Children's Voice

Play: The Taming of the Shrew

Movie: Blended

The movie Blended and the book The Taming of the Shrew share common themes on love and romance. Although they are made hundreds of years apart, they share a common ground. The movie Blended, is about two single parents getting together with the help of their children, even though at first they didn’t approve of it. In the book, Shrew, there was a father who wanted to give his daughters in marriage to the suitors that seeked them. Both the movie and the book revolves around the family’s interference on courtship. In the book, the father had was involved, but in the movie the children were involved. Therefore, in the 21st century, kids are allowed to interfere or have a say in their parent’s relationships just like how parents were interfering with their children's relationships.

“Baptista:

Gentlemen, importune me no farther,

For how I firmly am resolv'd you know;

That is, not to bestow my youngest daughter

Before I have a husband for the elder.

If either of you both love Katherina,

Because I know you well and love you well,

Leave shall you have to court her at your pleasure.”

(Act 1, Scene 1, lines 48-54)

In the book, there were many suitors who wanted the second daughter of Baptista, Bianca, because his first, Katherine, has a nasty attitude. However, Baptista said that he wants Kate to marry first and then Bianca. However, in the movie Blended, the kids has the say whether or not they approve of their parent’s new partner or not.

(0:28:10)

In this particular scene, Lauren’s sons shows that they don’t like Jim. Her oldest son, Brendan, called his mom a liar and stormed off after he thinks that his mom likes Jim. Since Lauren was a single mom, she’s been trying to see if she can date other guys. However, her boys doesn’t approve because from time to time, they still contact their father.  Like in the Shrew, Baptista doesn’t approve of Bianca’s suitors because he hasn’t given away his first daughter. Similarly, both situations had a wall that they need to go over before they can approve. In the movie, the boys weren’t over their dad and in the book, Baptista still needs to wed his first daughter. This shows a lot of how children interfered with their parent’s relationship and it’s just considered normal. After the little dispute, when Brendan stormed off, Lauren knew that he was mad and just let him be. While in the Shrew, Baptista was the one who had a say in everything because he’s the father.

“ Baptista:

I know not what to say; but give me your hands.

God send you joy, Petruchio! 'Tis a match.” 2.1. 327-328

(Act 2, Scene 1, lines 327-328)

In Act 2 of the Shrew, Petruchio is willing to marry Kate for wealth. He knew that Kate isn’t wanted by many so he wants to make a deal with Baptista for wealth. Petruchio convinced him with the idea that he actually wants Kate because of her beauty and personality, when in reality he was just needy for money. On the contrary, in Blended, the two families coincidentally met at a family bonding retreat in Africa that made the kids realize how much of they need the other parent.

(1:24:11)

In the scene above, Lauren’s boys, Brendan and Tyler, were in bed talking about how their day went with Jim. Since their dad didn’t really have much time for them, when Jim was there to teach them some sports, they enjoyed it. In comparison to the Shrew, both families goals were to just have fun on the trip and not worry about each other. But, since Jim’s daughters were in need of a mother figure in their life and Lauren’s sons were in need of a father figure in theirs, they were in need of each other. Those examples shows that children  can interfering with the parent’s relationships because they can have a major impact on how the parent think about the other person. In that specific scene, Lauren said that it was nice of Jim to help her sons hit the ball and boxing which can lead to have other feelings. On the other hand, a couple of hundred years ago, the dad was the only one who had the say in giving away his daughter in marriage. The dad, Baptista, was the only one who gets to marry his daughters.

According to both the movie Blended and the book Shrew, society’s  view towards love has changed over hundreds of years. The movie Blended was made in 2014 and it shows the involvement or interference children can have on courtship and dating. Despite the fact that the book Shrew was made in 1594, only the father, Baptista, interfered in the courtship and dating of his daughters during that time. Therefore, as time passed, kids now have a say in their parent’s relationships without it being considered rude.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. The Taming of the Shrew. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2014. Print.

Blended. Dir. Frank Coraci. Warner Home Video, 2014.