"The Auteur"- WINS Mashed Media Narrative Film of Year at Kimmel Center!!!

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27 Pants that MEN wear in the Relationship


Comparing The Taming of the Shrew and 27 Dresses


Both in The Taming of the Shrew and 27 Dresses, there are characters who wish to win someone’s love in means that are not natural nor romantic. Jane can best be compared to Petruchio in this sense, however, because Jane ends up with another man entirely, the movie implies that women do not know what is best for them, especially in regards to love.


In The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio is adamant about wooing Katherine to be his maiden, and has set up elaborate ways in which to tame her into his wife. In 27 Dresses, Jane is madly in love with her younger sister’s fiance. Because Jane has been a bridesmaid in 27 different weddings, she completely does not accept the idea that her sister will be marrying the man that she loves. Jane, although selfless in her ways, can be compared to Petruchio because both of these characters wish to “win” a person. However, with a woman as a pursuer, because she ends up with another man entirely, it implies that women do not know who is best for them and need a man’s confirmation.  


“Why, that is nothing: for I tell you, father,

I am as peremptory as she proud-minded;

And where two raging fires meet together

They do consume the thing that feeds their fury:

Though little fire grows great with little wind,

Yet extreme gusts will blow out fire and all:

So I to her and so she yields to me;

For I am rough and woo not like a babe.”


(Act 2, Scene 1, 135-144)

In this part of the play, Petruchio is describing to Baptista his precise intentions in making Katherine fall in love with him, disregarding any and all arguments against his intentions. Petruchio does not find love or the potential of it in Katherine, but instead wants to use this marriage as a status symbol because of her riches. In this sense, Petruchio is trying to prove something to himself by doing so.



In 27 Dresses, because Jane has been the bridesmaid in so many weddings and has yet to have one of her own, also finds that getting married will benefit her in a similar sense. She wants to prove to her family, friends, and herself that she is worthy of marriage, and is adamant about marrying the man that her younger sister is engaged to.



“Then God be blessed, it is the blessed sun,

But sun it is not when you say it is not,

And the moon changes even as your mind.

What you will have it named, even that it is,

And so it shall be still for Katherine.”


(Act 4, Scene 6, 19-23)


In this scene of The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio is convincing Katherine that the sun is the moon, and once Katherine agrees with him, he then changes his mind and convinces her that the sun is in fact the sun. Then, Katherine gives up on any rebuttal and decides to just follow whatever Petrucio ends up saying, and tells him he is and will be correct regardless. This scene shows that, regardless how minor the decision is, women are incapable of coming up with reasonable conclusions in any situation, and cannot speak for themselves without their thoughts or feelings being validated by a man’s.



In this scene of 27 Dresses, Kevin is suggesting that Jane say “No” to her younger sister, because she’s convincing Jane to do absolutely everything for her wedding. He then asks Jane if she’s ever said no before, and persuades her that she should be able to say no to her sister. The interesting conclusion that this scene presents is that Jane needs permission to say no. Before Kevin suggested she speak her mind, this scene makes it seem as though Jane would have never thought of doing so before. Interestingly, Kevin has a similar impression on Jane that Petruchio has on Katherine. Petruchio asserts very clear, authoritative power over Katherine. Kevin, although tactfully and subtly, introduced his feeling of entitlement over Jane, by making it as if he’s granting her liberation.



In both the movie and the play, there is a recurring theme that promotes the idea that a spouse/partner is a status symbol or an asset, which of course alters the expectations of courtships and relationships. Both Jane and Petruchio aspire to get married simply to show that they are able to sustain a marriage, essentially for the improvement of their self worth. However, Kevin and Petruchio are representations of how the patriarchy affects men’s expectations for women counterparts; Both Kevin and Petruchio felt as if they were worthy of giving Katherine and Jane permission to think or behave certain ways.  This is proof that these harmful ideologies have transcended time since the publication of the Shrew, especially in the Western World. These expectations also speak volumes about gender roles and how they’ve sort of changed shape over time, instead of gradually fading from society entirely.

When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going

Comparing “Taming of the Shrew” to “She’s All That”


Both the book, “The Taming of the Shrew”, and the movie, “She’s All That”, prove that men have always looked at women as something to possess and that they feel as though manipulation is an appropriate way to to go about possessing a woman.


In the Shrew, Petruchio wants to possess Katherine for her money, but needs to manipulate her to be the type of girl he can deal with and marry. In She’s All That, Zack wants to possess Laney to win a bet, but also needs to manipulate her to be the type of girl he could deal with and make prom queen. Both men are manipulating these women, but in the Shrew the manipulation is more blatant and Katherine is well aware of what is going on. Whereas in She’s All That, Zack is much more sneaky about manipulating Laney, and even though she had some early suspicions, she isn’t really aware of what is happening. Men have always seen women as an object to possess and manipulate. And with women gaining more rights in society, men have only become better over the years at hiding this manipulation, instead of changing their mindset.


“One rich enough to be Petruchio's wife

(As wealth is burden of my wooing dance),

Be she as foul as was Florentius’ love,

As old as Sibyl, and as curst and shrewd

As Socrates’ Xanthippe or a worse, …

I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;

If wealthily, the happily in Padua.”

(Act 1, Scene 2, Line 67)


In this quote Petruchio talks about how the only thing that matters to him in a woman is how much money she has. Basically, no matter how bad she is, he will deal with her and marry he as long as she’s rich. He speaks about women as though if he makes the decision to go forth and put up with them, then the will be married. He doesn’t speak about whether or not the woman will want to marry him nor does he mention her say whatsoever. If she is rich enough for him to want to possess the woman, then they will be married no matter what.


Zack then finds himself in an extremely similar situation even though he has to have a little bit of help from his friends to come to his epiphany.

 

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In this scene Zack is sulking over the fresh break up with his ex girlfriend as he watches her all over another boy. His friends then remind him of his status at school, top of the class, best jock, etc. Zack and his friends then talk about how he will get over his ex quickly since he can have any girl in the school that he wants considering his status. Zack also speaks about the girls in his school, as Petruchio did, as if they are just something he can possess if he so wants to.


“And woo her with some spirit when she comes!

Say that she rail, why then I’ll tell her plain

She sings as sweetly as a nightingale.

Say that she frown, I’ll say she looks as clear

If she do bid me pack, I’ll give her thanks …

If she deny to wed, I’ll crave the day

When I shall ask the banns, and when be married.”

(Act 2, Scene 1, Line 177)


Petruchio is now going over his plan as to how he plans to manipulate Katherine into being his wife. He speaks of the plan proudly as if he is doing nothing wrong, considering back then he wasn’t since women didn’t have much of a say anyway. This portrays Katherine having no choice and that Petruchio can easily get what he wants.


Zack is then found in almost the exact scenario, only for a different reason.


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In this scene, Zack is making a bet with his friends about his plan to manipulate any girl at the school. Different from Petruchio, Zack plans to manipulate a woman to become the perfect prom queen, not the perfect wife. The fact that his friends don’t think it will be so easy for him to do this shows that times have changed and that women do have more of a say and that they may not be so easy to just possess.


“I am ashamed that women are so simple

To offer war where they should kneel for peace,

Or seek for rule, supremacy, and sway

When they are bound to serve, love, and obey.”

(Act 5, Scene 2, Line 219)


This over the top speech shows that Katherine is just doing what Petruchio says in order to survive, she doesn’t actually believe what she is saying based on how fast and drastically this being truthful would have made her personality change. Katherine is now very aware of the manipulation taking place by Petruchio considering he didn’t do much to hide it. Women didn’t have much say back then, portraying why Katherine has pretty much accepted the fact that she is being manipulated to become his wife.


Lindy has found herself in the same position as Katherine, but handles it very differently.


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In this scene, Lindy has found herself also aware of the manipulation after she is humiliated at a party in which Zack made her go to. Unlike Katherine, Lindy was completely unaware of the manipulation considering how sneaky Zack had to be to make it work. It did start to work, she changed her entire appearance for him and attended a party with the high school kids she hated, but as soon as her earlier suspicions turned out to be true, she objected it all. She does not at all accept Zack’s conditions for her to change in order to be his prom queen.


The fact that Zack almost loses the bet and Laney altogether once she figures out how she is being manipulated shows that women gaining rights in the world has made it more difficult for men to manipulate and possess women considering Petruchio couldn’t lose Katherine since she had no choice. But, Zack does win Laney in the end, after trying a little harder of course, which proves that the idea that movies, novels, etc. still like to play around with the idea that men can manipulate women in order to possess them and have them fall hopelessly in love.


Conquest is Not Just Romantic


Conquest is Not Just Romantic

Comparing “Mamma Mia!” to “The Taming of the Shrew”


    In “The Taming of the Shrew”, many men are in love with Baptista’s daughters and will do about anything to get them as their wives. They are suitors in the romantic sense, but in “Mamma Mia!” Sophie has three possible dads and when they all find out they could be the father they become suitors in the paternal sense, trying to woo Sophie by telling her how they would treat their daughters if they had one and wanting to “win” the spot of father by walking her down the aisle at her wedding. Competition for a woman's attention and affection still exists hundreds of years later, but now in a more modern sense of something other than romantic.


“Say she rail; why, I'll tell her plain

She sings as sweetly as a nightingale.

Say that she frown; I'll say she looks as clear

As morning roses newly wash'd with dew.

Say she be mute and will not speak a word;

Then I'll commend her volubility,

and say she uttereth piercing eloquence.”


In this scene Petruchio is telling his friend his plan to woo Katherine and get her to fall in love with him so that she will marry him. He thinks that by telling Katherine how great she is he will win her affection and will be able to claim her as his. Even this long ago men had little schemes to “win” the women of the time.


Similarly in “Mamma Mia!” Sophie’s potential dads have their own ways of making them seem special like they would be the best dad by winning the prize of walking her down the aisle.


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In this scene from “Mamma Mia!” Sophie talks to one of the potential dads, Harry. She asks him if he has any children of his own and he says no but he would have loved to have a daughter like Sophie and would have spoiled her rotten. As Harry stays on the island he starts to realize that Sophie might be his daughter and ultimately decides that by treating her like this she might believe he is the one. Like Petruchio, Harry wants to “woo” Sophie into thinking he is the best candidate and later tells her that he wants to walk her down the aisle. In this generation people go on quests for things other than romantic love, just like how Harry is on a quest for paternal love.


“Of all thy suitors, here I charge thee, tell

Whom thou lovest best: see thou dissemble not.”


(Act 2, Scene 2, 1)


In this scene Katherine is talking to Bianca about her suitors asking her who she loves the most. Bianca says no one because she is not technically allowed to be involved with boys until Katherine gets married. Bianca and Katherine both know that all the suitors are obsessed with her but if the time comes, she can only choose one. Katherine may be trying to help her but she is also showing how all of the men could be happy with Bianca even if they don't know her. They would all take her if they could.


At the end of “Mamma Mia!” all of the dads stand up and say how happy they would be to be Sophie’s dad even if all three of them have to share her, it would be a privilege.


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In this scene in the movie the dads are behaving a bit like Bianca’s suitors in the sense that they would all be happy to have Sophie as their daughter. In the “Shrew”, they want Bianca as their wife but these men want Sophie as their daughter. They’ve all tried to woo her but in the end they are all happy to have Sophie as their daughter and are willing to share. Unlike the “Shrew”, the suitors can't really share a wife, so one of them must get her in the end.


