The Silver Linings Playbook of Taming of the Shrew

Felix d’Hermillon

Twofer

Taming of the Shrew vs. SIlver Linings Playbook

The Silver Linings Playbook, of Taming of the Shrew

In the essence of The silver linings playbook,anybody that watches it, sees it through the eyes of a modern love story that was written recently, but on the contrary, the movie is based off of many key points from the original play written by william shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew. Whilst there are many different aspects to this movie, the overall image given from this movie is based on the same grounds. Parental guidance is a very present view in both of these forms of medias. Both of the medias allow the parents in the scripts to allow a very clear influence on how they live their lives.

This first example is in the taming of the shrew. In this scene, hortensio is communicating with baptista. He is basically saying that bianca is his treasure and that he needs to get his treasure back from baptista, even though he never had her. “Tarry, Petruchio, I must go with thee, For in Baptista's keep my treasure is: He hath the jewel of my life in hold, His youngest daughter, beautiful Bianca, And her withholds from me and other more.” - Act 1 Scene 2.7 This scene connects well with the filter of the fact that parents control many aspects of their childrens lives because it is literally him saying that the father of the girl that he “loves” owns his daughter and he has to get her from him. This relates to the silver linings playbook because a very similar situation happens in that movie. The one thing that is different is that instead of Pat saying that he loves tiffany and talking to a friend, he is talking to her parents and there is another man that is saying that he “loves” her and he wants to date her. Pat and her parents are the ones that are standing up for her and keeping the creep away from her. This is on the same grounds of the taming of the shrew but it is not exactly the same.

“Quote 1: Silver Linings Playbook

Jordie: Hi, guys. How's it going? Hey. Is Tiffany home?

Tiffany's Mother: Go away.

Jordie: I know her. I know her, we've dated. We still date.

Pat: What are you doing here?

Jordie: I've called her, I've texted her.

Pat: [to Tiffany's parents] Do you know this guy?

Jordie: I still haven't heard back. We used to work together...

Tiffany's Father: Just get the hell out of here...

Jordie: I just wanted to give you my card to give to her.

Tiffany's Father: Another rude creep.

Pat: Listen to what he's saying. Listen to what he's saying.

Jordie: What's he saying?

Pat: He's saying you're being rude.”

This next quote relates to the idea of parents controlling relationships and just simply their childrens lives all together. This next scene, from the taming of the shrew, is of tranio. He has to find somebody to be Lucientio’s fake father so that way he will be able to seal the deal with his wedding. He has to have his parents approval in the process.

“I see no reason but supposed Lucentio, Must get a father, call'd 'supposed Vincentio;', And that's a wonder: fathers commonly, Do get their children; but in this case of wooing, A child shall get a sire, if I fail not of my cunning.”Act 2 Scene 1.12

This is another clear example of the fact that parents back then used to be involved in relationships and this next quote proves that it still goes on today. In this example, Pat senior is freaking out because he just lost a ton of money on a bet and then he starts blaming it on Pat junior because he was “messing up the Juju”. SHortly after, Tiffany walks in yelling at Pat Junior because he was supposed to be with her for the day but instead he blew it off so he could be with his dad and go to the eagles game to fix the juju. Instead he got arrested for fighting there. Pat senior starts yelling at  Tiffany for messing up the Juju and she snaps back at him completely proving him wrong. She turns everybody who wasn’t on her team, onto her side. Right after her smooth ending, you her Pat senior say that he likes her and that he approves of her.

“Tiffany: You think I fucked up the Eagles' juju, don't you?

Pat Sr.: Ever since, ever since he was with you, ever since...

Tiffany: You think that I'm why today's happened?

Pat Sr.: That's right, you are why today happened.

Tiffany: I'm the reason why today happened?

Pat Sr.: I think so.

Tiffany: Let's talk about that.

Pat Sr.: Be my guest.

Tiffany: The first night that Pat and I met at my sister's, the Eagles beat the Forty Niners handily, forty to twenty-six. The second time we got together we went for a run and the Phillies beat the Dodgers seven to five in the NLCS.

Jake: She's right, Dad.

Tiffany: The next time we went for a run, the Eagles beat the Falcons, twenty-seven to fourteen.

Pat: Wow.

Tiffany: The third time we got together we had Raisin Bran in the diner and the Phillies dominated Tampa Bay in the fourth game of the World Series, ten to two.

Pat: Oh, wow.

Pat Sr.: Let me think about that. Wait a minute.

Tiffany: Well, why don't you think about when the Eagles beat the Seahawks, fourteen to seven.

Pat Sr.: He was with you?

Tiffany: He was with me. We went for a run.

Ronnie: Really?

Pat: That's crazy.

Tiffany: There have been no games since Pat and I have been rehearsing every day and if Pat had been with me like he was supposed to, he wouldn't have gotten in a fight, he wouldn't be in trouble, maybe the Eagles beat the New York Giants.

Jake: She's making a lot of sense, Pop. That's all right on all counts.

…

Pat sr. : I gotta say i’m impressed. I gotta rethink this whole thing. I didnt trust her before but i gotta say now i do.

Pat: Oh now you like her dad?

Pat Sr.: I have to say I do. Yup”

This scene and with the way it ends is a clear example of how the image of parental approval in all relationships (romantic or not) always relies on the parents approval. This entire movie is about people with drama who are being approved by not only parents but society.

It can be determined that parents aren’t the only people who have to approve for a relationship to work out. Society has to as well. The silver Linings Playbook is a clear example of how this plays out and the Taming of the Shrew is the basis that this is based off of. This not only happens in movies but also real life. No matter how hard people try to deny it, the success of a relationship requires the approval of all of society.