A Tale of Love and Deception

Comparing "Taming of the Shrew" to "Love Love You"

As "The Taming of the Shrew" brings the idea of expectations on relationships that the women or women role in a relationship should be obedient to the male role. Petruchio sets the expectations for Katherine, that since he is the husband/man the wife/lady should be obedient to them. Katherine ends up being obedient to Petruchio’s every call. Unlike Bianca and the widow to their respected husbands, Lucentio and Hortensio. Love Love You is a Thai film about a Gump and Nai’s relationship with new complications coming into their lives. Gump moves into a new apartment with a guy and Nai’s old flame comes back from China. In the movie Gump is seen as the women role in the relationship, while Nai takes up the man role based off of actions. Gump follows Nai like a lost puppy in love most of the time, too shy to do anything or say something when it’s needed to be said. Nai on the other hand does what he wants eventually causing problems within their relationship.

In both Love Love You and Taming of the Shrew, relationship expectations are known. With the Taming of the Shrew, both Katherine and Petruchio the relationship expectations are more pronounced. Gump and Nai’s relationship is more flip-flopped, but still noticeable by the character’s actions. Katherine and Petruchio’s relationship sort of started with dishonesty and deception leading to obedience, meanwhile Gump and Nai’s relationship started with obedience but along came dishonesty and deception. In the Taming of the Shrew, relationship expectations are more pronounced and in modern times it’s not as pronounced but obedience still lingers in the air. Relationship expectations go hand and hand with dishonesty or deception.

"Katherine, I charge thee tell these headstrong women. What duty they do owe their lords and husbands."

(Act V, Scene II, 144-146)

In this scene the husbands were making a bet to see who’s wife is more obedient to them. The widow and Bianca didn’t go to their husbands call, while Katherine did. The wives, widow and Bianca disagreed with needed to be obedient to their call. So Petruchio ends up demanding Katherine to tell Bianca and the widow that the wives duty to their husbands. Dusty meaning how obedient they really are. Petruchio forces Katherine onto his ideal marriage and obedience since he’s the man of the relationship. He makes their relationship expectations known to the other newlywed couples surrounding him. Petruchio wants it all be pronounced.

A scene in Love Love You follows the similar obedience ways as the Shrew. Only this time it’s not a demand and out of guilt.

Within this scene, Nai finds out Gump is moving in with a fairly attractive man and complains that he doesn’t want Gump to live there. Out of guilt and obedience, Gump ends up apologizing to Nai about moving in with Sunz for a while. Gump and Katherine are similar yet different, both of them are obedient to the male role yet they do it in different ways. Katherine started lashing out at first and eventually gives into to Petruchio, causing her to be more obedient towards him. While Gump is shy and doesn’t speak up, naturally being obedient to the male role. The relationship expectations on the two relationships take different tolls on the characters lives.

"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… Give me thy hand, Kate. I will unto Venice to buy apparel ‘gainst the wedding day. --- Provide the feast, father, and bid the guests. I will be sure my Katherine shall be fine."

(Act II, Scene I, 321-336)

Petruchio’s whole spiel was pretty much a lie to Baptista and everyone else. He was only willing to marry Kate for the money and the dowry he gets for marrying her. This all started the deception and dishonesty between Katherine and Petruchio.  Katherine at first was reluctant to listen to Petruchio’s wish to marry her, as most men revolted her due to bad temperment. During the spiel Petruchio was spitting, he said, “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.” Earlier on in Shrew Petruchio’s character was basically established that he liked money and only did things for himself. He was dishonest in his feelings towards Katherine, eventually leading him to place the relationship expectations.

Nai’s old flame came back from China, causing Nai to rekindle with him. On the other hand, Gump has no idea about their past relationship together.  

Bon went to visit Nai while Gump was over. Nai introduced them to each other, while lying to Gump in the process saying Bon was just his high school classmate, when in reality Bon was Nai’s old flame. Since Gump was deceived he went along with Nai’s lie. Believe Bon was only a classmate, but later on realizing how close the two were. Nai was worried to tell Gump the truth about Bon, so he lied. In the end breaking the trust of their relationship slowly. Petruchio on the other hand lied to Katherine in the first place, deceiving her into being an obedient wife. Both Nai and Petruchio lied to their significant other for their ow2n good, ending in two different results in their relationship.

Thus, in the end the obedient Gump stopped talking to Nai for a while after spotting an unforgivable scene while Bon and Nai were completely drunk. Being deceived once more thinking Nai was shot at a party, just to get Gump to confess his true feelings. Gump’s obedience lead to dishonesty and deception within their relationship, while Petruchio and Katherine’s honesty and deception lead to obedience eventually. Thus creating the three things, dishonesty, deception and obedience in relationship expectations to go hand in hand. Modern day romantic comedies sometimes lay on the same principle, just in a different formation.