Society has seen many changes over time but here society has just progressed and broadened. Rather than seeing romantic love as the only thing to try to get people try for more things like parental relationships, as seen in “Mamma Mia!”. In “Shrew” romantic love seems the only thing that is important to the men, now people have broader horizons and see that other things can be just as worthy.



Works Cited:


  1. Mamma Mia! Dir. Phyllia Lloyd. Perf. Amanda Seyfried. Universal Pictures, 2008. DVD.


The father has control or does he?

 

  Comparing “The taming of the Shrew” to “Peeples”


   Fathers normally have control of their daughters relationships because fathers are so overprotective of their daughters. In the play “The Taming of The Shrew”, Baptista has full control of the relationship. Some suitors want to have Bianca but he won’t let them have her until the eldest daughter, Katherine, is married. After that he makes sure Katherine is married so Bianca can have a husband too. In the movie “Peeples”, Grace who is played by Kerry Washington goes to see her family but leaves her boyfriend, Wade, home. Her boyfriend comes to her hometown anyway, only to find out Grace hasn’t told her parents that she is dating anyone. Her father doesn’t like her boyfriend because he thinks that he isn’t serious about his daughter enough to marry her even though secretly, he came there to propose to his daughter.


The difference between these two texts shows how fathers are overprotective of their daughters. They want to have control over their daughters relationships in order to make it seem like they are the boss and are in charge of what happens to their daughters life. Years ago, men who wanted to be in relationships went to the father in order to have access to the daughter. In modern times, a father tries to put fear into the guy who wants his daughter so that he will be the guy that he wants the guy to be.


“That is not to bestow my youngest daughter, before I have a husband for the elder.”   

(Act 1, Scene 1, lines 50-51)


  In this scene, Baptista has control of the relationship. The suitors want to be with Bianca but in order for them to do that, the eldest sister Katherine has to get married first. Baptista has complete control over the relationship. Gremio came to Baptista to tell him that he wanted to be with his daughter but it didn’t work out that way. Instead, he mentioned that Bianca had to wait until her oldest sister weds symbolizing that he has the power and control over their relationships and what happens in their life when it comes to love and who to be with.


Fathers tend to have an impact on their daughters relationships even when they aren’t physically there.


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   In this scene of the movie, Grace and Wade are having a discussion about him not going to her parents house so she leaves him at their house. During this conversation, Wade says to Grace “This is about your father. You empower him. You are a lawyer with the United Nations but you need a permission slip signed by daddy so I can be your man.” Grace is afraid to have Wade meet her parents but in particular, her father. This quote proves that her father still has control over her relationships. She says in the movie, it has nothing to do with her father but if it did not, she would have been introduced him to her parents. Grace’s father still has power over her relationships which could be a good and bad thing. In the scene, Grace’s father has a power over their relationship that is present without him being physically there. In the book, “The Taming of the Shrew”, Baptista has a power over both of his daughters by forcing one to get married so that the guys would desire Bianca can have her.


“On Sunday next you know, my daughter Katherine is to be married. Now on the Sunday following, shall Bianca be bride to you, if you make this assurance”

(Act 2, Scene 1, Lines 415-418)


  


  As Gremio and Tranio are discussing who has more to offer to Bianca to get her love, Baptista stops the gentlemen in their tracks when he says “on Sunday next you know, my daughter Katherine is to be married. Now on the Sunday following, shall Bianca be bride to you, if you make this assurance.” Baptista in this quote, tells the guys if they can get Katherine to be married than one of them can have the key to Bianca’s heart. Baptista is again using his power to his advantage. He is making a point that he has the power in his daughter’s relationships. The guy went to approval to marry the girl but the father has the control of the relationship. Baptista is using this to control not only his daughters but the men as well. If he thinks they don’t offer a lot of financial stability for if they die, then they won’t be with his daughters. Baptista likes to be in control of his daughters relationship and he will remind his children that he is the one in control of them.


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    At this point, Grace’s boyfriend, Wade is having a meeting with her father and her grandfather. Things seem to be going pretty well but things make a 360 when Wade says that him and Grace are just “kicking it” when her father asks what is his plans for the future. After that occured, her grandfather said “I suppose a man has to decide when he wants to stand up and be a man.” This quote shows how important it is for a man to want to marry a female and not play around with females feelings and the relationship. While her grandfather was putting a lot of pressure on Wade at that moment, Wade appreciated it. It made him determined to show how much he loved Grace to ask for her hand in marriage at that moment. Her grandfather also has control over her relationship because by saying that it put fear into wade. Grace reassured Wade that he was a man so that ended that. Her grandfather expectations of Wade is to be a man which consists of marrying Grace and to not be so childish. He has the expectation for Grace to be with a guy who has goals for their future and not someone who isn’t serious about commitment. Not only fathers but grandfathers want to have control of the daughter/granddaughters relationship so much that they make a comment on everything. Her grandfather put fear into him so that he will be who he wants him to be. By him saying that to Wade, it made Wade try harder to be perfect for her family so that he can marry Grace and spend the rest of his life with her like he planned.  



“Doth watch Bianca’s steps so narrowly, Twere good, methinks, to steal our marriage, which, once performed, let all the world say no, I’ll keep mine own despite of all the world.”

(Act 3, scene 2, lines 141-144)


     In this scene, Lucentio is talking to Tranio about getting Bianca’s love and the haters that may occur if they be together. Tranio states that Bianca fathers approves the relationship his daughter gets into. Lucentio on the other hand, is not letting Baptista ruin his life so he doesn’t care. He will do anything to get Bianca to be his wife. Even when the world doesn’t think they would work out together, he doesn’t care because at the end of the day, he will fight for what he wants. In this case, Baptista doesn’t have any control over the relationship because Lucentio is willing to do anything to get what he wants. Baptista has very clear expectations of who his daughters should be with. The guy who offers her the most financial stability so she doesn’t have to worry about anything. He has this expectation that the guys Bianca should be with should be perfect.  Wade and Lucentio are somewhat similar. They both fight for what they believe in. Wade was told not to go to her hometown to meet her family but he did anyway and tried to make her family like him. He did things he thought her father would like to meet the fathers expectations. Lucentio doesn’t care about what people thinks because he will still get the girl that he wants at the end and he will continue to get what is his regardless of what the father thinks.


   Fathers do not have control in this case but in most cases they do.  



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      After Wade told Grace’s father that they had not had any wedding plans yet, Judge Peeples said to him  “I want my daughters to know what its like to be with someone who has the conviction to plan a future and not someone who just wants to kick it.” When her father said that to Wade, it put fear into Wade as to who was in control of the relationship. The father in this case, puts his input as to what he expects out of relationships for his daughter and if the guy who they are dating does not fufill his requirement then they aren’t the one for his daughters. Even though Grace will still be with Wade regardless of what her father says about him, her father still wants to let Wade know there will be consequences if he hurts her. This scene sounds like Baptista in the book “Taming of the shrew”. Grace’s father and Baptista are both demanding certain qualities for their daughters partners. They are both giving the guys who want their daughters expectations for what they should be like in order to get their daughter. Grace’s father and her grandfather actually cares about Grace while Baptista only wants Katherine to get married so he can get her out of the way so his favorite daughter, Bianca to get married.


Grace’s father expects Wade to want to commit to marriage if they are together and not someone who



   The taming of the shrew and Peeples both dealt with Parents expectations on the relationship. In the peeples, Grace’s father cares about Grace and her relationship with Wade but expects a lot out of him. It was already enough for him to pop up at their house unexpectedly but now, he has to prove to her father why he deserves to be with his daughter and to marry her. The whole trip pressured Wade to be more than her father thought he would be and expected him to be. He broke his neck trying to be so “perfect” for Grace’s father, he didn’t take time to reflect on what he is offering Grace now and if it is good enough for her father. Mr. Peeples is an overprotective father. In Taming of the shrew, Baptista doesn’t care about Katherine’s happiness, just Bianca’s. Baptista has expectations on the guys as well but in a different way. Sometimes fathers can be very overprotective but sometimes fathers just want their children to get married so they can live their life. It’s not all about overprotective fathers but more so their expectations for the men who want to pursue their daughters and if they are “good” enough for their daughters. This shows that overtime, fathers expectations of the daughters boyfriend hasn’t really changed but the impact it has on the relationship and the impact on the guy it has, is important. Our attitude towards dating can be preserved that the fathers rule the relationship and had control of the men. Fathers are the one that makes the rules and challenges the men goals and aspirations of the relationship.




I Have More Control - Ilker Erkut

I Have More Control

By Ilker Erkut


I am comparing both Taming of the Shrew and the movie Hitch.


In the movie Hitch, the main character Alex Hitch is like a love doctor.  He is called when guys are in need of help when it comes to women.  He plays a character who thinks he understands women.  He finds a woman of his intellectual match, and instead of showing his true feeling, he uses his generic women tips to get what he wants.  In the play The Taming of the Shrew, the character Petruchio is in a similar but different predicament.  He sees Katherine, one of the king’s daughters and declares that she will be his.  Katherine and her sister, Bianca are on the road to marriage.  Petruchio uses his manipulation and cockiness to trick winning her over.  He tricks the king and everyone around him, getting what he wants.  All the events up until the marriage between Katherine and Petruchio has led the book to be called The Taming of the Shrew.  

These scenarios are similar because the male feels that they have a more dominant role in these situations.  Both Alex and Petruchio act as though they understand the women more than they understand themselves.  The women in the situation just sit back and watch it happen, until the end where they show that control is not always the path to take.  Sarah in Hitch, makes Alex realize that she wants someone who is themselves and she wants someone with insecurities and imperfections.  Katherine kisses up to Petruchio making him feel in control, but she is secretly has a plan to get him back for the fake marriage.  According to the play and the movie, control matters in relationships and because of that the characters, like people in real life, learns that control ends badly for whoever has it.  


Quote #1

“Father, ‘tis thus: yourself and all the world that talked of her have talked amiss of her.  If she curst, it is for policy, for she’s not forward, but modest as the dove; she is not hot, but temperate as the morn.  For patience she will prove a second Grissel, and Roman Lucrece for her chastity.  And to conclude, we have ‘greed so well together that upon Sunday is the wedding day.”

(Act 2, Scene 1, Line 307-315, Page 97)


In this scene Petruchio manipulates Katherines father.  The king is definitely believing every word that Petruchio is saying because it seems as though he wants it to be true.  Katherine is having a hard time finding a man because she rubs off as being very nasty to people and shoots down all the men.  The king was desperate for her to find a man.  Petruchio makes it clear to her that something is going to happen between both of them.  Then the father comes in and Petruchio states that Katherine was very lovey dovey when it was just them two talking.  The king accepts and Katherine is furious.  This scene was a prime moment in the play because Petruchio figured out a way to take control of the entire situation.



Alex is the man listening to the conversation.  He was supposed to be that guy who is talking to the girl behind him.  He had it all thought out until this guy shows up.  He had to figure out a way to gain control of the situation considering he is the relationship expert to others.  Alex Hitch walks up behind the man and acts as though he is her boy friend who had to run an errand.  Alex finally gets rid of the guy so he can have a stab at this women.  He played the situation to the point where Sarah, the woman, was already impressed.  After he gets her attention he goes about his conversation in a very “in control” tone of voice.  He explains what every other man would have done in this scenario and he starts the relationship off in a controlling way.

Quote #2

“I am ashamed that women are so simple to offer war where they should kneel for peace, or seek for rule, supremacy, and sway when they are bound to serve, love and obey.”

