETRUCHIO

Why, what's a moveable?

KATHARINA

A join'd-stool.

PETRUCHIO

Thou hast hit it: come, sit on me.

KATHARINA

Asses are made to bear, and so are you.

PETRUCHIO

Women are made to bear, and so are you.

KATHARINA

No such jade as you, if me you mean.

PETRUCHIO

Alas! good Kate, I will not burden thee;

For, knowing thee to be but young and light--

KATHARINA

Too light for such a swain as you to catch;

And yet as heavy as my weight should be.

(ACT II SCENE I. Line 207-225)

William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew is a tale of spousal abuse and marital intrigue. Its main conflict is between Petruchio and Katherine, a suitor and an unwilling bride, respectively. While some of its observations remain pertinent, it is less than timeless. More updated representations of romance can be found in modern romantic comedies, like 1989’s When Harry Met Sally, which focuses on, yup, Harry and Sally. Their relationship is, for most of the movie, more nebulous than the one presented in The Taming, but by the end of the movie, the characters are married. Where they are separate are the ways in which those characters reach marriage, and those different ways reflect the time periods that both works were written in. The different ways that the main characters of The Taming of the Shrew and When Harry Met Sally approach marriage prove that power is more evenly spread in a modern romantic relationship than in a historic one.

Petruchio has rather low standards for marriage. In Act 1, Scene 2, lines 61-62, he explains this plainly. “I come to wive it wealthily in Padua; If wealthily, then happily in Padua.”

Katherine’s father is rich, so Petruchio deems to court her. Katherine, who is known for her rude, violent behavior, is somehow not opposed to marriage, be it generally or personally. In fact, in Act 2, scene 1, line 33, Katherine worries that “I must dance barefoot on [my well-tempered, attractive, and therefore oft-courted sister’s]  wedding day.” A wedding would seem mutually beneficial, then, but their first meeting leaves Katherine angered. She simply dislikes Petruchio. After a long argument in which Katherine tells Petruchio that, essentially, she’ll never marry him, Petruchio says to Katherine’s father:

“Father, 'tis thus: yourself and all the world,

That talk'd of her, have talk'd amiss of her...

And to conclude, we have 'greed so well together,

That upon Sunday is the wedding-day.”

Katherine says to Petruchio:

“I’ll see thee hang’d on Sunday first.”

(Act 2, Scene 2, lines 280-289)

Regardless of her prior interest in marriage, she has made something very clear. She can’t stand Petruchio. She would rather kill him than marry him, if one is to take her words literally. Marriage has historically been seen as the final goal for women, especially in an era where very limited options for work were available to them. For Katherine to refuse marriage, after acknowledging that she has basically succumbed to the societal pressures, means that she bears an impressive amount of hatred for Petruchio. Regardless of her wishes, though, Petruchio married her that Sunday.

Like Katherine, Sally wants marriage. When she informed her boyfriend Joe of this interest, he told her that he didn’t share that interest. Recognizing their different motivations for a relationship, Sally pragmatically broke it off with Joe. Sally recounts to Harry, “We wanted to live together, but we didn't want to get married because every time anyone we knew got married, it ruined their relationship… Joe and I used to talk about it, and we'd say we were so lucky we have this wonderful relationship, we can have sex on the kitchen floor and not worry about [kids] walking in. We can fly off to Rome on a moment's notice... And [at the circus, a] man had [a little kid] on his shoulders, and she said, ‘I spy a family.’ And I started to cry. You know, I just started crying. And I went home, and I said, ‘The thing is, Joe, we never do fly off to Rome on a moment's notice.’”

Where Katherine was married against her will, Sally was denied marriage. What’s different about these situations is that Sally was allowed to break up with her significant other when she wasn’t getting what she wanted from a relationship. Katherine got absolutely nothing she wanted from her relationship with Petruchio, but because renaissance-era Italy was less progressive than synthpop-era America, she was not allowed to end the relationship. The power of termination was in the hands of Petruchio, or even in the hands of her father. It certainly wasn’t in her own hands. Sally’s ability to end her relationship is a distinctly modern one.

After the wedding, Petruchio took it upon himself to make a more compliant, mild-mannered Katherine, through the time-honored traditions of gaslighting, torture, and just plenty of abuse. If one is to, again, believe that Katherine speaks without sarcasm, then it would appear that he was successful, as Katherine said to two insolent wives:

“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!

