Taming of the Wedding Crashers

The movie “ Wedding Crashers” is similar to William Shakespeare's “ Taming of the Shrew” in the sense that two guys fake their identities in order to meet women. “Wedding crashers” is a romantic comedy about two guys, John and and Jeremy  who frequently crash weddings in order to meet women. In order to do this, they often have to lie about who they are in order to seem like they were invited to the wedding. This is similar to “Taming of the Shrew” because in the play the characters Hortensio and Lucentio pretend to be different people in order to be with a woman, Bianca. In both “Wedding Crashers” and “Taming of the Shrew” men lie to women about their identities in order to be with them, and this causes conflict for them. It ends up working in wedding crashers, when John successfully gets a woman named Claire to break up with her boyfriend.  Lying in relationship can cause conflict, and may result in successful or failed relationship as seen in the contrasting results of “Wedding Crashers” and Taming of the Shrew” .

In “Taming of the Shrew” Lucentio and Hortensio plan to disguise themselves as teachers in order to be with Bianca. They both collaborate in this scheme to try and be with a girl.

“ You will be schoolmaster and undertake the teaching of the maid: that’s your device.” Tranio, Act 1. sc. 1, 196-198

They are agreeing to work together to disguise themselves as teachers in order to get to, and potentially marry Bianca,  because the plan won’t work for either of them if they give each other away. But their is some competition between them, as they both want the same woman. They have a mutual understanding that allows them to work together, but in the end, only one of them can marry Bianca.

In “Wedding Crashers”John and Jeremy are also planning what their disguised identities are going to be. They need to do this in order to meet girls at the wedding.

John plans the backstory to be “We’re brothers from New Hampshire, and we’re venture capitalists.” John (left), 23:34

John and Jeremy have to plan false identities in order to meet women, just like Lucentio and Hortensio. They are collaborating in order to do this.John and Jeremy’s cooperation with one another, however is stronger because they are not competing for the same woman, like Lucentio and Hortensio.

Lies are often seen through, and the truth is revealed. If Lucentio wants to marry Bianca, she has to find out who he really is. He quietly tells her during a philosophy lesson who he really is and what his intentions are. He does so discretely so that Hortensio will not hear.

“ His ibat, as I told you before, Simois, I am Lucentio, his 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.” Lucentio, Act 3. sc. 1, 33-39

The charade of Lucentio and Hortensio being teachers was only meant to be temporary. The plan was to use the disguise in order to meet Bianca, and then one of them would marry her. At some point the truth would have to revealed.

In “ Wedding Crashers” Claire, the girl that John is in love with, finds out about who he is before John gets a chance to tell her. John admits everything later, because if he wants to have any chance of being with her she has to find out who he really his.

“For longer than I care to remember, my business has been crashing weddings. I crashed weddings to meet girls.”

This is similar to taming of the shrew, accept for the fact the Claire found out who John was before he admitted it. John did eventually give her the full story of his situation though. When these people lie to meet women, they eventually have to reveal their true selves in order to succeed.

Bianca doesn’t want to marry Lucentio after he admits everything. She tells him that his strategy for trying to be with her was foolish and ineffective.

“ The more fool you are for laying on my duty.” Bianca, Act 5. sc. 2, 143

Lying to a woman in order to be with her did not work for Lucentio nor Hortensio. Lying can cause conflict, and can damage a potential relationship.

Things work out better in Wedding Crashers. When John admits who he is, Claire quietly takes it in. Her boyfriend, Zack shows the general feeling that everyone, including Claire, has about John at that moment.

“ This congregation really doesn’t care about how depressing your life is, John.”  Zack, 2:29:02

Claire initially feels like John is pathetic after he tells her who he really is. She doesn’t want to be with him at first, but she eventually changes her mind. Lying worked for John in “ Wedding Crashers” in the end because he ended up worth Claire.  

“Taming of the Shrew” and  “Wedding Crashers” shows that with lying comes conflict, because the person being lied to feels betrayed. This is a risk factor in lying, but sometimes lying can actually work, as seen in “ Wedding Crashers”. Lying is a gamble, and one must decide if they are willing to take the risk.
Sometimes it is seen as the only popular course of action, like it was  in these two stories. Society does not condone lying in relationships, but sometimes it can actually work in establishing a successful relationship.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. New York City: Folger Shakespeare Library, 1992. Print.

Wedding Crashers. Dir. David Dobkin. Perf. Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn. New Line Cinema, 2006. Online.