(Act 5, Scene 2, Line 177-180, Page 219-220)


In this scene Katherine swallows her pride and gives this long speech about how women should be loyal and do what men ask.  It clear that she is tricking Petruchio for later.  She realizes that the only way out of this is to go through with it.    She can take control of the situation later in the marriage and make Petruchio realize he should have never conned her into the marriage.  This little speech of her almost seems scripted considering all the hatred she had toward him in previous conversations about it.

Allegra Cole, the women with the blond hair, thought Albert Brenderman was tricking her and instead of sticking with him like Katherine would have done, she left.  She continued her life without him.  Alex hitch agreed to meet with her to explain that Albert truly loves her and that he was not tricking her.  Albert just needed someone to guide him around his own insecurities.  Petruchio had so much self confidence that everything he said was cocky and always sounded like there was more behind what he was saying.  It almost as if people like Petruchio are the only one who can get the best women because he is cocky and great guys like Albert cannot because they are nice and always scared to make a bad impression.  This is what the world has come to.


Quote #3

“I know not what to say, but give me your hands.  God send you joy, Petruchio.  ‘Tis a match.”

(Act 2, Scene 1, Line 338-339, Page 97)

At the end of both Taming of the Shrew and Hitch, the men with the control are in predicaments.  Hitch realizes in the last scene of the movie that control was able to get him, women and the respect but never allowed him to connect with the girls on a personal level.  He was never able to fall in love with them, it was a game that he always had to win.  Now he is chasing the women he tried so hard to impress.  In Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio is mind blown to see that Katherine is so satisfied with the idea of marriage even though she doesn’t remotely like him.  The ending throws people off because it is not as expected.  The controller's are being controlled.


Hitch realizes that he needs to make up for all the acting he was using before by showing, Sarah, he truly loves her.  He chases Sarah out of the building and sprints until he gets close enough to jump.  The things that people do for love are crazy.  Sarah gets out of the car and makes sure he is ok.  In the end she explains that she loved him too but wanted him to work for hers.  Petruchio grows more of a liking toward Katherine because she has lightened up so much at the end.  He is ready for the best life, while she is planning how she can get the most out of her arrangement.  

In both The Taming of the Shrew and Hitch, there are a lot of problems with love and relationships.  They both beg you to ask the questions; is love real?  In Taming of the Shrew, it dwells more on the fact that you grow to love someone if you have control over them.  Getting the love and satisfaction they need will not be hard to get because have control.  In Hitch, Alex Hitch is a man who believes in control and being perfect but he realizes near the end of the movie that to truly love there needs to be no control games.  Alex needed to lose his barriers and open up and in the end he almost dies just to show his true feeling toward the women he loved.


Sources -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvbZsDZRBWk

"Hitch (2005)." YouTube. YouTube, 2005. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.

“The Taming of the Shrew”

Holderness, Graham, and William Shakespeare. The Taming of the Shrew. Manchester: Manchester UP, 1989. Print.


Love In No Time-The Taming Of the shrew (Big Eyes)

Love In No Time

The Taming Of the shrew (Big Eyes)

Reviewing the actions of Couples in love and the expectations of what they get out of their relationship other than love it is found that true love can only be felt through time. If you compare the experiences between Petruchio and Lucentio of Taming of The Sher, and to Walter and Margaret of Big Eyes you will find this to be true. Love at first sight can only happen on the rare occasion that two people meet out of lust and then fall in love for real through time. This lust to love doesn’t happen very often, where most of the time the true colors of lust doesn't show up in the relationship until much time has been invested. Couples who claim love at first sight are actually false. These couples contain a naive partner a lustful partner, or a deceptive partner.

Lucentio falls in love with a woman named bianca for reasons that aren't love. He falls for her because of her looks and the way she carries herself. True love can only be felt through experience and time together.

"I saw sweet beauty in her face... I saw her coral lips to move, and with her breath she did perfume the air..." p 41-43 [Lucentio]

Lucentio liked her because she looked nice and she smelled good. She hadn't even spoke yet, but still he just knew he loved her. This can be compared to the relationship of the main couple in big eyes. Walter proposes to Margaret and she actually marries him because she needs to marry in order to keep her daughter. She might have lost her daughter because her x-husband wanted custody of her, and being a single mother she didn’t have much say at the time. Walter lies to Margaret and tells her that he paints, when in reality he didn’t paint anything he claimed to paint. Conclusively, Margaret marries Walter out of situational desperation instead of marrying him out of real love. Walter didn’t want to marry Margaret because he loved her. He didn’t even want to marry her because of her charm or her looks. He wanted to marry her out of her potential to make him money. Looking towards the end of their relationship you will see that this was indeed his motivation from the start.

Vissual Essay 1.PNG

(Walter see’s Margaret can paint, and he see’s her potential of making him money. Walter himself has a blank canvas.)

Petruchio chooses to marry Katherine because of her potential to make him money. He knew this from the start, and it seems this is the only reason he would marry anyone.

"...Such friends as we few words suffice. And therefore, if thou know one rich enough to be Petruchio's wife." p 52 (petruchio)

Just like how all Petruchio wanted was may, by end of the movie you find that all Walter  really wanted was the money that came out of the paintings she made. If he was anything like Petruchio we would find that he realised the potential for her paintings to be lucrative from the beginning. We find this to be the case because Walter used the paintings from his previous relationship to make money. Walter figures that since it worked before, it will work again. Thus he set his sights on Margaret. This meant that he disguised his true intentions of lust love at first sight in order to get money out of it.

Vissual Essay 2.PNG

(Margaret finds that walter painted over his x-wife’s work with his own initials to sell them.)

Works Cited:

Big Eyes. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. 2014.

Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. The Taming of the Shrew. New York: Washington Square, 1992. Print.


How screens affect teens by Jamie Polson

I am interested in how screens affect teens because we are in the era of technology and it is so easy to lose yourself in them.  I have been subject to doing this and since I am a teen I was wondering what it can do to a teenager.  So far I have learned that if you watch tv before you go to bed it usually takes about an hour for you to get to sleep and people who spend to much time on their phones and such usually go to bed pretty late so they lose a lot of sleep because of that.  I also learned that texting or playing to many video games can lead to something which is called gamers thumb.  This happens when you use your thumbs to often for tasks like gaming or texting. http://fit.webmd.com/teen/recharge/article/teens-screen-time 

Another study showed that people who spend to much time on their phones or screens typically have more body fat and or have worse dites usually consisting of chips and that type of food.  The study also showed that people who play violent video games are often very violent themselves.  They also have very short tempers, and often get into fights.  
   








kids watching TV



Another study showed that kids who spend to much time watching tv are more depressed because they have a biast window on life.  For instance if you like news programs they often have depressing sad news and very selective stuff that they include and they leave a lot out.



bibliogragphy






Madea's Family Reunion and The Taming of the Shrew

The play, Taming of the Shrew shows how wealth dictates to the romantic experience one has. In the play a man named Baptista has two daughters, Katherine and Bianca who are ready to be married. The men who look to marry these women first have to prove their wealth and riches to Baptista. In the year 2006 Movie, “Madea’s Family Reunion” there are similar ideas from Taming of the Shrew.  In the movie the mother, Victoria, pressures her daughter Lisa into marrying a rich man who constantly abuses her. Though in many ways similar the two stories end differently. The two sisters from the movie, Lisa and Vanessa, gain the power to overcome adversities and explore what true love is to them. While Katherine and Bianca from the play seem to be defeated by the men who took their hand in marriage. Bianca, Katherine, and Lisa are pressured and forced into marriages by their parents, but the more modern text shows how things have changed for women, their marriages can end. This means that women have the right to chose who they love not based on money or parental opinions and true love can be found on its own time.


Many of the characters from the two text are similar. A strong character connection is between Katherine and Vanessa. Katherine was known as an evil and a malicious women while Bianca was seen a sweet and lovely. For example, in the text Katherine is called “Katherine the cursed” while Bianca is called “Minerva”. In the movie Vanessa experiences  similar things. Vanessa’s mom always treated her sister Lisa better than her. Vanessa felt neglected through her childhood because her mother used her just to satisfy the wants of her sick boyfriend at the time. Vanessa’s childhood has left her with many trust issues and scars. She is sometimes seen as an angry person and harsh especially to the man who finds interest in her.

Although these characters are similar they are very different. In the text Katherine seemed to have it out for her sister. She would beat her and call her a host of arrogant names. While Vanessa loved her sister and would encourage her to do what’s best for her.


Bianca

Is it for him you do envy me so?

Nay, then, you jest, and now I well perceive

You have but jested with me all this while.

I prithee, sister Kate, untie my hands.


                                       [KATHERINE] strikes her

(Act 2, Scene 1, Lines 18-22 )



In this scene Katherine is attacking her sister Bianca. This anger is coming from a deep place of jealousy. Katherine is envious because most of the men are attracted to Bianca. Katherine knows that if Bianca could get married she would have been married but, she can’t because Katherine is the oldest. Also, Katherine is angry because she feels like things are out of her control. She really has no say so when it comes to her engagement and marriage. Katherine doesn't truly love the man she is marrying and her dad said that love had to be a requirement. (Act 2 Sc 1. Page 83)  “Ay, when the special thing is well obtained, That is, her love, for that is all in all”. Baptista has not been true to that statement throughout the story line. On the day she gets married she expresses to her dad that she doesn't feel like this is the right move. Then, Petruchio comes to the wedding late and is dressed poorly. This is all apart of his plan to tame Katherine and show her that she has no control. His clothes also symbolize their relationship, which is deplorable. Katherine will never be satisfied with her marriage because there is no true love and her choices were made by her father and not herself.


Vanessa-“All men come for something.”


In this scene Vanessa is crying because she feels as though she is no longer able to trust. Unlike Katherine, Vanessa has already been through the taming process. Her mom gave her away to her boyfriend who physically abused and raped her. In this scene Vanessa’s tears may be a sign a sadness but letting her emotions out to someone is apart of the healing process. Vanessa grows into a beautiful person. Later on in the movie Vanessa falls in love and marries Frankie. Unlike the older text, the modern day text shows how one can overcome  issues and find what true love is for himself. Vanessa learns to be comfortable with herself and has come to terms that her mother may never accept the choices she made in her life or apologize for the wrongs she did against her.


“Thy Beauty that doth make me like thee well, Thou must be married to no man but me. For I am born to tame you,...”

(Act 2 Sc 1.)


In the play Petruchio wants to marry Katherine. He showers her with compliments which at times becomes annoying and overwhelming to her. They get into multiple fights and at the end of the text it seems like Katherine has given up. Petruchio feels a sense of accomplishment because he has tamed Katherine. This is an unhealthy relationship because there is so much mental abuse. All the fighting and arguing can be draining and frustrating. At the end of the play Katherine says a lengthy speech about how wives are supposed to submit to their husbands. Kate doesn't really believe what she’s saying but is simply just telling her husband what he wants to hear.






Lisa- “Hit me now so everyone can see what you’re really like”.