My mind hath been as big as one of yours,

My heart as great, my reason haply more,

To bandy word for word and frown for frown;

But now I see our lances are but straws,

Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare,

That seeming to be most which we indeed least are.”

(Act 5, Scene 2, lines 170-185)

Strong women don’t last in this era. The odds are stacked too strongly against them. So, when Katherine, a once-defiant woman, goes on and on about the inferiority of the female gender, it is clear that all traces of her personality have all been replaced with the vision of her imagined by Petruchio. She not only accepts the marriage that she had once been so fully opposed to, she accepts her role, the woman’s role, as a servant.

Harry experienced a similar change in opinion regarding the dynamics of romance. In his youth, he confidently asserted that women and men can’t be friends due to the possibility of sex always hanging in the air. But after around a sexless friendship with Sally, his mind began to change. In reflection, he told her, “You know, you may be the first attractive woman I've not wanted to sleep with in my entire life.”

Sally managed to change Harry’s mind, and in a rather effortless way. She didn’t need to resort to such extreme measures as Petruchio did to get Harry to come over to her way of thinking. In fact, her friendly presence was all that was required to change Harry’s beliefs. That a woman could change the mind of a man is uniquely modern, especially considering Katherine’s conclusions about women’s inferiority.

Marriage was an apparent goal to Katherine and Sally. Katherine denied marriage with Petruchio; Joe denied with Sally. Katherine was too bold to do deny as she did, and so her personality was erased, whereas Sally managed to change her male friend’s personality quite passively. The differences in era, the dichotomy of “then and now,” make their situations quite different. Per old traditions, Katherine was stripped of self for having fight in her. In the modern case, Sally was actually able to change Harry. The gender reversal shows a greater equality in power among both genders in a heterosexual relationship. Sally was able to break up with Joe, while Katherine was forced to marry Petruchio. Sally’s freedom would not exist in that older era. The power granted to her by the passage of time put her on equal footing with all of her male counterparts. Her ability to remain independent, to date those she’d like to, and to express whatever opinion she has is an ability granted by modernity and its progressive tendencies.

Both John Tucker must Die and The taming of the shrew show the same theme of dominance and control is the main key to a relationship. Petruchio uses his dominance and his male status to control kate and tame her. While Kate uses her sexilyness and confidence to play John. Both Petruchio and Kate have one common goal, to “tame” their spouse into what they want.

The movie is different from the play in one big way: The idea of taming. In the taming of the shrew Petruchio is looking for rich wife, when he meets Kate he realizes he has to do some work on her. After settling the deal with her father, he decides to tame her by tactics such as starving her, ignoring her, looking down on her, and by doing so he is changing her way of thinking and making her truly believe that a wife’s job is to serve the man.. In John Tucker must die Kate is the new girl at school and she notices that three girls are being played by the same man, John Tucker. The girls decides to get even with John by taming kate to be the perfect woman to make him fall in love. She uses tactics such as joining cheerleading, joining clubs, and a whole new wardrobe. In the end she tames him to be the perfect man. This difference shows that attitudes about “taming” someone have changed--today their our laws that prevent abusing people, so Kate uses her sexyness. But in Shakespeare's time, abuse was very common.

The taming of the shrew is a story about “true” love. Through the play it expressive the idea that love has to be perfect. The perfect women, the perfect house, the perfect wealth, and the perfect “shrew”. Petruchio express what he wants in marriage, wealth. He doesn’t care who he marries as long as they are rich.

“I come to wive wealthily in Padua; if wealthily then happily in Padua.”
Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 76-77.

Kate matches Petruchio perfect woman, why she is the daughter of a wealthy man who owns a ton of land. Petruchio follows the rule that is set in place, that true love is perfect. So he persuses the rich man's daughter but realizes that in order for it to be a perfect marriage, he has to tame her.

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

Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 115

After learning how rich Kate is and will be when her father dies, he becomes very determined to win her.

In the movie, John Tucker is the typical high school jock, he has all the ladies, the looks, and the clothing. All the girls want him and all the guys want to be him. John has 3 girlfriends, one is an over achiever, one is a cheerleader, and eco friendly person. One thing they all have in common is that they are known in the school, Unlike Kate.

“John Tucker, Let's face it, He is the man,
Captain of the basketball team, his family's loaded...
and he looks somewhere between an Abercrombie model...
and a Greek god,- Kate”

Kate was more of a shy and quiet girl. She moves around a lot because her mother goes from relationship to relationship. So Kate never really was able to make friends. Kate considered herself to be invisible, no one ever noticed her. It’s safe to say that Kate and John are the total opposite from each other unlike Petruchio and Kate (TTOTS).

