Bianca: Gamut I am the ground of all accord:

[A re] to plead Hortensios passion;

[B mi] Bianca, take him for thy lord,

[C fa ut,] that loves with all affection;

(Act 3, Scene 2, Line 77 - 80)

Bianca: Unbind my hands, I'll pull them off myself,...Or what you will command me will I do, So well I know my duty to my elders.

Katherine: Of all thy suitors here I charge thee tell. Whom thou lov'st best. See thou dissemble not.

Bianca: If you affect him, sister, here I swear. I'll plead for you myself, but you shall have him.

(Act 2, Scene 11, Line 4 - 15)

In the "The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare, the characters Petruchio and Katherine were a couple who faced lots of complications before they fell in love. In the movie "Notting Hill”, William and Anna were a couple who fell in love too, despite all of their complications, even though Anna was an actress and William was just a bookstore clerk. Anna sacrificed her paraded life to be with him. In both the play and the movie, there were two separate lives, but William and Anna were in love when they first meet. Compared to Petruchio and Katherine, who weren't in love when they met. Petruchio forced Katherine to get married. In the end, Katherine falls in love with Petruchio and made sacrifices, just as Anna did, but Petruchio’s disregard for her feelings meaning their love is not genuine. These texts reflect that if one person truly loves another person, then he or she will overcome challenges and make sacrifices to make the other happy.

In the movie “Notting Hill” audiences are introduced to two characters William Thacker and Anna Scott. The couple has it rocky start from the beginning. But one thing that brought the couple closer was their first date. Anna and William plans for their first date was sure to be romantic but seconds before the plan was cemented William remembers he had plans for his sister birthday. Anna asks her assistant to move around her actoral duty to be able to attend a dinner at the home of William’s best friend and ex-lover. Anna had to sacrifices the normal comfort and quantity of a date she is used to. Anna is used to dating big time film and television actors who take her on expensive dates around people who are also famous. She didn’t have to deal with people’s alarm in the past but because now she was dining with locals she must handle the extra attention they pay to her despite her discomfort. William is very comfortable at the party dealing with his best friends and the games that they play. If Anna wasn’t ready to sacrificed her normal comfortability in a date she would have never loved William for himself in all forms. She would have never have gotten to know “floppy” (High school nickname of William). She would have only ever know William.

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

(Act iii, Scene i, 8-9)

In this scene, Katherine says she doesn’t want to marry Petruchio. Since she is not in love with him. Petruchio has to force Katherine to love him, as well as marry him. Initially, Katharine is not content with the fact that she must marry. She had to be persuaded to marry a man she didn’t love, this shows societies view on male ideas on courtship and/or dating. At the beginning of the play, Katherine said it will be a shame for her to be with someone who she does not love but by the end of the play, she gives up on this concept. Initially Katherine believes that her hand in marriage should only belong to someone to whom she can also give her heart. Katherine struggles to get over the fact that she is not truly in love with Petruchio, while Petruchio is ready to marry Katherine knowing he wasn’t in love with her. He is ready to marry her for the challenges that it will bring forth. Her idea of courtship is that it should be mutual consent. However, by the end of the play, she accepts that in her situation, Petruchio’s desire to be with her gives her no opinion in the matter. His idea of courtship is that it should on the men desire for a women.Since Katherine’s ideas on courtship and marriage have not been satisfied, she and Petruchio cannot be in love.

In the play “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare and in the movie “Notting Hill”, each of the characters make critical sacrifices and take on challenges in the name of true love. However, whether or not the love is authentic depends on the character’s actions and intentions. William and Anna are genuine with each other and sacrifice for each other.  In their relationship all they want is to make each other happy. Petruchio does not sacrifice for Katherine, only Katherine does giving up her independence. Her intention is to make him happy by being loyal to him, Petruchio’s intentions are not to take care of Katherine and her happiness, but to tame her. Petruchio marries Katherine despite her protest to gain her dowry. Therefore, only couples who truly love each other seek to make the other happy without self-interest.

Work cited

Shakespeare, William, and D. J. Donovan. The Taming of the Shrew: Shakespeare. W. B. Clive, University Tutorial Press, 1929.

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

In William Shakespeare’s play "The Taming of the Shrew", relationships are only seen as a status symbol and possessions. Suitor Petruchio only wants to be with Katherine to prove his manliness and assert dominance. He cares more about having her as a possession and gaining status in Padua more than he cares about her as an actual person. He wants the money and glory that comes with marrying Katherine, he has no interest in actually loving her.