In this scene Lisa is dancing with her fiance Carlos. In the movie the character Carlos is similar to the Character Petruhcio from the older text. They both abuse their finances but in different ways. Carlos is more abusive towards Lisa. At multiple points in the movie Carlos is seen abusing Lisa. Lisa is a smart girl and knows she has family that she can depend on but a strong force is keeping her from getting out of this relationship. That force is her mother. Lisa feels obligated to stay with Carlos in order to financially take care of her mother through his income. Also because Victoria, Lisa’s mother protected her as a child and spoiled her unlike her sister Vanessa.  Victoria says in one scene “Stop that whining! Stop it! I took care of you and gave you the best of everything you little princess. Now it is your turn to take care of me!” This shows how parental opinions about marriages aren’t always good. This is not what true love is.



In the end of the Movie, “Madea’s Family Reunion” Vanessa ends up happily married to Frankie and Lisa objects to marrying her abusive fiance Carlos. Although Lisa isn’t getting married or has a man in her life she’s still content with where she is. Lisa learns not to let anyone dictate to who she wants to be in a relationship with with, while Vanessa learns not to let pass experiences dictate to her new relationships with others. On the other hand the two sisters from the Taming of the Shrew, Bianca and Katherine weren't so lucky. They both end up with men who picked them rather than men they picked themselves. These two stories show parental guidance isn’t always needed and how true love will happen on its own time. Even, if true love is found within oneself.


Bibliography


"MADEA'S FAMILY REUNION." N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.


"Full Cast & Crew." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.madea's family reunion

"Watch Madea's Family Reunion Online Free Putlocker | Putlocker - Watch Movies Online Free." Watch Madea's Family Reunion Online Free Putlocker | Putlocker - Watch Movies Online Free. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.


Taming of the Lover




Comparing “Taming of the Shrew” to “Falling in Love”


              I am going to be comparing both the characters Katherine and Petruchio from “Taming of the Shrew”, and Molly Gilmore and Frank Raftis from “Falling in Love”. The situation of the people I’m analyzing has to do with Petruchio, who is trying to pursue Katherine and does so very aggressively. Katherine doesn’t show that much interest in the whole thing, but she still plays along with it. On the other hand, there’s Frank Raftis who is trying to get Molly Gilmore after practically falling in love with her at a train despite them being both married. Molly at first drifts away from his affection, but then she eventually gives into it.


               Just like Petrucio, Frank Raftis is very ambitious and when he sees something he wants, he sets out to get it, even though there are circumstances that hold him from it. And Molly Gilmore, just like Katherine, is very willing to be wooed, but can play hard to get, and is even reluctant at times. Overall, the combination of these two strategies creates, in almost any romantic situation, a “cat & mouse” relationship between lovers.


“Petruchio:

Take this of me, Kate of my consolation:

Hearing thy mildness praised in every town, thy virtues spoke of, and thy beauty sounded (Yet not so deeply as to thee belongs), myself am moved to woo thee for my wife”(Act 2. Sc 1, 198-202).

              In this quote, Petruchio expresses his desire to attain Katherine as a wife, despite her great renown and beauty. Usually a woman of such caliber would be intimidating to many men, but to Petruchio it doesn’t matter, since he’s motivated, he stretches his boundaries to get Katherine. When dealing with women who are beyond a man’s boundaries, they won’t always be an easy catch.


              This is especially true with Molly Gilmore, who Frank Raftis is trying to get.

               In this scene, Frank starts conversing with Molly to get to know her. Before he even starts the conversation, he tries to sit with her at the back of the train, but she immediately puts down his offer. In the conversation, they find out that they’re both settled individuals. Molly considers these things and tries not to be too intimate with Frank. This makes getting Molly’s love a challenge for Frank. But despite all the circumstances, just like Petruchio with Katherine, Frank still pursues her romantically, insisting on when she is free to hang out with.


“Katherine: Go, fool, and whom thou keep’st command.


Petruchio: Did ever Dian so become a grove


as Kate this chamber with her princely gait?


O, be thou Dian and let her be Kate,


And then let Kate be chaste and Dian sportful.


Katherine: Where did you study all this goodly speech?


Petruchio: It is extempore, from my mother’s wit.


Katherine: A witty mother, witless else her son.


Petruchio: Am I not wise?


Katherine: Yes, keep you warm.”


(Act 2. Sc 1, 272-281)



              In this quote, Petruchio is making an extreme effort to woo Katherine. Katherine shuts down his preceding attempt to woo her by calling him a fool. However, this obviously doesn’t discourage Petruchio. This is because he wants her, and resorts to using poetic language, inspired from his mother, to express his “affection” for Katherine. Katherine finally lets go of her reluctant behavior and opens her heart to Petruchio and acknowledges his efforts and even compliments him on it. This shows how the right play and attitude can get a woman who plays hard to get, just like a mouse that is caught after having keen tactics used on them from a cat.



               In this case, the mouse is Molly Gilmore and the cat is Frank Raftis.





             Tamed! The rejoinder “Merry Christmas” and a bright smile is given from Molly after much struggle in wooing her. Before this happens, Frank is rejected and denied by her a few times when he tries to talk to her. His desire to talk to her is strong after they bump into the Christmas store, so when he sees her on the train he immediately wants to talk to her. When they get off the train, he keeps with her walking pace, although she looks pretty estranged by him. And even when he starts talking to her, trying to remind her that he is the stranger she bumped into at the Christmas store, she acts as if she didn’t know what he was talking about with the words “what?” and “sorry?” (She went into her mouse hole during this time). He disregards this and relentlessly continues to talk to her. She realizes his interest in her, stops playing hard to get and opens up to him: acting as if she just now remembers who he is. At the end of the chat, he greets her warmly, and she allows herself to be wooed, greeting him warmly back. (She essentially now comes out of the mouse hole and Frank, the cat tames her!).


              Here, in all of this strife that Petruchio and Frank go through wooing Katherine and Molly, they had to push or else they wouldn’t have gotten their women. Society gives them a good reason to do so too, because the trend in common courtships is that the male has to be the pursuer, or the cat and the women has to be the pursued, or the mouse. And if the women isn’t pursued well enough from the male, that means he isn’t very interested in her. This is why at first Katherine and Molly were playing hard to get, because they believed that their suitor had to show their interest in them first, by chasing after them, before they could return the favor. They also did this because if they were to initialize, they would feel desperate. This is because society views women who go after men, without knowing their true feelings for them as desperate. Luckily, at the end of the day, Molly avoided feeling like this and Frank successfully wooed in the girl.


Work Cited:

"Falling in Love Part 2/10." YouTube. YouTube, 30 Apr. 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEhJklxnuI0>.


"Falling in Love - Scene - Dialogue on Train." YouTube. YouTube, 8 Aug. 2007. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oWy0-WlqS0>.

















Who Get's to Choose .. Me or You ?!

A compromise  between The Taming of The Shrew and Coming to America,

Similarities in finding love, obtaining wealth, and family can be found in the 1988 movie Coming to America and the 1590’s  book the Taming of the Shrew. It was normal in the Elizabethan era for women to “aspire” to get married. The woman had very little, to no say about who her husband would be. Marriages are normally arranged by the parent to bring “prestige” or wealth to the family. Marriage became a family decision as opposed to an individual decision due to the fact that marriage was no longer a choice. In the Taming of The Shrew, Katherine  set the tone for her and Petruchio. This shows that at this time period woman did not have say and married by force the family.Today, however, the situation is more complex, In modern time the man and woman have the ability to choose who they want to marry , and also have the option to not marry a lot without being shamed for it.

“ Call you me daughter? Now, I promise you

You have showed a tender fatherly regard

To wish me wed to one half lunatic,

A mad-cup ruffian and a swearing Jack,

That thinks with oaths to face the matter out.”

(Act _:Scene_:Line__-__)


“ You're right! Get out, see the world.

Enjoy yourself.

Fulfill every erotic desire,

and in 40 days, you will marry Imani.

- But, Father...

- It is settled.

May I have your attention, please?

The wedding will proceed in 40 days.

You may go home now. Good night. “

Prince Akeem has met his “Queen to be” Imani. When in conversation Imani was trained to do his every command. He uses the excuse of  “ he’s never been any where else but Africa.” As a result upon his father’s consent he allowed him and Seemi to go to America. Little does his father know that the object of this plan is to find him a wife of his own choosing.


Fie, fie! Unknit that threat'ning unkind brow

And dart not scornful glances from those eyes

To wound thy lord, thy king, thy governor……

Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot,

And place your hands below your husband’s foot:

In token of which duty, if he please,

My hand is ready, may it do him ease. “  

(Act 5: Scene 2: Lines 152-195)

For this quote you can see that Katherine is not happy in her marriage. She has come to the point where she has expected the fact that her father just gave her away. To marry Petruchio without knowing his true intentions. As a result of Katherine is under the impression that the only way to be happy with her husband is to train him to her pleasing.



Prince Akeem as found a wife that suits him for him. His father was understanding and approved of the marriage. Although he was not truthful of his reasoning for going to America, his outcome was positive.


In the book The Taming of the Shrew, Baptista willing gave Katherine away to marry Petruchio. Being unmindful of Katherine’s feeling about the marriage, as a result katherine is unhappy in her marriage. What these portrayals show us about society's attitudes towards courtship/dating is that regardless of the time period there will forever and always will be a parental consent. However courtship and dating are to different things. However the resulting action is to be married .




About Relationships

In the Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio forces Katherine into marriage with him. They basically skip the part where they’re supposed to get to know each other. This shows how relationships were different then vs. now. In About Last Night, Bernie and Joan meet and hit it off instantly, they rushed things and consequently, their relationship suffered temporarily. They go from have sex occasionally to arguing out of spite every time they see each other. The Taming of the Shrew and About Last night are similar in their message which is love has happy endings and that the road to happiness isn’t always easy. However in contrast, Katherine has no say in whether or not if she wants to be with Petruchio, and Bernie doesn’t take the time to get to really know Joan before he makes her his girlfriend, all he wanted was sex.


In Act 2, Scene 1, line number 202 says, “Myself am moved to woo thee for my wife.” At this point in the book, Petruchio has just met Katherine and is telling her his intentions. Katherine does not know the man at all but yet he plans a wedding on the next Sunday to come. This is how relationships were in the past. Similar to About Last Night, Joan and Bernie hardly know each other and hop right into having sex the very same night they meet.
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Screen Shot 2015-04-26 at 8.00.09 PM

In this scene, Bernie is explaining to his best friend Danny about last night. He tells him that he met Joan at a bar and the only reason they really wound up in the bed is because of the fact the he dated a woman Joan hated. This is the good part of their relationship but because they didn’t take the time to get to actually know each other, their relationship eventually wasn’t so great.

Both relationships reach a point where all they do is argue and someone eventually just gives in. In this particular part of the book, Petruchio is arguing with Katherine telling her to say that the sun is actually the moon. In Act 4, Scene 5, lines 21-22, Katherine submits to Petruchio by saying,“Then God be blest, it is the blessed sun. But sun it is not, when you say it is not.” Katherine is realizing that she just has to give in to Petruchio, and maybe in her mind things will get better.


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Screen Shot 2015-04-28 at 7.41.21 PM

In this scene, Bernie is explaining to Danny the complexity of him and Joan’s relationship. While they were constantly arguing with each other, they got to know more about each other. Bernie is thankful that they can put the bickering behind them and is so happy to have a genuine relationship with Joan. If he had never given in to Joan by telling her how much he missed and loved her, they wouldn’t be in this happy place.