“I was in seventh grade...  
when I realized
I was invisible- Kate”

Petruchio main goal to have in a woman is wealth, but he wants more. He decided to tame the loud and confident kate with tactics such as starving her, leaving her, and embarrassing her. He wants the perfect woman so bad that he changes her so she can fit his ideal woman instead of accepting her for how she is.

“Women are made to bear, and so are you.”

Act 2, Scene 1, Lines 1048

After a while Kate accepts Petruchio and changes herself. The play presents the idea of everything being perfect in order to have the perfect marriage. At the end of Kate’s little sister's wedding, their husbands check to see who’s wife will listen to them. Kate’s sister didn’t answer to her husband and kate called her out on it.

“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 li'st 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,
Whey 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,
My mind hath been as big as one of yours,
My heart as great, my reason haply more,
To bandy word for word and frown for frown.
But now I see our lances are but straws,
Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare,
That seeming to be most which we indeed least are.
Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot,
And place your hands below your husband's foot,
In token of which duty, if he please,
My hand is ready, may it do him ease.”

Act V, Scene 2, Lines 2644

Kate is trying to get back at John for treating women like crap, but maybe it’s a little more than that. Kate is making a statement to all men, especially the ones that play her mother. Never treat a women wrong, or she will come a get you. With the help of her new friends, she becomes the perfect women that John looks for in a woman. She goes from being an outcast to one of the most popular girl in school.

“And we can make you into anything, If we combine...
all of us, we can make him fall in love with you-.

I mean really fall in love- and then we'll...
yank it all out from under him,”

After coming to the realization that they can just break his heart, the three friends (AKA John’s ex girlfriend) and combine themselves into her. Making her the “perfect” woman for John to fall in love with.

“Who’s the new cheerleader? She’s hot”- John

Kate went along with the plan. She will be the perfect woman for John Tucker. When he falls in love with her, she will break his heart like he did to the other girls. Some of the tactics used to make her “perfect” was trying out for cheerleading. What is more perfect than the caption of the basketball team dating the cheerleader.

Kate proved her love to Petruchio when she listened to his command and gave a speech on how women are made to please and served their husband. Petruchio uses abuse to tame kate into his perfect woman.

“Why, there's a wench! Come on, and kiss me, Kate.”

Act V, Scene 2, Line 2688

John being the typical high school jock, fell for the new kate. But the plan started not to work when kate blurred the lines between acting in love and being in love. In a nutshell, John found out about Kate's plans and broke up with her. Kate then apologized and John became the perfect man. He was not cheating anymore, lying anymore, and being disrespectful.

“And John Tucker?
We definitely got to him,  
He never lied to a girl again,

“-Kate

What is “real love”? Is it chanling everyone to be the perfect match or accepting their flaws? One thing to consider is the time period of both the movie and play. Love evolved over the years from being the perfect match to beating the odds. The taming of the shrew uses the idea of the perfect match with Petruchio and Kate by pairing the two crazy couples together. While John Tucker must die beats the standards that Shakespeare put by making the basketball player fall in love with the social outcast. So should “taming” be apart of the definition of “love”? Well one thing for sure is that it is a common theme through love stories.

Who’s in it for the love?

A look at how romantic comedies portray people close to the partners judging the relationship

Woody Allen's modern romantic comedy "Annie Hall" (1977) seems completely disconnected from the 16th century play "The Taming Of The Shrew". While the circumstances are wildly different, viewers can see how romantic relationships can be based on love for the participants, but looked at in different light by people close to those actually in the relationship. In "Annie Hall" The main character, Alvy, is in a relationship with Annie which is based on love and romantic attraction. The movie is based around their relationship and how it works and doesn’t. They both receive advice about what to do in the relationship and judgement on whether or not the relationship is right for them. In the "Taming Of The Shrew" Baptista, father of Katherine and Bianca, must judge the relationships that his daughters are about to start and what value they hold. Katherine is the older daughter and must get married first before Bianca who is more attractive to suitors, but finally Katherine gets married and Bianca becomes available for marriage. In both the play and the movie there is analysis from outside characters on the main relationship.