In the cult classic “She’s All That”, Zack Siler’s girlfriend Taylor Vaughn breaks up with him after coming back from Daytona Beach from Spring Break. Taylor is dating a reality television star, Brock Hudson and tells Zack that she can’t be with him anymore. Zack, fearful of losing his status as popular and wanting to prove that he’s still “top dog”, agrees to a seemingly impossible bet to turn any girl popular due to the association. He accepts a challenge from his shady friend Dean to get the “scary and inaccessible” outcast Laney Boggs to fall for him and become the school’s prom queen.

These texts reflect the timeless theme that both men and women use their relationships as a way to maintain or improve social status. Whether if it’s for proving their machismo to their peers or trying to earn notoriety and wealth, people will use their significant others as a stepping stone to get what they really want; a higher position in society.

PETRUCHIO: "And therefore, if thou know

One rich enough to be Petruchio’s wife,

As wealth is a 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."

(Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 51-62 )

This quote is said shortly after Petruchio arrives in Padua from his town Verona. He tells his friend Hortensio that he has come to Padua in search of a wife who is wealthy. He is then pointed in the direction of Katherine. He is warned about her unattractive attitude but decides to brush it off. He doesn’t care that she’s a shrew, he’s just in it for money. This passage of text reveals Petruchio’s true intentions. He doesn’t need to marry someone he actually loves or someone who is gorgeous. He wants to marry someone who is rich because he wants to enjoy the same luxury since worrying about money is a burden for him. He wants to marry someone for the status that comes with it.

In the film, “She’s All That” mean girl Taylor Vaughn also uses relationships as a way to gain notoriety and to improve her status.

In this scene of the film, Taylor is explaining to Zach why she has to break up with him. She explains that when she went to Daytona Beach over spring break she ended up meeting reality television star Brock Hudson and claimed that they were “meant to be”. Although Brock isn’t that handsome or intelligent, the audience realizes that Taylor wants to be with him because he has a higher position in society, being a celebrity. However, Taylor is still concerned with maintaining her hierarchy in school so she tells Zach that they should still go to prom together because it’s only right that the two most popular people will be crowned king and queen. Similar to Petruchio, Taylor wants to live a luxurious lifestyle and achieves that by entering relationships with those who have a higher rank. She doesn’t care about Brock’s looks or intellect. Her main concern is his social status.

PETRUCHIO: “And therefore [for] assurance, let’s each one send unto his wife, and he whose wife is most obedient to come at first when he doth send for her shall win the wager which we will propose."

(Act 5, Scene 2, Lines 67-69)

During Bianca’s wedding, Baptista, Lucentio, and Hortensio are all teasing Petruchio about having a shrew for a wife. In order to prove them wrong, Petruchio comes up with a wager that whoever’s wife comes when she is called, will win twenty crowns. Hortensio and Lucentio accept this bet because they know Kate’s personality and that she is very headstrong. They believe that there is no way that she will come once she is called. Petruchio does this a way to not only assert his dominance over Katherine but to prove his machismo to his friends. He wants them to know that when it comes to manliness, he holds a higher status over them because of his ability to manipulate women and to be able to tame Katherine. He wants to prove his hierarchy over his male companions.

Popular jock Zach Siler agrees to a bet as a way to prove his machismo to his friends as well.

This scene of the film occurs after Taylor has publicly broken up with Zach. The audience can see that Zach is trying to keep his masculinity intact, by saying “There are over 2,000 girls in this school and I can bump uglies with every one of them.” Dean (Zach’s friend) decides to use this opportunity to present a bet. Zach has 6 weeks to get any girl of Dean’s choosing to fall in love with him and turn her into the prom queen. Zach agrees as a way to prove his manliness to Dean. Similar to how Petruchio’s actions were able to “tame” Katherine, Zach has the ability to manipulate women so that they will conform to his standards and he can improve what he truly cares about; his status and his hierarchy over others. Zach wants to do this because he wants to maintain his popularity after being publicly disgraced by Taylor.

Petruchio:

“Why came I hither but to that intent?

Think you a little din can daunt mine ears?

Have I not in my time heard lions roar?

Have I not heard the sea, puffed up with winds,

Rage like an angry boar chafèd with sweat?

Have I not heard great ordnance in the field,

And heaven’s artillery thunder in the skies?”

(Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 170-176)

In this scene of “Shrew,” Petruchio has just told Gremio that he knows of Katherine and that he knows of her scolding and harsh demeanor, yet that won’t stop him from pursuing her. The reader can see that he isn’t phased by her because he has been in difficult situations before, so handling a woman like Katherine is the least of his worries. This allows the readers to see that proving his manliness is all that matters to Petruchio. He wants the status that comes along with “taming” a woman like Katherine. When he proves his manliness, it makes him feel higher than others.

In the film, Dean Sampson decides to insert himself into the bet as a way to gain notoriety as well and to prove his manliness over Zach. He thinks he can do this by trying to sleep with Laney before he does.

In this scene of the film, the audience witnesses a dispute between Zach and Dean after their team loses a soccer game. Dean says that Zach hasn’t been on his game because he hasn’t “gotten any action lately”. It is then revealed to the audience that Dean is tired of watching Zach walking around school like a god, receiving all of the fame and glory for managing to form a relationship with the newly popular Laney. He wants to change the conditions of the bet and decides to put himself in the running as a way to sabotage Zach. He also does it because he is tired of being in Zach’s shadow and wants to prove that he is just as good as Zach and worthy of being more popular. Dean believes that once he enters a relationship with Laney and manages to sleep with her, it will help improve his social status and knock Zach off his high horse. Just like Petruchio, Dean wants to be known as the guy who “tamed the Shrew” (hooked up with Laney first) as a way to prove his machismo and to gain a higher position over Zach.

Humans have always felt the need to compete with each other, which is why they have to prove that they are higher not only in historical periods but in modern society as well.  In “The Taming of the Shrew”, Petruchio only wanted a relationship with Katherine for money and as a way to prove his machismo and his “shrew taming” abilities. He did it to earn notoriety and hierarchy over his male counterparts. In the film “She’s All That”, the characters Zach, Taylor, and Dean all seem to play the role of Petruchio and use people as a way to improve their social status or to prove their rank over those around them.The text and film both show us that relationships are built on what you can provide for the other person. People won’t enter a relationship unless it is beneficial to them.

Works Cited:

She’s All That. Dir. Robert Iscove. Miramax, 1999. SolarMovie. Web. 13 April 2018.

Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. William Shakespeare, 1770.

A Comparison of “The Taming of A Shrew” to “The Parent Trap, 1998”

All throughout “The Taming of the Shrew,” The scholar Lucentio uses a falsified identity in order to woo the beloved Bianca without her father’s interference. Several others characters of the play also change their name and status to either support Lucentio’s ruse or woo Bianca themselves. Although Lucentio lied to the others about his identity at first, he immediately told Bianca upon their first meeting, which resulted in successful courtship. Similarly, in the 1998 film “The Parent Trap,” reunited twin sisters Hallie and Annie, who have been unaware of each others' existence due to their divorced parents separating them since infancy, also switch identities secretly, but in order to meet the other parent for the first time. They also plan to use the switch in order to get their parents to meet face-to-face and fall in love, so they can be a family again. However, there is another more malignant false identity in this movie. When the twins’ father reveals that he wants to marry the gold digger and child-despiser Meredith, the girls must also work together to reveal her true identity to her fiancé. This play and movie reflect that although it was easy for audiences to accept that lying to win one's hand in Shakespeare's time was okay, by the time “The Parent Trap” came out in theaters, it became less effective in winning someone's heart.

"Love wrought these miracles. Bianca’s love

Made me exchange my state with Tranio,

While he did bear my countenance in the town,

And happily I have arrivèd at the last

Unto the wishèd haven of my bliss.

What Tranio did, myself enforced him to.

Then pardon him, sweet father, for my sake."

(Act 5, Scene 1, Lines 127 - 133)

At this time in the play, Lucentio is apologizing to his father and Bianca’s father for marrying Bianca without his consent, in addition to explaining why Tranio had lied that Vincentio was a fake in order to preserve Lucentio and the Merchant’s fake cover stories. He stated that all his actions; dressing up as a schoolmaster, charging Tranio to pretend to be him, wooing Bianca without her family knowing, setting up a fake Vincentio to ensure that the Minola family would receive a dowry, and more was all in the name of love. This argument somehow meant his logic was irrefutably justified. The extreme reasoning for almost having his father sent to jail and ditching the education his father was paying for was naturally acceptable 430 years ago. Although Lucentio lied a lot in order to win Bianca’s hand, this play was written so the reader would perceive his reasoning as not only simple, but correct.