The last stage of the relationships are the part where they basically start over. They forget the previous animosity that they had in their hearts for one another and move on to be happy with each other. In Act 5, Scene 2, lines 162-163, Katherine is talking about what a husband’s job is and accepting the love they provide. She says, “Thy husband is thy Lord, thy life, thy keeper, Thy head, thy sovereign, one that cares for thee.” At this point Katherine realizes that her and Petruchio may have gotten off on the wrong foot, Petruchio will truly care for her. At the end of her speech, she kisses him and you can imagine the smiles on their faces as the finally reached true happiness together.


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Screen Shot 2015-04-28 at 8.05.27 PM
This is the end of the movie. Bernie and Joan are so happy and it’s real happiness. They laugh, joke, and treat each other with nothing but the upmost respect. They’ve had their ups and downs in their relationship but they still loved each other through it all. Joan realized that Bernie truly cares for her the way she cares for him.

Comparing relationships back then to relationships now, there's a clear difference in how relationships come to be like if the woman has a say in it. There's one thing that hasn't changed however. People do not take the time to get to know a person before they become involved with them. If no one takes the time to learn what the other person hates or likes, then there will be unhappiness.

Shrews all stuck in a Daydream

The movie Daydream Nation and the Shakespearean play The Taming Of The Shrew are comparable in many ways. Ranging from the deception throughout different relationships, the casual narcissism, and pretending to be people your not. Although this play is over a hundred years old and the movie came out in 2007 there are many parallels. Caroline Wexler, the main character in Daydream Nation is a girl that has been uprooted from her life in the city and placed into a school where the students are higher than the grades, while attending this school and getting used to daily life in this new town she decides to pretend to be someone else, and this event is brought on by her idea to have an affair with her English teacher, but also to sleep with one of the many stoners in her classes. 

Petruchio, from The Taming of The Shrew is the suitor that decides to marry Baptista’s oldest daughter, Katherine. He does this not out of love but for her inheritance, and in order to make his marriage to her smooth and as painless as possible he must as the title suggests, tame her into a quiet and obedient wife that will do as he says without question. Although the motives for the romances are different these two sources of media show relationships started out of one specific goal are generally more trouble than they are worth.

Signior Hortensio, 'twixt such friends as we

Few words suffice; and therefore, if thou know

One rich enough to be Petruchio's wife,

As wealth is burden of my wooing dance,

Be she as foul as was Florentius' love,

As old as Sibyl and as curst and shrewd

As Socrates' Xanthippe, or a worse,

She moves me not, or not removes, at least,

Affection's edge in me, were she as rough

As are the swelling Adriatic seas:

I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;

If wealthily, then happily in Padua.

(Scene1.Act2.10)

This quote from The Taming of The Shrew is Petruchio’s monologue explaining his plan and reasoning behind his impending marriage to Katherine. That he plans on marrying her for her father’s money that she will inherit after he passes, and that her shrewdness is a non-issue for him, because no woman can make him as happy as the money he seeks. So, through this greed and narcissism he also states he will break Katherine of her rude and boisterous ways to make her quiet and obedient. This as is seen previously throughout the play, will be no easy task as many men have tried and failed to woo her, and she is a handful of trouble, although he states that the relationship (to him) will be worth it for the money. And that is his only motivation for calming the tempest that is Katherine. This is comparable to Daydream Nation because when Caroline decides to have an affair with Barry, her English teacher her main motivation is to kill the ever encroaching boredom of her new school and town. That going through with this taboo would make life more exciting and interesting, and that as a whole is her only real interest in being with him. Both characters starting out with their own motives for pursuing their relationships.

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Screen Shot 2015-04-16 at 8.29.37 AM
" I don't know why the idea came to me when it did, but I knew it would instantly make life more interesting. Don't we all wanna be somebody different sometimes? Someone smarter and sexier and bolder than we really are. Or maybe I just looked, and saw someone that was as lonely as me."

This is what Caroline is thinking to herself when making the decision to seduce Mr.A (Barry, her English teacher). She states that yes, there may be some underlying reason based off feelings of attraction, but her main motivation here is to occupy herself, to distract herself from her obviously dull life in this new place.

Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,

Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee

And for thy maintenance; commits his body

To painful labor both by sea and land,

To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,

Whilst thou li'st warm at home, secure and safe;

And craves no other tribute at thy hands

But love, fair looks, and true obedience--

Too little payment for so great a debt.

This quote is taken from the very end of the play, when Patricio tells Katherine to tell the other wives how to serve their husbands, this speech actually showing that she has been tamed, or at least pushed into acting like she is. She is going through the motions of saying exactly what her husband wants to hear and she is doing it publicly to effectively tame the other woman too, bleeding Patricio’s overzealous and greedy methods into the other couple’s relationships. Much like what happened in Daydream Nation.

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Screen Shot 2015-04-19 at 2.40.28 PM
“My mom once told me that if you ever want to make a man happy... flatter his vanity. Tell him he's handsome. She said not to bother calling him interesting or clever, because that's what their bosses and colleagues are for. But every man carries a secret dream of being handsome, and desperately yearns to be recognized as such.”

In the end the paths of the two stories deviate. The Taming of The Shrew ends in Katherine bowing to Patricio’s will and being tamed, while Daydream Nation ends with Caroline leaving Barry and falling for a guy that was in love with her from the moment he saw her. Katherine seems unhappy and more like a slave then a wife when Shrew ends, and during the affair Barry and Caroline seem to be on edge and uncomfortable with each other, showing the more single minded a relationship the more problems arise, and the less it seems worth it. Thankfully though, as is seen in the differences in the ending of Daydream Nation society has changed so there are more options for both men and woman in day to day life as well as relationships, so going into relationships with something to accomplish is less and less common, and people are generally happier.  


Sources:

(Daydream Nation full movie) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXmke2o4-qI

http://www.monologuearchive.com/s/shakespeare_020.html

My Fair Lady

Shakespeare’s Taming Of The Shrew, is about a man named Petruchio who is paid to “tame” a “wild” woman named Katherina. In the beginning of the story Katherina is portrayed as independent, and one that’s quick with words. Petruchio is portrayed as proud, and believes that he can “tame” Katherina with the right training, which he does so by starving her. “My Fair Lady” was created in 1964. A wealthy linguist’s friend challenges him, and states that he cannot make a poor woman (Audrey Hepburn) into an aristocrat. Much like Katherina, Eliza (Audrey Hepburn) is very quick with her words, as well as independent not only because she doesn’t have a home but because her father isn’t much of a father. Another parallel is Henry (Rex Harrison) is very similar to Petruchio. Henry’s goal throughout the movie is to try and “tame” Eliza, to make her into someone that society would respect. Though the storylines are similar, Petruchio and Katherina have different intentions than Henry and Eliza. Having to be tamed/worked to be acceptable in society shows that women are still being taken advantage of and are still seen as objects.


“I will be master of what is mine own: She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house, My household stuff, my field, my barn, My horse, my ox, my ass, my anything; And here she stands, touch her whoever dare.” This quote shows the beginning stages of Petruchio “taming” Katherina. Petruchio is showing dominance, by setting rules for Katherina. Petruchio in this scene has already started to take advantage of Katherina by implying that she has lost all her rights. By marrying Petruchio, Katherina has lost her right because she is his “property.”


In “My Fair Lady” Eliza finds herself in a situation similar to Katherina’s. Eliza has decided that she wants to be a part of the wealthy society, so she seeks help from Henry Higgins. Henry agrees to help her naturally since the bet has already been placed, but he doesn’t agree without making sure Eliza understands the rules:. “If you work hard and do as you're told, you shall sleep in a proper bedroom, have lots to eat, and money to buy chocolates and go for rides in taxis. But if you are naughty and idle, you shall sleep in the back kitchen amongst the black beetles, and be walloped by Mrs. Pearce with a broomstick. At the end of six months you will be taken to Buckingham Palace, in a carriage, beautifully dressed. If the king finds out you are not a lady, you will be taken to the Tower of London, where your head will be cut off as a warning to other presumptuous flower girls! But if you are not found out, you shall have a present... of, ah... seven and six to start life with as a lady in a shop. If you refuse this offer, you will be the most ungrateful, wicked girl, and the angels will weep for you.” Like Petruchio, Henry is beginning to “tame” Eliza.


“By George, she's got it! By George she's got it!” In both of these scenes we can see that Eliza has been molded into a beautiful aristocrat; she not only looks wealthy, she acts like it. The photo on right shows Eliza attending a horse race, in the scene on the left Eliza is attending a ball held by the queen. At the end of the scene on the right Henry says: “By George, she's got it! By George she's got it!” By saying “By George, she's got it!” Henry is implying that she has been tamed.


Petruchio confidently suggests a test to see which of the three new husbands has the most obedient wife. Each of them will send for his wife, and the one whose wife obeys first will be the winner….Finally, Grumio goes back to get Kate, and she returns at once, to the great surprise of all but Petruchio.” Much like the scene from “My Fair Lady, the fact that Katherina was the only one to come shows she's obedient. This shows the level of power that Petruchio has over Katherina.

In the end of Taming of the Shrew Bianca speaks out in front of her husband. In the beginning of the book Katherina would have stood by what her sister said, but instead she turned to Bianca and said: “Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper, Thy head, thy sovereign, one that cares for thee, And for thy maintenance commits his body To painful labour both by sea and land, To watch the night in storms, the day in cold, Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe, And craves no other tribute at thy hands But love, fair looks, and true obedience, Too little payment for so great a debt. . . .My mind hath been as big as one of yours, My heart as great, my reason haply more, To bandy word for word and frown for frown; But now I see our lances are but straws, Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare, That seeming to be most which we indeed least are. Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot, And place your hands below your husband’s foot, In token of which duty, if he please My hand is ready, may it do him ease.”  Katherina is saying that she’s  lucky to have Petruchio, she call him her lord, and that her role of the wife was to be obedient and loving. In this quote we learn that Katherina has been tamed. Petruchio managed to ruthlessly take advantage of Katherina and mold her into the “perfect” wife.


During the end of the movie, Eliza ends up coming back to Henry even though he treated her like an object, and like Katherina she became obedient. Eliza had become someone  that society would accept, she had become an aristocrat, just like Henry promised. In the last line of the movie Henry says without turning around: “ Eliza? Where the devil are my slippers?” This last line shows us that Henry’s mindset hasn’t changed.

The ending of both the book and the movie prove that women are still being taken advantage of and are still being tamed to be accepted in society. Although both women were quick with their words, they slowly gave in to ultimately please the people that were trying to “help” them.



Citations:

"Quotes." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058385/quotes>.


Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Taming of the Shrew Education Quotes." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.shmoop.com/taming-of-the-shrew/education-quotes.html>.







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Does Love Really Have Silver Linings?

In both “Taming of the Shrew” and “Silver Linings Playbook,” the text sends the message thatwe see that relationships aren’t something that can be forced. In Shakespeare’s play, Katherine is forced to be married off and Petruchio swears that she will be his wife, no matter what it takes. Her younger sister has several suitors after her, and her father will only let Bianca marry after someone takes Katherine. In Silver Linings Playbook, Pat is trying to repair a relationship he already had. After coming home to find his wife cheating on him, he ended up at an inpatient mental health facility where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He confesses to his court-ordered therapist he ended up in the hospital after he nearly beat his wife’s lover to death and his wife, Nikki, filed for a restraining order. Although he left the hospital against medical advice, and refuses to take medication he still holds on to the idea that there is hope in saving his relationship. In the end of Taming of the Shrew, Katherine ends up being a nice wife and they live happily ever after, whereas in Silver Lining's Playbook, at the end, we see that neither Tiffany nor Pat are still wearing their wedding rings.