Viewers can see that the loved ones of the individuals in the relationship, judge the relationship itself. This is to be expected if they want the best for the person they are close, but in both pieces of media, we see that more often the values are based things other than the person's romantic love. There are many elements that outsiders may want to see in the relationship such as money, short term pleasure, and future along with others. While audiences like to think that people analyze relationships based on love, in these romantic comedies, outsiders are judging the relationship on aspects other than the "love" of the person.

“Content you Gentlemen. I will compound this strife. ‘Tis deeds must win the prize, and he of both that can assure my daughter greatest dower shall have my Bianca’s love.” (Act- 2, Scene - 1, page- 101)

In the show the character Bianca has many suitors because of her beauty. In this scene the father of Bianca (a young woman who is available for marriage to either of these men) is negotiating who will marry his daughter. One man is older, while one is younger and both are seeking Bianca’s hand in marriage. Based on the times the father must marry off the daughter. In this scene and quote, the father is asking about one thing: money. The fundamental value underlying the father's question is how many material possessions will Bianca have when she is married. This is what drives his decision making. The father's main focus is not the romantic love, but the physical wealth of his daughter in her relationship.

This scene is mirrored by Alvy’s character meeting Annie’s family. The viewer can see that the family approves (excluding the anti semitic grandmother for ethnic based reasons, this grandmother character is used as a comical character) of Alvy based on the general lack of confrontation and tension. This is shown through their manners and actions. One example of this is Annie’s brother trusting Alvy enough to tell him deep thoughts in the next scene. Also based on the family’s positive reactions, the viewer can tell that the family approves of the relationship. The paradox is that at dinner Alvy is not an attractive person so there is not necessarily a reason for them to like him based on character traits. The context shows that the family is basing their judgement on other things. The viewers can infer that the family knows about Alvy’s stable economic and social position because of previous conversations. Alvy’s character is well off in life and this may be the primary reason that the parents and other family members approve of the relationship.    

This Annie Hall scene goes even farther. In the later part of the scene we meet Alvy’s family. Before the scene is flashed up Alvy makes the statement that “the two (families) are like oil and water” but we can still see the values are similar. His family's immediate discussion is based on a relationship between two unnamed characters and their marriage. The comments are on the economic stability of the husband. They state he doesn’t have a good jobs and he’s too old to not have a career. This again is judging the basis of the relationship off the economics and not the love.

While the scenes and motives are similar between these two pieces there are many differences. For example in “Shrew” the negotiation and money settlements are very direct and outlined clearly. In Annie Hall the money is more on the outside of the conversation and hinted at, which is normal in the American culture. The context is assumed in Annie Hall and direct in “The Taming Of A Shrew.”

“Master, you looked so longly on the maid, Perhaps you marked not what’s the pith of all.” (Act 1, Scene 1, page 41)

In this scene in the show Lucentio's friend is trying to tell Lucentio not to engage in this relationship. Lucentio is the main suitor of Bianca who fell in love at first sight. Tranio is his friend and servant. Lucentio has fallen in love with Bianca at first sight and he intends to marry her already, but Tranio says this line. This statement is judging Lucentio engaging in that relationship not based on feelings of love, but instead what Lucentio's future would look like. Lucentio was supposed to be focused on his education and Tranio’s statement is saying he should not engage because he would become sidetracked with the relationship. This line shows how Tranio mostly focuses on a judgement of the relationship not based on the love in the relationship.

In this scene the cinematographers use cartoon to tell the story which is why it look different. In this part of the movie Alvy’s friend Rob is trying to be convinced by Alvy that he should leave his relationship based on love to pursue other relationship with different focuses such as sexual pleasure. In this scene Alvy is talking to the wicked witch of the Snow White story who is symbolic of a relationship. During their conversation, Rob comes in to try to convince him that a relationship that is based on love is not what is right for him. We can see that the witch is sexulized in this scene as Rob is convincing him that he should stop looking for love and focus more on short term pleasure. Rob leads Alvy into a date with a separate women and they hook up before Alvy realizes that sort of relationship is not what he wants, he would like a relationship based on love and not short term or sexual pleasure.

Obviously these scenes are different because these friends are looking at separate things. While Tranio is looking at Lucentio’s future, Rob is looking at Alvy’s immediate pleasure. The nature of the judgement is different because Rob is actively setting Alvy up. The differences are clear, but the link between these two scenes is how close friends give advice and make judgements on the relationship based on things other than romantic love. These show future goals and short term pleasure to be things that friends look for in relationships as higher priorities.

