You Literally Can't Buy Love

   YOU LITERALLY CAN’T BUY LOVE

    Taming of the Shrew vs. Can’t Buy Me Love

The romantic relationship between a man and a woman, otherwise known as love has changed over the years. Although there are still various similarities in the expectations of men and women. We tend to look at people from more of a possession point of view and do whatever is possible to up your status. These actions may not be as extreme in present time, but they still exist.

In “The Taming of the Shrew”, Baptista’s only goal is to marry his daughter off to the richest guy he can find. The plot is almost the same for Can’t Buy Me Love. The main character Ronald just wants to date Cindy because she is the most popular girl in school and he knows that it will help him climb the social status of high school. He even gives her one thousand dollars as if he is really buying a material item. Baptista and Ronald have a lot in common in this aspect. They both look at women as items instead of seeing them as real people and remembering that they have feelings and are worth more than just an image.

“Tis deeds must win the prize, and he of both that can assure my daughter greatest dower shall have my Bianca’s love.” - Baptista pg.101

Act 2, Scene 1, line numbers 362-364

In this scene of the play Baptista is trying to marry off his youngest daughter Bianca. There are two men who are fighting for her hand in marriage, but only one can win. That is whoever has the most to offer. Baptista is not concerned about who the men really are or who Bianca has genuine feelings. He just wants her to marry whoever has the most amount of money in dowry to offer her because he is worried about her status. Throughout the whole play he treats both of his daughter like they are his possessions rather than people. Baptista also marries his eldest daughter off to a man of his choice because he thinks he has the right to. There is an almost identical scene to this play in Can’t Buy Me Love.

In Can’t Buy Me Love the main character also treats his “girlfriend” as if she a material that you can put a price on. Which is exactly what he does.

Cindy is the girl of Ronald’s dreams. She has everything a guy could want except there is only one issue. She’s popular and he’s not. She never notices him because she is at the top of the high school social tower and would never notice a guy like ron. Ron’s dream is to just fit in with the popular girls and jocks so he does anything possible to achieve that goal. He realizes that Cindy is in a sticky situation where she needs $1,000 so he offers to give her the money in exchange for one thing. Her love. He asks Cindy if he can rent her knowing how crazy he sounds. In this moment he is basically purchasing Cindy. He does not take a moment to think about her or his feelings. His sole purpose from the start is to make himself look good.  Ronald uses her as a possession rather than a partner. This supports the fact that people don’t truly fall in love, but just use each other of image purposes.

“I must confess your offer is the best,... If you should die before him, where’s her dower?” - Baptista pg.103

Act 2, Scene 1, line numbers 40-411

Once again in the book, the only thing that Baptista is worried about is the money and status. He is given two offers from two men that want to marry his daughter. They are both offers that involve tons of money and items, but not the interest in his daughter. In these lines, he wants to know how soon his daughter will have access to the estates that are being given. This is very similar to the scene in Can’t Buy Me Love where Cindy realizes that Ronny has it all so she come running back to him.

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Now that ronald has achieved “king” status without needing cindy she all of a sudden wants to hang around him again. Ronald could have had her back but instead he ignores her for a girl who is more popular than cindy at the moment so that can stay king.

These examples from both the movie and the play just a few things that show how people are only viewed as objects. Men and women are both guilty of being with someone because of who they are on the outside rather than the inside. Even if you try to convince yourself that you are with someone for who they are when nobody is around, at the end of the day you just want something to show off so that people will be proud of you in some way.