When Pat returns to his home in Lansdale, PA, he meets up with his best friend, Ronnie. Ronnie introduces him to his sister-in-law, Tiffany. Tiffany and Pat develop a friendship quickly; they both share a history of mental health issues and their hatred of Trazadone. Pat quickly realizes that he can use Tiffany to communicate with Nikki and she offers to deliver his letter to Nikki if he agrees to be her partner for a dance competition. He agrees, and is using this dance competition to show Nikki he’s a changed man and worthy of her affection. Similarly to Petruchio's situation, he is being encouraged and helped by friends at his attempt to create a relationship where there isn’t one.



Dissimilarly to Petruchio, Pat isn’t able to talk to Nikki because of the restraining order against him. In order to talk to her, he gives a letter to Tiffany about how he’s a changed man. She responds with a typed letter saying that there is still hope and that she still loves him. His first attempt to reconcile things with him is by reading all of the books she teaches to her high school English class. He tells her in a letter that he finds the book rather depressing, while Nikki responds with ‘real life doesn't have happy endings, I’m teaching kids about the real world.’ He spends all night reading the works of Ernest Hemingway, both with Old Man and the Sea and The Sun Also Rises.


Although, more similarly to Petruchio and Katherine is the dynamic of Tiffany and Pat. Tiffany is recently widowed and unemployed. She eventually opens up about how her husband dies and how she lost her job. She confesses she wasn’t really into sex the few months before she lost her husband, and he died in a car crash on the way home from Victoria’s Secret, where he was buying her lingerie ‘hoping to get things going.’ After he died, she eased her depression by having sex with nearly everyone she worked with. This causes her to lose her job. Tiffany’s sister, Ronnie, is the nice one everyone wants. She has the perfect suburban life. Tiffany, however, does as she pleases. She’s the mean one until people get to know her. She wants Pat to love her, she even offers to let her “fuck her if she turns the lights off.” While Petruchio starves his wife and calls her Kate in an attempt to be more intimate with her, Tiffany offers sex shortly after they meet.


In this scene, Pertuchio is trying to convince Baptista that Katherine really loved him. One of the conditions that Baptista offered in order to marry Katherine is that she must also love him. He keeps calling her Kate, which is a nickname her father uses and is trying to flatter her. He's trying to win her love by complimenting her. Tiffany also does something similar to Pat. In order for Pat to talk to Nikki, he has play nice with Tiffany. Tiffany wants Pat to love her, and is using her upper hand to gain his affection.

"Come, Kate, we'll to bed.
Act V, Scene II

At the end of this all, Katherine is happy with what's going on. She's been tamed. At the end of Pat's story, there was no hope for him and Nikki. What happened before the hospital will never happen again. So he moved on with Tiffany. He finally quit wearing his wedding ring, and she stopped wearing his. Although in both Silver Linings and Shrew, they don't end up in the situation that they would have liked, everyone is happy.

Modern Relationships: Comparing Taming of the Shrew with Elf

“Taming of the Shrew” proves that the myth of romance  has been around for a long time. In the Shakespearean play, Petruchio wants to marry Katherine, and will not let anything stop him. In the 2003 holiday film “Elf,” the main character wants to go out with a woman he met in the city, but his naive, silly personality changes the outcome.

Petruchio and Buddy the Elf may have goals that are somewhat the same, but the tactics they use are quite different. Petruchio throws himself at Katherine and acts aggressive with the support of his friends. Buddy the Elf, however, is very silly, especially when he eventually asks his interest out on a date. These two situations show the different kinds of humor that love and romance have, but they also show the differences in which men treat women.  


“Thou must be married to no man but me. For I am he am born to tame you, Kate, And bring you from a wild Kate to a Kate conformable as other household Kates.”


(Act 2, Scene 1, Lines 290 - 293)


In this quote, Petruchio is confronting Katherine, demanding that he will marry her with nothing getting in his way. He is stating that he will eventually tame her, going from a “wild” Kate to a normal Kate. No other man will marry Katherine but Petruchio.


Another Petruchio, Buddy the Elf, finds himself in a somewhat similar situation, although the way he handles himself is very different.


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In the middle of the movie “Elf,” Buddy meets a beautiful employee in a little christmas store while wandering in the mall, and instantly develops a crush on her. Unlike Petruchio, Buddy doesn’t have the desire to ask someone out on a date until he meets the girl. Also the girl, Jovie, is similar to Katherine in this scene because she tried to avoid talking to anyone, including Buddy. She does this because she is “just trying to get through the holidays.” This fuels the humor in the movie, especially showing how innocent Buddy is.


“Now must the world point at poor Katherine and say ‘Lo, there is mad Petruchio’s wife, if it would please him come and marry her.’ “


(Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 18 - 20)


In this quote, Katherine is complaining to Tranio (disguised as Lucentio) that she cannot do anything to stop the marriage. She feels ignored and that no one wants to help her, and instead congratulate Petruchio for marrying her. In the time when the play was written, women were not treated with the respect that they deserved and were given little say in major decisions Katherine is treated like that in this scene.


However in Elf, Jovie seems to have been tamed much faster than Katherine.


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When Buddy attempts to ask Jovie out on a date, she actually says yes to him. He takes her all around New York, looking at christmas trees and ice skating. It is somehow these little things that cause Jovie to like Buddy back. It makes Buddy so happy that he runs into his father’s workspace and shouts, “I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it!” Not only does this moment compare to most modern relationships, it also compares to the way Petruchio treats Katherine. He forces himself on Katherine, destined to marry her, while Buddy treats Jovie with respect and has fun on his date.


That Buddy ends up with the girl he likes reinforces the idea that women have more control, as well as the man’s tactics to get the girl. While both Buddy and Petruchio and up with the girl, Petruchio only has a wife, but Buddy has even taught Jovie to step out of her comfort zone. She used to be afraid of singing in public, but learns that “the best way to spread christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.”

*inserts clever title related to Shrek 2 and Shrew*


Taming of the Shrew and Shrek 2


- Shrek 2 is the sequel to Shrek and it takes place in the kingdom of Far Far Away. There Fiona and Shrek meet Fiona’s parents and they do not approve of Shrek, their disapproval most visibly manifested in her father’s attitude towards Shrek. Her father, coerced by the Fairy God Mother, wishes for Fiona to marry the handsome Prince Charming, who, by all means, tries to gain Fiona’s love.  In the Taming of the Shrew which is set in Padua, Italy. The main character, Katherine is the daughter of the affluent Baptista, who wishes for her to marry a bachelor by the name of Petruchio. The submissive female has seemed to remain resilient in cinema despite all of significant progress made throughout the years. While these two texts differ in many ways, they both portray their female leads as submissive figures.


“If she and I be pleased, what's that to you?”

(Act 3, Scene 2, line 10-11)


The bachelor Petruchio was speaking to Baptista about his daugher,  Katherine’s, hand in marriage. While Baptista wanted Petruchio to marry Katherine, Baptista felt that Petruchio was coming across very strong in a short amount of time, hints the context of the quote. This quote objectifies Katherine because it does not acknowledge her whatsoever, this objectification is synonymous with submission in this case, as Katherine as an object is in a perpetual state of submission.


In this scene in Shrek 2, Shrek is arguing with Fiona’s father, after he comments on the living conditions Fiona is “subject to” living in a swamp. While doing this, Shrek and Fiona’s father are tearing their dinner to shreds (Not figuratively, but literally).


The situations are similar as both husbands (or future husbands) are the within the middle of a conflict with their wives’ fathers. However, Shrek is actually on the good side of Fiona, whereas Petruchio is not by any means on Katherine’s good side. In this scene specifically Shrek initially attempted to gain her father’s approval, as did Petruchio, but both ended up in some sort of conflict.


“My husband and my lord, my lord and husband; I am your wife in all obedience.”  - Katherine to dinner guests.


In the quote above, Katherine at a dinner party and has since married Petruchio and become ‘tamed’, now, Katherine is extremely submissive and telling the guests about her new found submission.


In the scene below, Shrek and Fiona are treading towards Fiona’s parents.


Shrek does not, by any means trying to meet Fiona’s, however, she becomes obedient and attempts to comfort him. As stated before, obedience is synonymous with submission.

The portrayals in both Shrek 2 and Shrew speak volumes to society’s views of women both past (in Shrew) and present. While we have many subversive depictions of female’s in cinema and pop culture, submissive depictions still exist, and this is due to the idea of patriarchy present in both Shrek and Shrew.


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.


When Love Doesn’t Come Now ~ Comparing The Taming of the Shrew to Forrest Gump

Shakespeare's “The Taming of the Shrew” is a testament that romance is possible but a relationship or even marriage might take some time. Often, difficult situations are what propels a relationship or the acceptance of a marriage proposal. In the play, Petruchio seeks to ‘thrive and have a wife’, but  Katherine resists his hand in marriage. Her fear of becoming an old maid finally compels her to accept his proposal. Similarly, in the 1994 movie “Forrest Gump”, the main character loved his best friend since a young child and seeks to date and marry her, however she refuses for several years because she doesn’t want to settle but to be independent. Her diagnosis of HIV/AIDS and the future of her son made her wise up and walk down the aisle with Forrest.


Despite the fact that Katherine and Jenny both refused to their suitors hand in a relationship and marriage in the beginning, their reasons were totally different. Katherine’s refusal is a facade or illusion that she used to mask her fear of never marrying and becoming an old maiden. Jenny’s resistance arises from her hedonistic desires to satisfy herself through freedom, expressionism, and drug abuse. These two circumstances create different reasons for having second thoughts and they also show that society’s thoughts on relationships and marriage has developed over the years. These works both show that women have more control over when to get enter into a relationship and marriage than they once did, however the harsh reality of being an “independent woman” often compels them to walk down the aisle.


“No shame but mine. I must, forsooth, be forced to give my hand, opposed against my heart.”

(Act III, Scene ii, 8-12)


In this quote, Katherine is complaining to Traino about Petruchio. Katherine claims that she is humiliated about being forced into marriage. She claims that he is a con artist that is in a hurry to get engaged. Petruchio wants to get married to Katherine because she comes from a wealthy family and she is available because no one wants to put up with her temper. He wasn’t marrying her based off of love.


In the movie Forrest Gump, Jenny finds herself in a similar situation. However, it is before the question of marriage is put in the air.


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Screen Shot 2015-04-20 at 1.51.08 PM

In this early scene from the movie, Jenny is scolding Forrest for trying to ‘save’ her from her a guy that she was having intimate relations with. She says, “Forrest you don’t have to do this for me. I am grown now.” Jenny goes on to say that she would not be in a relationship with him. Here Jenny wants to be free and express herself on her own. She is not ready to settle down and be with Forrest; she just wants to hook up with guys and not have any strings attached. Similar to Katherine, she refuses to be in a relationship. However, Jenny actually has the option to not be in a relationship. Katherine had to marry Petruchio not matter how she felt. This shows that a woman’s control over whether or not they entered in to a relationship has changed over throughout the centuries.


“She is your treasure, she must have a husband. I must dance barefoot on her wedding day; and, for your love to her, lead apes in hell.”