In both of these stories viewers can see how the people close to the partners analyze and judge the relationship and the values it has for the person they’re close to. Different people look at different aspects of the relationship to judge it. In both the play “The Taming Of The Shrew” and the movie “Annie Hall” different characters judge the relationship based on many things including money, social class, pleasure, and future opportunity. While these come in various forms and from different perspectives, their underlying reason is never love. They rarely judge the relationship based on romantic love of the partners.

Here in the induction Sly has no doubt understanding that he is the dominate one in this relationship. Giving him a raise in thought and control. Showing how in a relationship how love it not only counted for but how the control in the relationship; changes many keys.

Here Ian is getting baptised in order to fit one of the many requirements in order to marry Toula. Her father stated that Ian must be baptised in order to marry Toula. Gus tops everything off by saying,

“It is your lucky day to be baptised into the Greek Orthodox Church!”  

Later on his friend, Mike states how Toula’s family has Ian wrapped around her little finger. Ian tells Mike that he loves her and will do anything in order to be with her. Here there is a different definition of love; that you will do anything in order to keep your spouse happy and to be with them. Yet the control is used in different ways. In The Taming of the Shrew control is used in order to tame others and for that person to only get what they want. Toula’s family may be doing the same thing; just the other person in the relationship has to pay the toll. Ian does it for love, as Katherine coops with some of the things Petruchio says in order to just get to what she wants. Like a bribe ‘I will take you to your father if you prove my control on you.’

Petruchio:  I say it is the moon.

Katherina:  I know it is the moon.

Petruchio: Nay, then you lie; it is the blessed sun.

Katherina: Then, God be bless'd, it is the blessed sun;

But sun it is not, when you say it is not;

And the moon changes even as your mind.

What you will have it nam'd, even that it is,

And so it shall be so for Katherine(Act IV, Scene 5 ).

  Love has many tolls in which it’s romance may not last forever. Yet the control is something that most try at in order to show the love in the relationship. That control can also be used when trying to make the spouse meet up with the requirements. Parents have always had a huge say in their children’s spouse. With the requirements they made in order to have a good spouse for their child in order to set them for a ‘good’ future. The child’s say today is what has really changed. For when Kate got married to Petruchio she did not agree, and never tried to marry him. She was just put into that spot where she had too. While Toula had much more say and actually got what she wanted; to marry Ian. In this era the child has more say yet as requirements may differ at points in the end the one with more control, makes the other partner change in order to fit certain requirements.

Changing of the Boo

An exploration of male/female expectations in relationships in Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew and She’s All That

In Shakespeare's The Taming of The Shrew, where Petruchio, a wealthy bachelor who will do whatever it takes to find a rich wife, meets Katherine, a beautiful and unmarried, but rude and sharp-witted daughter of a wealthy lord. Bianca, Katherine's younger sister, is the object of every suitor's desire. Beautiful and wealthy, kind and sweet, Bianca has a line of suitors waiting for her father marry off Katherine before they can wed Bianca. Two of Bianca's suitors strike a deal with Petruchio, stating that he will tame and marry Katherine for money, in order to free up Bianca. The girls' father, Baptista, is ecstatic that a suitor has finally arrived to take Katherine, and orders them to be wed immediately. Since the play was released, there have been countless retellings and versions, and many take from the story directly.

The timeless tale of a man conquering and changing a woman who is inherently different is still used in movies today, shown in the 1999 romantic comedy, She's All That. In an attempt to regain status after his popular girlfriend dumps him, a popular high school jock, Zack, takes a bet offered by his friend Dean, wherein he has 6 weeks to make the girl of Dean's choice into prom queen. The girl picked is Laney, an artistic and intelligent social outcast who is known only for her love of art and her glasses. Zack has 6 weeks before prom to turn her into prom queen and reassure his status.

Romantic comedies have always changed the way society perceives romance. From early depictions of romance, such as the works of Shakespeare, love was depicted as something to live, or die for. The dramatic plays included timeless love stories, often with the play's leading man courting and winning a woman's heart. Each heroine is portrayed as the social outcast, out-shined by a more popular female. However, when the hero courts them, the difference is that Katherine is not given a choice. Both Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew and the 1999 romantic comedy, She’s All That, show the differences in male and female roles in relationships. Due to the differences in time period and culture, Laney is able to decide her own future where Katherine is not. Though societal change has made women more able to decide their own future, women being molded to shape the desires of men is still an ongoing theme in romantic pop culture.

"I can, Petruchio, help thee to a wife

With wealth enough, and young and beauteous,

Brought up as best becomes a gentlewoman.