On the other hand, “The Parent Trap” makes a big deal out of making it obvious to the audience that pretending to be someone you’re not doesn’t usually work out for you. The movie looks down on the character Meredith Blake, as she is only marrying Nick Parker for his money and is not actually in love with him. This intention is confirmed in a scene where Meredith tells her father to behave because, “He’s everything you ever wanted for your little girl, plus millions more.” This sentence insinuated that Meredith is only interested in Nick for the millions he has.

Towards the end of the movie, Hallie and Annie have resorted to playing a series of pranks on Meredith in order to basically make her life miserable. The last trick that they played on Meredith was to drag her blow up mattress into the lake to float there all night. When she woke up the next morning, she was in the middle of the lake, confused and angry. When she managed to drag herself out of the water, she explained that once Nick and her were married, the twins would be sent off to Switzerland. She furiously demanded that Nick choose between the twins or her. This demand alerted Nick to her true nature, and he chose his daughters. Meredith threw her engagement ring at him and left town. This movie tells the audience that lying about your true nature to your partner isn’t the best choice in a relationship and that it will often go wrong for you as it did for Meredith.

“Fear not, Baptista, we will content you. Go

to! But I will be revenged for this villainy.”

(Act 5, Scene 1, Lines 138 and 139)

These two lines in Act 5 are spoken by Vincentio to Baptista, Bianca’s father when he finds out about Tranio and Lucentio’s plan to woo Bianca in disguise. He felt anger at Tranio because not moments before, in order to maintain cover on Lucentio himself, he called Vincentio fake and demanded that he be taken to jail. Thankfully, Lucentio came back in time to stop them, and the ruse was uncovered. This part of the play is one of the times when lying is not acceptable in the eyes of the play: when you are lying to those who employ you. In this play, any time one is lied to or does something wrong in the eyes of their superior, there is often major consequences on the servant. Vincentio did not take kindly to how Tranio lied to him and tried to sent him to jail, but there were often other times when the master Petruchio, husband of Katherine, sister of Bianca, rained down fury on his servants those employed to him, or those he sees as inferior when they lied to him. These actions suggest that although it is okay to lie to loved ones, it is absolutely unacceptable to betray your master or employer in the eyes of the play and most likely in the 1600s as well.

In “The Parent Trap,” there are literally no instances of when servants of the main characters are mistreated or punished during the entire movie. In fact, both servants in the movie, Chessy and Martin, are seen as close family friends that simply also work for the family, which is not the case at all in “The Taming of the Shrew.”

Elizabeth James had brought Hallie to the hotel where Nick, Meredith, and Annie were at in order to switch her back with Annie. Hallie had lied to Liz, saying that Nick knew they were coming to the hotel, when in fact he still didn’t know that the daughter he had was not Hallie. Liz and Nick catch sight of each other in the lobby as the elevators close before Nick. Liz realized that Nick had no idea she was coming, and reprimands the girls for lying to her. However, when she find out that Nick is marrying Meredith, and that everyone knew but her, she simply lets it go that the people that work for her lied to her about it. The movie seems to minimize the consequences of lying to those you are demanded to respect and honor as the Shakespeare play illustrates. Simply put, the play is validates lying to loved ones, but not to those superior to you. On the other hand, the movie is not validating lying to loved ones, but that when someone who works for you lies to you, as long as they have a great excuse or reason for it, there is no need for a large punishment.

“I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;

If wealthily, then happily in Padua.”

(Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 76 and 77)

This quote is when Petruchio, Katherine’s future husband, agrees to Gremio’s plans to have him marry Katherine only because she is wealthy, and not because he loves her or that she has a good temperament. Later in the story, we see that Petruchio uses many methods to tame Kate’s wild nature, all of which are forgiven and seen in a positive light by the end of the story, even though it is never clear whether or not they actually really love each other by the end of it all, or even if this matters. This reflects for the characters and the setting that in this time, money was actually an acceptable reason to marry someone, and they did not actually have to love you. In addition, since this play was looking at this behavior so positively, it can be inferred that the audience of this time was more agreeable to this behavior then as well. Such was the 1600s.