(Act II, Scene I, 32-34)



In this quote, Katherine is having an argument with her father about her younger sister, Bianca. She said that Bianca his her father’s treasure, and while her daughter gets married, she will dance barefoot on her wedding day. It is an old wives tale that if the younger of two sister’s get married first, than the older sister must dance barefoot at the sister’s wedding or risk never getting married. Here Katherine is implying that Bianca is the prized daughter who is destined to be married, while she will die an old maid. This is the incident compels Katherine to get married. She doesn’t want to die alone, so she will soon have to give into marrying Petruchio. Even though Katherine had little control over marriage, she did have control over her feelings concerning Petruchio. He would be her only hope of saving her from being an old maid, by marrying him.


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Screen Shot 2015-04-20 at 1.51.25 PM

In this, Jenny is sitting in a park with Forrest looking after the child that they share. This is the moment when Jenny reveals that she has HIV/AIDS and won’t have much time left to live. Then she finally asks him to marry her. This is the incident that pushes Jenny to marry Forrest. Because she only has little time left with Forrest and her son needs someone to take care of him, she has to marry Forrest. Similar to Katherine, she finally decides to marry the man that sought her hand in marriage. This shows that a woman’s control over marriage has changed because Jenny had more control than Katherine on whether she wanted to marry. It took her many years to marry Forrest and she switched the gender roles by asking Forrest to marry her, instead of him asking her to marry him.


The fact that Jenny finally asks Forrest to marry her in the end of the movie fortifies that theory that women have more power to chose whether or not they want to be in a relationship or marriage. The “Taming of the Shrew” ends with Katherine wed to Petruchio and ‘tamed’. She no longer is a wild-tongued woman she used to be, but is a ‘faithful servant’ to her husband. “Forrest Gump” ends with Jenny and Forrest happily married after many years of lost love. Although she ultimately dies, Jenny made the decision to spend her last days to married to Forrest.



WORKED CITED:

  • "Taming of the Shrew: Entire Play." Taming of the Shrew: Entire Play. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. 
  • "MOVIE ONLINE." Forrest Gump. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. 

"To love her just the way she isn't"

“To love someone just the way they aren’t”

The taming of the shrew and Bridget Jones' Diary



Taming of the shrew analyzing Bridget Jones’ movie from her point of view marc darcies and daniel cleaver ‘Bridget Jones’ diary focuses’ on Bridget a working woman who is struggling to find a man. She meets  Mark Darcy and finds him to be incredibly rude to her, and later becomes the girlfriend of Daniel Cleaver who cheats on her with another woman but it constantly reminds Bridget of her inadequacies. While “Bridget Jones’ Diary” Shows supposedly shows the story of a “modern woman,” these customs of marriage especially for a woman is the only way she will be deemed successful.




“ Kate of my consolation Hearing thy mildness praised in every town,Thy virtues spoke of, and thy beauty sounded,

Yet not so deeply as to thee belongs,”



Petruchio is talking to Katherine about how he will woo her, this is also the point where he is starving her and telling her it’s because she deserves better. This is exactly similar to what Daniel Cleaver does towards the end of his relationship with Bridget where he, allows himself to cheat on her and tells her it’s simply because she is far too good for him.  This is exactly similar to what Daniel Cleaver does towards the end of his relationship with Bridget where he, allows himself to cheat on her and tells her it’s simply because she is far too good for him.  However his torture of her allows for him to control her. At which point she eventually rebels from his tactics and kicks him to the curb after he fights with Mark Darcy.





In this scene Bridget's mom has introduced Bridget and Mark, and leaves them to have a conversation. Mark is obviously not interested in Bridget as she tries to make the situation less awkward by talking about how awkward the situation they both are in is, and in turn makes it that much more awkward. She leaves and Mark insults her loud enough for her to hear it. In this scene in particular mark is most similar to Katherine, he is unmoved by this ‘suitor’ that his mom has placed upon him trying in trying to pressure him into getting married or have a girlfriend. Katherine is the same way, where she acts awful and nasty towards every man that has tried to woo her in order for her to marry before her sister even though she has no desire too. This shows that the custom of marriage for Bridget is much more embarrassing that she is single than it is for Mark Darcy. Although we compare Mark’s attitude to that of Katherines’ it is Bridget who ultimately ends up the victim to the cruel harsh words of Darcy, while Katherine appeared ridiculous and rude to not want such a suitor.


“Sir, understand you this of me in sooth The youngest daughter whom you hearken for Her father keeps from all access of suitors,

And will not promise her to any man”



This is the scene where petruchio has already been asked to win over Katherine in order to free Bianca’s eligibility and he is talking to Baptista who is the father of both girls. This plays on the traditional customs of Women who are unable to chose their own husbands. While Baptista does eventually tell Petruchio that Katherine must love him, it remains unclear if she ever does, or merely accepted her fate. This custom has not been completely diminished the approval of the father within relationships from a father figure or “Man of the house” is often something that society looks for within a stable home. A man is not good if dad doesn’t approve. This is the difference that we find with Bridget in her movie.




In this scene, Mark darcy and Daniel Cleaver are both fighting over Bridget, Daniel has just come from his home showing up randomly to announce how he feels about Bridget and to apologize to her for the awful ordeal he caused her. Prior to Bridget and Mark, and Daniel meeting Daniel Cleaver were already friends with Mark and lost touch after Daniel had an affair with Mark’s Fiance but told Bridget that the opposite happened. In this particular situation Bridget is both Bianca and Baptista and Katherine, She has been warped and pressured into making a decision to date someone throughout the film, and now has to make the decision of whom she wants to marry at the same time while being the most wanted girl. This is supposed to show the example of good guy V.S. bad guy within this scene however their is no concern for the choice of Bridget, and while she is the protagonist her entire life revolves around having a man in it. This shows how, even though we change the times and the rolls and allude to the idea that the decision is all Bridgets. What we actually see is that it is much prettier to see who is more deserving of her and judge her for the selection that she makes. Much like in Shrew how it was never Biancas decision to be married or not, it was simply to whom. Bridgets worth is completely diminished if she does not chose a man. But it is not her choice where her worth comes from.


Both the taming of the shrew and Bridget Jones diary emphasize the idea that a woman's worth is in her man. Society likes the to have the idea of a happy ending being with a man period. Noth the realisation that a women could be beautiful without one, or have worth on her own. However that is not the case. These portrayals show us that the institutions of marriage are the only way for anyone to achieve security in their lives. At the end of the movie Mark Darcy tells Bridget that he is in love with her just the way she is, after she has changed completely.


She's The Man (but she used to be the women)

She’s The Man (but she used to be the woman)

Taming of The Shrew and She’s The Man

The Shakespeare classic, "The Taming of the Shrew", shows the relationship between romance and obedience has been around for centuries. In the play, the crazy- neurotic and dominant Petruchio seeks to win Katherine’s love through obedience, despite her persistence independence. In the 2006 movie, “She’s The Man”, the main character Viola has an ex-boyfriend Justin with the same mindset as Petruchio--and she’s just as stubborn as Katherine, and also just as sneaky.


Though Katherine and Viola share some emotions and personality traits, their situations- and end goals- are very different. Katherine never wanted marriage, never wanted to allow a man to have control over her, and while Viola want’s the same, she has a guy in mind she believes is her happily ever after. Katherine is forced into marriage to Petruchio  as he lied about her father immediately promising her over, and as he begins to train her, she also tricks him. Viola has to overcome the fact that her ex-boyfriend Justin is actually a controlling jerk, and her new love Duke likes Oliva, the good debutant that obeys. The snapping with both characters possess in their disobedience provide similar humor despite different generations, showing the similarities between our past and present societies. These text reflect that in today’s world, women are able to make their own choices, fighting and disobeying man’s demands more than they once did, but society still deems it acceptable for the man to try and control the women. Both generation of men believe the women should accept the man’s request to obey, but women have other ideas.


Petruchio- “Sirrah Grumio, go to your mistress, Say I command her to come to me.” [Enter Katherine]

Baptista- “Now by my holidan, here comes Katherina!”

Petruchio-“Go fetch them hither...Away, I say, and bring them hither straight... Nay, I will win my wager better yet, and show more sign of her obedience, Her new-built virtue and obedience [Enter Katherine, Bianca and Widow] Katherine, that cap of yours becomes you not. Off with that bauble, throw it underfoot [she obeys].”

(Act x, Scene x, line numbers)


In this quote, taken from the ending scene of the play, Petruchio and his father and brother in law make a wager of whose wife will be obedient and run to them when they call. Everyone bet against Katherine, because of how “mean” and disobedient she appeared to be because she did not want to marry. It turned out she was the only wife to come right away when her husband called for her. She then gives a long speech to the other wives about obeying their husband, begging the question- did she actually submit her obedience or does she hold more power over the man then they realize? Viola finds herself with the same choice as Katherine- listen to her man or do as she pleases?


In this early scene from "She’s The Man," we see that Viola has a love for soccer- something she shares with her boyfriend Justin. Her school cut the girls soccer team, yet allowed the boys soccer team to stay. When the sexist coach refuses to turn the team coed, Justin makes a cruel mistake and misjudgement about his girlfriend-he assumed she would obey. “Justin-“Viola! End of discussion!” Teammate-“Yeah, tell her, man.” Viola-“Fine. End of relationship.” Justin- “Come on, let's go. - Baby, don't be like that. I...I just don't want to see you get hurt.” “You are so full of...” After the sexist comments from both the coach and Justin, Viola breaks up with Justin and doesn’t fall for his excuses, giving the audience the first glance of the fire in her character. Upset that nobody seen anything wrong with the coaches logic or words, she slumps home to her awaiting mother.


Gremio-“She’s too rough for me.- There, there, Hortensio, will you any wife?

Katherine [to Baptista]- “I pray you, sir, is it your will To make a stale of me amongst these mates?

Hortensio- ““Mates”, maid? How mean you that? No mates for you, Unless you were of gentler, milder mold.”

(Act x, Scene x, line numbers)


In this quote, Gremio and Hortensio, two suitors of Bianca, Katherine’s little sister, they explain that Katherine is too mean and rough for them- or any man. They believe her to be ungentle because she does not aspire to marriage, and is opinionated in her life and choices. As these men talk about her, unkindly, she turns to her father, upset that she has to endure the pressure of marriage and submitting to a man. She had already made it clear to her father she had no desire to marry, but until she does, he is not allowing her much admired little sister too be bethroved. The doppelganger spirit of Katherine, Viola, finds herself in similar uncomfortable situations throughout the movie, despite her efforts to avoid the other’s persistence.



As viola arrived home, her mother was waiting for her with several dramatic dresses. Her mother, a well known debutant, wants Viola to follow in her footsteps and embrace the debutant life. Viola had already told her mother she enjoyed sports and ball shorts more than dresses and tea party’s, but her mother ignored her request and continues to manipulate her into debutant duties. Her mother is so invested in the debutants because of Viola’s father, believing debutants get more attention from men and make for better wives. Viola’s mother continues to compare Viola to Olivia, a obedient debutant who has won the attention of Duke, the new boy Viola has a crush on.


By enforcing the “female” stereotype that to get a man’s attention you must be obedient, pretty and well put together, the audience can see how society hasn’t changed much. But by allowing Viola to show her character, as Katherine did, and fight back, the audience is also able to realize that obedience to the man is oppressing to women even if they “submit” their will. Even when the women fought back, those around them did not view the man’s actions as wrong, leaving us wondering if it is an accurate depiction of present day society. Viola ends the movie with both the man and soccer- begging the question, why did she have to fight the man so hard? But she won, and she becomes the man.