Her only fault, and that is faults enough,

Is that she is intolerable curst”

-Hortensio

(Act 1, Scene 2, lines 65-70)

In this quote Hortensio, a suitor to Bianca, is striking a deal with Petruchio. Bianca’s many suitors are anxious to win her, and this can only be achieved after Katherine has been wed. After Petruchio makes it clear that he’ll marry any woman with wealth, regardless of her personality or looks, Hortensio and the other suitors see the perfect opportunity to marry off the cursed Katherine. Despite her reputation as a shrew, Katherine still wants to be married like her sister. Men’s refusal to marry her this late in life is not only embarrassing for her and her family, but also gives her less and less options for the future. At this point, Katherine’s father has no qualms about giving her off to the first man willing to pay a good dowry.

Similarly, in She’s All That, the men of the story decide the terms of the relationship.

In this scene in She’s All That, Zack Siler accepts a bet that he can turn any girl at school into prom queen. Zack accepts this bet after his popular and beautiful girlfriend Taylor dumps him. He becomes eager to prove his reputation to himself, his friends, and his ex. Laney is picked out of the crowd after falling and dropping all of her books and art supplies. It is clear from her presence in this scene that she is a social outcast, and a person who Zack’s friends would never normally associate themselves with. Soon after meeting Laney, Zack sees her fierce intelligence and discovers that she, too, avoids his crowd of friends. The portrayal of both of the central women in the stories show that they are not the type of girl that these men are supposed to go for. Both women do not conform to the expectations of their time and therefore must be changed by the men.

"For I am he born to tame you, Kate,

And bring you from a wild Kate to a Kate

Conformable as other household Kates."

- Petruchio

(Act 2, Scene 1, lines 291-293)

When Petruchio first meets Katherine, he makes his intentions clear. This quote is spoken in his first conversation with her, making it clear that he is attempting to change her. He uses the nickname Kate as a demeaning expression aimed at claiming her as his own. In an earlier line, she had deliberately told told him not to call her Kate, but he persisted, making the name a symbol of his superiority over her. To Petruchio, Katherine is a possession to flaunt, and one that should behave respectably. Regardless of her features before meeting him, Petruchio believes he can change any woman into the quiet, courteous, and obedient wife that was expected of that time (much like Katherine’s sister, Bianca). Katherine is not given a choice in her taming, nor her wedding to Petruchio, because of the same, limiting expectations.

In She’s All That, Zack imposes a similar change on Laney.

On their first date together, Zack had already begun to shape Laney into prom queen. Though doing it discreetly, Zack drops hints of how Laney could improve herself and her appearance. He does this through seemingly complementary means, like commenting on how beautiful her eyes are, or citing her “potential”. These are all steps towards her becoming the prettiest and most popular girl in school, like his ex-girlfriend Taylor. The second screenshot shows Laney post transformation, without her glasses and long hair. In this pivotal scene, Zack looks at her in awe. This is arguably the beginning of his true feelings for her. Unlike Katherine, Laney goes along with her transformation more willingly, and begins to enjoy Zack’s company after his persistent interest.

The end result of each transformation is dramatically different. In Taming of the Shrew, Katherine is successfully “tamed” by Petruchio after chiding her disobedient sister for not coming when her husband calls her. In She’s All That, on the other hand, Taylor is crowned prom queen, despite Laney’s popularity. After saving Laney from the sexual advances of his friend Dean, Zack confesses that his feelings were real, and they kiss. Though the 1999 film ends on a slightly more modern note, the central themes of deception and change are at play in both productions. Because of his reputation as the most popular guy in school, Zack believed he could turn any girl into prom queen, and his vision for Laney was that of his ex-girlfriend, Taylor. Zack successfully changes Laney into the type of girl that suits his needs, and makes her previously abject attitude toward his circle of friends vanish into love for him. The portrayal of both women shows the dominance we perceive men to hold in romantic relationships, and the level of consideration for the woman’s thoughts and desires.

(Comparing “The Taming Of The Shrew” and “The Other End of The Line” )

Parents always want what’s best for their children, especially when it comes to marriage. Many parents feel that they should choose who their children marry. This may be a family tradition or a way to insure their children are financially safe. Even if parents don’t chose who their children marry they still give want to give their blessing. This is clearly shown through the play “The Taming of The Shrew” by Shakespeare. Baptista has two daughters, the oldest is Katherine and the youngest is Bianca. Bianca, being younger and tamer than Katherine, gets the most suitors. Were as Katherine viewed as a bad-tempered shrew doesn’t get any suitors, still her father wants her to get married first. The only difference between Baptista's decision in who his daughter marry is that Katherine can marry for love whereas Bianca will marry for financial stability. In the 2008 movie “The Other End Of the Line” the main character Priya’s father does the same thing.

Priya works at a credit card call center in India, at this center she has to pretend to be an American girl named Jennifer from California. One of her clients is Granger Woodruff, who makes commercial for a hotel in San Franciscan. As they talk on the phone she finds out more about him and the American things that he likes to do. For example his friend is getting married and Granger is setting up one last adventure for him. One thing that interest Priya is adventure, but there is only one problem her father. He hates her job and thinks she should have a regular job. Not only is he pressuring her to change her job but is also pressuring her to get married to the man he chose.

Both Baptista and Priya’s father have the same idea to chose who their daughters marry but they had different ways of dealing with the suitors. Take for example Katherine she had the choose to marry for love, while Priya had to marry because it was what her father wanted. These text reveal that fathers have the best interest for their daughters but they don’t realize when they are unhappy, which pushes their daughters to make distracted decisions.  

“Baptisia: I know not what to say, but give me your hands. God send you joy, Petruchio. Tis’ a match.”

(Act 2/Scene 1/Line 337)

In the following part of the book Baptista is excitedy allowing Petruchio to marry Katherine. Katherine on the other hand is not so excited. Before Baptista walked into the room Katherine and Petruchio were arguing, Petruchio was constantly trying to compliment Katherine while she shot down each attempt. But once Baptisia came into the room Petruchio claimed that they were in love, even though Katherine animatedly told her father they weren't. Her father ignored her protest and allowed Petruchio to marry Katherine.

Katherine’s problem is similar to Priya’s. Priya’s father has chosen a good family for Priya to marry into but first he makes Priya meet the family. Once Priya meets the man she is suppose to marry she notices they have nothing in common. Priya wants to travel and move to a different house. While the man she has to marry wants to stay in his mother's house and doesn’t want to travel anywhere. Like Katherine, Priya doesn’t want to marry the man her father choose.

Both fathers want what’s best for their daughters so they pressure their daughters into marrying someone they don’t love. The only difference is that Katherine gets married to Petruchio and changes who she is. While Priya won’t compromise her happiness and dreams.

Quote 2 From the Play:

“Lucentio: I have it, Tranio.

Tranio:  Master, for my hand, Both our inventions meet and jump in one

Lucentio: Tell me thine first.

Tranio:You will be a school master. And undertake the teaching of the maid: That’s your device.”

(Act 1/Scene 1/Line 191-198)

In this quote Lucentio is creating his plan with his servant Tranio to pretend to be a schoolmaster, Cambio, to woo Bianca and get closer to her. Lucentio has to pretend to be someone else because Bianca’s father Baptista isn’t allowing the suitors to get close to Bianca until Katherine is married off.

Lucentio’s use of deception is similar to Priya’s but Priya is using deception as a means of an adventure.  

In this scene from “ The Other End Of The Line” Priya is at her job at the credit card center. Her job is to provide credit card assistance, if there are unusual charges to inform the owner. While she talks to her client, and soon love interest, Granger she hears about the things he does, like spend money in himself. What catches her interest the most is when he mentions that he is throwing one last adventure for his friend.  After hearing about Granger’s finally adventure for his friend she decides she wants an adventure before she gets married to a man she doesn’t. She travels to meet Granger as Jennifer, her fake identity, at the hotel he is staying at. But once she gets there she doesn’t have the courage to meet Granger, until he accidentally falls into her, she then proceeds to introduce herself as Priya not Jenifer. Her father’s constant pressure to marry a man she doesn’t pushes Priya to want to leave and have one last adventure before she is forced into marriage.

The “The Taming Of the Shrew” and “The Other End Of the Line” are very similar. Both Lucentio and Priya use deception to get what they want. Also like Katherine, Priya is being forced into a loveless marriage. Though the “The Taming Of the Shrew” and “The Other End Of the Line” are similar in many ways they are also very different. Unlike “The Taming Of the Shrew”, Priya’s father learns that Priya can’t be forced into a marriage because she has too many dreams and already loves Granger. He soon accepts that and doesn’t force her into marriage. In the end of both the play and the movie the couples ended up together.