Gonna Wife My Baby, Gonna Tame Her Right

Analyzing “Afternoon Delight” in light of “The Taming of the Shrew”

In “The Taming of the Shrew”, quieting a sharp-tongued Katherine becomes the dire task for her resolute and relentless suitor, Petruchio. Her father, Baptista, is a man of great wealth, and Petruchio shows that his true endgame is not Katherine, but her dowry. The entire play is one that pinpoints the expectations of men and women in relationships, and further, a woman’s place in society.

A few modern comparisons can be made in “Afternoon Delight,” a romantic comedy-drama that released in 2013. In the film, Rachel and Jeff are a married couple who take the advice of their wayward friends to go to a strip club to inject new passion into their marriage. They take a trip to Sam’s Hofbrau, where Rachel gets a lap dance from a very young McKenna. When McKenna mentions that she’s 19, Rachel feels immediately sympathetic and decides to take it upon herself to bring her out of the lifestyle she leads. When Rachel brings McKenna home, various incidents create shifts between Rachel, her husband and her acquaintances. During the movie, she often questions whether or not she wants to be married because of McKenna’s presence in the house.  

The play  illustrates a woman who speaks her mind despite the stigma placed on her gender to do so, and  “Afternoon Delight” explores a woman’s battle with the expectations men place on women in marriage. While the idea of romance and marriage has changed throughout time, both “The Taming of the Shrew” and Afternoon Delight prove that a woman is still expected to play specific roles in a marriage and within society, despite the progress from patriarchy that has been made.


“For I am he am born to tame you, Kate, and bring you from a wild Kate to a Kate conformable as other household Kates.”
- Petruchio, Act 2. Sc 1. Line 291-293


In this particular scene, Petruchio is first meeting Kate. All that he knew about her were rumors from others of her sharp speech and copious dowry; upon meeting her, they exchanged a fast-paced competition of words, which Petruchio gained the upper hand of. Just before Katherine’s father walks in to see that his daughter and future son-in-law were properly courted, Petruchio says the statement above. Comparatively,


This can be compared to a major plot point in Afternoon Delight, where Rachel mentions that she needs to “save McKenna from her life of sex-work.  In the scene pictured above, McKenna is telling Rachel and her best friend Stephanie (who advocated for Rachel to go to the strip club in the first place) about her escapades with various men- young and old, she calls them her clients. She mentions the money she is paid for the work that she does through playing into men’s desires and wooing them in her way. Rachel and Stephanie both look at McKenna sideways; being middle-class mothers from sunny California, a woman’s work is quiet and respectable- not that of a prostitute, which Stephanie condescendingly calls McKenna.  In this situation, McKenna can be seen as the wild and unruly Katherine, content with her life, proudly working in a field controlled by men. Although she doesn’t speak as harshly as Katherine, McKenna’s backlash isn’t a verbal one- her backlash is largely against societal standards and how a woman should act. Throughout the movie, McKenna is side-eyed, her presence is laced with Petruchio’s distaste of Katherine lies within her outspokenness and pushback against the status quo and standards of society at the time. Throughout the play, he wishes to make Kate a respectable woman- one of both stature and restless obedience toward her husband.

At a later time during the play Katherine shows a completely new side of herself:

“I am ashamed that women are so simple to offer war where they should kneel for peace or seek for rule, when they are bound to serve, love and obey. Why are our bodies soft and weak and smooth, unapt to toil and trouble in the world, but that our soft conditions and our hearts should well agree with our external parts?”
- Katherine, Act 5. Scene 2, Lines 176-184


One of the most heart-wrenching quotes for any headstrong woman to read, this quote is a clear sign of Petruchio’s brainwashing in full swing. Earlier in Act 5, Katherine was only tipping into submission, more or less so that she didn’t have to deal with Petruchio’s obscene wishes and desires. However, in this scene, Petruchio- having the love and gratitude of Katherine’s father in full- tells Katherine to show the other women in the scene how things are really done in a marriage. She lashes out against the women, telling them that their true place is obedience and submission. This is an example of Katherine advocating for the wishes of a man and his expectations within a marriage. In the same light,


in the scene pictured above, Rachel is drunkenly lamenting to her “friends” about how she only has one child immediately after Stephanie tries to bring up the fact that she’s having another baby. The most interesting part of her maudlin confession is that Rachel says and does all of the right things around the other moms, but this drunken stuper seems to eject all of the words she’s been holding on her tongue.

“You will all have three children, and I have one. Just one,” she almost yells angrily, seeking empathy in a place where it simply won’t be offered. The assumption that can be made during this scene is that the drudges of her marriage and amount of sexual tension is manifesting negatively with each thing she says while drunk. She says what she truly feels- and those feelings are those expectations of a good, healthy marriage weighing on her shoulders. She makes each woman in the room feel bad for their bounty, unleashing a cornucopia of unkempt thoughts. Just as Katherine lashed out against the women in the scene from “Shrew,” Rachel lashes out against the women in “Afternoon Delight”- and they’re both doing it because of those weighty preconceptions of how women are supposed to be in relationships.


“The Taming of the Shrew” was written over 400 years ago, but still connects to “Afternoon Delight” with comedic moments both light and dark. Both works are laced with drama, but the greater comparison can be made when there is a realization that both of these romantic “dramedies” touch on one elephant in the room: for centuries, men have, and still do, dictate the way women choose to present themselves- not only in relationships, but as a woman in general. Petruchio aims to woo and tame Katherine, trying to shove her on the “right” path to a “perfect” relationship. In the first scene, Rachel and her friend can be compared to Petruchio, trying to push an untamed McKenna into the light. In the second scene, Rachel can be compared to Katherine, with a ruthless Petruchio yelling through her subconscious. At the end of the movie, despite a breakup with her husband, a falling out with most of her friends, and an end to her relationship with McKenna, Rachel ends up happy and comfortable with married life- void of those expectations that were holding her back.


The Taming of That Awkward Moment by Sergei Mass




The Taming of That Awkward Moment



The play is Taming of the Shrew and the movie is That Awkward Moment. It features Jason and Daniel, both single players living in Manhattan when their best friend Mickey is splitting up from his wife. Mickey got married young and never experience the young and fun life of meeting new people like Jason and Daniel have. The three men go out to have fun and help Mickey get over his splitting up with his wife. Jason and Daniels plan was to stay single till then...


These two texts are similar because in the end, everybody wants to get married to each other. In the movie, however, the men hide their desire to get married because they are being seen as players. The men in the movie like to hide their desire because they want to make it seem to the audience and each other that they fulfill the stereotype that men do not have feelings.





"PETRUCHIO

Tell me her father's name and 'tis enough;

For I will board her, though she chide as loud

As thunder when the clouds in autumn crack."




In the play, Petruchio was keen on impressing Katherines father. He wanted him to know that he would take care of his daughter. Unlike in the movie where Daniel is not the type to impress his lady friend’s parents. In a way he embarrassed himself.



In this scene, Daniel is at Thanksgiving dinner at his undercover girlfriend Chelseas parent’s house. He is talking with Chelsea’s mother about what he does for a living. He then said a joke about his job that he works at Google. Then at that point Chelsea’s father walks up and says “You got a job at Google?” and Daniel responds with “No, no, no it’s just not..” and her dad interrupts with “Possible”. Here it reveals that Daniel is not the type to impress his girl’s dad. He does not prove a great deal that he is the one and has a promising future. It might be that Daniel does not want to be very open about his relationship or that he does not see it lasting too long.




"PETRUCHIO

Why, there's a wench! Come on, and kiss me, Kate.

LUCENTIO

Well, go thy ways, old lad; for thou shalt ha't.

VINCENTIO

'Tis a good hearing when children are toward.

LUCENTIO

But a harsh hearing when women are froward.

PETRUCHIO

Come, Kate, we'll to bed.

We three are married, but you two are sped.”




In this scene Petruchio is being open about his love for Katherine with his friends. He is talking about kissing her and talking about going to bed with her. They are newlyweds and are crazy in love. Unlike in the book, the characters in the movie are not open with their love.  




In this scene in the movie, Daniel and Chelsea are laying in bed at Chelsea’s house. They are cuddling and talking about their live and Chelsea brings up Daniel’s friends. She then asks “What have you told them?” and he says “Oh… everything.” The audience knows that Daniel is not being honest with Chelsea. In the book Petruchio is very open about his love life with his friends and he feels that showing his feelings does not affect how “manly” he is and he does not really care what others think. He only cares about his feelings for Katherine.


That Awkward Moment and The Taming of the Shrew help perpetuate the stereotypes and societies views on the love life of men. Unlike the play Taming of the Shrew, Daniel and Jason are not very open about their relationships. They like to be seen as players and not seen a the type to settle down and have feelings. Where in the play, Petruchio is very open to his friends about his live life. In fact he plotted to get his wife with his friends.


Relationships Can Be Changed But Not Tamed


(Comparing "Taming of the Shrew" to "Date Night")


The book “The Taming of The Shrew” follows the story of three men, Hortensio, Lutencio and Petruchio, and two women, Bianca and Katherine, who struggle to find a romance in the city of Padua. More in particular, the character named Petruchio is determined to marry the daughter of Baptista; Katherine. Petruchio, desperately going to any lengths to make Katherine his wife, will also attempt to change her in the process. Both the movie Date Night and Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew demonstrate the idea that starting a relationship and changing a pre-existing one cannot simply be forced upon.

“Forward, I pray, since we have come so far,

And be it moon, or sun, or what you please;

And if you please to call it a rush-candle,

Henceforth I vow it shall be so for me.”


(Act 4, Sc. 5, 14)


To tame Kate, Petruchio uses psychological methods, rather than aggressive or barbaric ones. Using highly sophisticated, psychological methods to tame Katherine allow her to keep her witty personality while remaining happy with Petruchio. In this scene, Petruchio makes a comment about the moon being so bright while Katherine attempts to assure him its not nighttime yet. Petruchio argues with Kate and Hortensio insists to Katherine that she simply agrees with him or else they arguement will not end.  Petruchio controls Katherine in order to have the marriage he wants. As for Phil and Claire Foster, they want to continue to have a healthy marriage and will do anything to do so.Screen Shot 2015-04-17 at 10.28.24 AM.png

In this scene of Date Night, Phil Foster and Claire Foster are on their way to a restaurant for their night out. Forcing themselves to feel better about the situation, they both try to make each other feel comfortable in the situation.


“Then, God be bless'd, it is the blessed sun;

But sun it is not, when you say it is not;

And the moon changes even as your mind.

What you will have it nam'd, even that it is,

And so it shall be so for Katherine. “


(Act 4, Sc. 5, 21)


After being in the argument about the moon and sun, Petruchio successfully gets Katherine to agree to his opinion. This scene symbolizes the two characters and their relationship throughout the entire play. Petruchio wants to maintain the marriage he wants and is not afraid to change Katherine in order to do so. In result, it forms an unhealthy relationship.


In this scene of Date Night, Phil and Claire arrive late to a fancy restaurant and are not able to get a table. While waiting in line for a table, Phil takes somebody else’s reservations so that him and his wife are able to enjoy their date night. Phil wants to rekindle the relationship between him and his wife and is willing to do anything to make sure its secure. This scene not only presents the plot to the story line, but a comedic backdrop to remind the audience of it’s genre.


While both Petruchio and Phil Foster wanted to perfect the relationship they both strived for, neither relationship was mended with the actions the characters took.

In conclusion, both the movie Date Night and Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew demonstrate the idea that starting a relationship and changing a pre-existing one cannot simply be forced upon.