Is Who Someone Marries their Parent’s Choice?

Comparing “Taming the Shrew” to “Monster in Law”

In this scene from “Monster in Law,” Viola complains about Charlie to Viola’s friend Ruby. Viola states, “My son the brilliant surgeon is gonna marry a temp.” Then, after some screaming and going to upstairs to lie down, Viola complains, “She is going to destroy him. It is so clear. She’s got no money, no career goals. She was just waiting for a rich innocent to step right into her path.” Viola does not see Charlie as a good match for Kevin because while he makes a significant amount of money from a successful job, Charlie is at a lower class part time job. Viola even assumes Charlie is partly marrying Kevin because he is wealthier than Charlie.

In order for Kevin to have become a surgeon, Viola must allow Kevin to live independently. Kevin would not have been able to study to be a surgeon and then work at a hospital without being able to make large choices without his mother. This is very different from the lifestyle of Baptista’s daughters, who cannot travel somewhere or meet with people without their father knowing, even though they are adults. By giving adult children the freedom to leave home and have careers, parents have given up the right to control who their children meet like in the times of Shakespeare. This allowed Kevin to meet and date Charlie without his mother knowing or approving. However, parents such as Viola still consider it as a part of parenting to make sure their children make good long term choices in life, such as picking an appropriate person to marry. This belief causes Viola to interfere with the wedding, but not ban the marriage altogether.

“Your father hath consented that you shall be my wife, your dowry ‘greed on, and will you, nill you, I will marry you.” 

(Act 2, Scene 1, lines 284-286)

In this quote, Petruchio is speaking to Baptista’s daughter, Katherine, after making a deal with her father that Petruchio can marry Katherine if he has her love, and negotiating a dowry. Petruchio fakes the love, but honors the rest of the deal with Baptista before marrying Katherine. Petruchio is so confident on the deal he made with Baptista that he tells Katherine he will marry her whether she likes it or not. This eliminates Katherine from making decisions over her own marriage.

Similarly, Charlie makes a deal with Viola before the wedding, but not over a dowry.

Charlie is about to call off the wedding when Viola convinces Charlie to speak to her alone. Viola tells Charlie, “Don’t blow your chance for happiness. You’ve never needed my approval. He’s loved you from the very beginning. And I promise I will get out of the way and let the two of you be happy."

“That’s not what I want. I mean, there just has to be some boundaries, Viola,” Charlie replies.

“I can do boundaries! I don’t love boundaries but I can do them,” Viola says,

“How about the number of times you call Kevin a day? Can we limit that, to, like, one,” Charlie asks.

“Oh, I need at least four minimum,” Viola counters.

“He’s 35 years old.”

“Three.”

“Two.”

“Deal,” Viola settles.

In this deal, the genders are switched. Instead of the father negotiating with the groom, the mother negotiates with the bride. Also, Viola is now persuading Charlie to marry Kevin due to Charlie giving up, instead of being a future spouse persuading a parent. The deal is over how much Viola will influence Charlie and Kevin’s relationship in the future, instead of a dowry. Viola now accepts Charlie because she realizes Charlie makes Kevin happy. Viola even gives up her right to approve the match in order to make her son happy. Now, it is more about what the children want then what the mother wants.

Since Viola is the person who makes sure the marriage happens in the end, it shows parents still feel responsible for ensuring each of their children have a good marriage. However, happiness now is a bigger factor than economic status when parents consider a match. Katherine is married to an abusive, yet rich husband. Meanwhile, Kevin marries Charlie in order to have a joyful love, even if Charlie is not as wealthy as him. While Viola did not control as much of the marriage situation as Baptista, the new couple actually wants Viola to be involved in the process. If Charlie’s parents had not died when she was young, they would likely be just as involved in the wedding.

  What these works of art show that marriage and relationships should be things chosen by consent of both people, not by one man, and not even by somebody’s parents. There was a time where women had little to no power in relationships. That is also different now since the United states gives all genders equal rights. This has given women the power to control their relationships, and has made men need to submit to them. Guess Who takes place in 2005, while Taming of the Shrew takes place in the 1000s. Back in that time, there was no such thing as a woman having power and freedom over her own marriage and relationship. It was unheard of back in those days. Now women make many rules in relationships, as well as expectations. Now men are pressured to meet them, and pressured to be a good husband/boyfriend. The movie Guess Who proves that. So, the conclusion is that marriage has changed due to women having freedom, and the domination roles being reversed.