Contrasting Petruchio’s relationship with Katherine in “The Taming of the Shrew,” to Nick and Meredith in “The Parent Trap,” both relationships were quite similar. Both Petruchio and Meredith seemed well off, but were still only marrying each of their fiance's for money. In addition, both Nick and Katherine were wealthy as well. However, the play and the movie views Petruchio and Meredith in completely different ways. In the play, he is seen as the good guy, the beast tamer, who makes his wife obedient properly. In the movie, Meredith marrying Nick is a secret she keeps from him, and is looked down upon by the twins and Nick himself towards the end of the movie.

When Annie first arrives in Napa, she finds out about Meredith Blake, a publicist Nick hired to sell his wine. However, Chessy, Nick’s housekeeper, chef, and family friend speculates that Meredith is, “doing a better job at selling herself than the grapes,” because she is suspicious of why someone as young and beautiful as Meredith is hanging around an older, less in his prime man like Nick. She then stated, “then I realized there were about a million reasons that girl is giggling. All of them are at the Napa Valley Community Bank.” The movie is saying that the only reason someone of Meredith’s social level will go out with someone like Nick is because of their money or financial potential. Throughout the entire movie, this is seen as wrong. Therefore, Meredith is portrayed as the antagonist of the movie. This change reflects that modern entertainment is less open to gold diggers as the good guys, unlike 400 years ago. They paint them as shallow, manipulative, and evil. In this story, she does not marry Nick because as soon as he finds out her true nature, he dumps her. Modern entertainment trends toward lying to your partner of loved one as a very bad thing.

As we moved through each the play and the movie, we saw very similar relationships developing between each of the couples mentioned in both texts. However, the way that each author portrays their relationship is very different. Shakespeare was more open to marrying for love and not really caring if they lie to you, but looked down on insubordination. Disney, however, fiercely fought against marrying for money and a lying spouse, but were particularly lenient towards those who worked for them. Once again, these were very similar relationships, but viewed in opposing lights. The way Shakespeare wrote Petruchio suggested that it was more acceptable then to marry for money only, and that the rift between servant and master was much deeper then than now. The way Disney wrote Meredith suggested that marrying for love instead of money was better and more morally okay. Servant and master lines barely existed, and were looked down upon through the way that Meredith treated Chessy throughout the movie. To sum it all up, 400 years ago, lying to win someone’s heart had more chance of success then than in the modern era.

Tai-Monae Bailey

Air Stream

04/13/2018

Honesty and deception in relationships

Cruel Intentions- directed by Roger Kumble is a movie about romance, honesty, and deception at its finest. Briefly summarizing the movie, it's about two step-siblings who enjoy  plotting and scheming on other people's lives just for the fun of it. Sebastian and his step-sister Kathryn devise a plan to hurt Kansas city Resident Annette Hargrove whose morals differentiate from Sebastian and Kathryns. Annette wants to stay a virgin until marriage and Sebastian and Kathryn bet that he will or will not be able to break the morals of Annette slowly but surely to win the ultimate prize of having intercourse with his very own stepsister. Comparing Cruel Intentions to Taming of the Shrew which is about two siblings- Bianca and Katherina who both need to be married but Bianca feels the need to marry first. Throughout the book, Katherina is verbally abused but her two suitors but only solemnly loves her servant.  Both the play and movie, show that siblings negatively affect each others relationships & views on real love because they aren't able to experience it themselves, which is why they act out and perform ploys  & stratagems.

Act 2, Scene 1

Bianca ¨Good sister, wrong me not, nor wrong yourself, to make  a bondmaid and a slave of me. That I disdain. But for these other goods-- Unbind my hands, I´ll pull them off myself. Yea, all my raiment to my petticoat, Or what you will command me will I do, So well I know my duty to my elders.¨

Katherine ¨Of all thy suitors here I charge thee tell, Whom thou lov´st best. See thou dissemble not.¨

Bianca ¨ Believe me, sister, of all the men alive I never yet beheld that special face Which I could fancy more than any other. ¨

Katherine ¨ Minion, thou liest. Is ´t not Hortensio?¨

Bianca ¨If you affect him, sister, here I swear I'll plead for you myself, but you shall have him¨

Katherine ¨ O, then belike you fancy riches more. You will have Gremio to keep you fair.¨

Bianca ¨ Is it for him you do envy me so? Nay, than, you jest, and now I well perceive You have but jested with me all this while. I prithee,sister Kate, untie my hands¨

*Katherine strikers Bianca*

In this scene Katherine ties up Bianca. She threatens her, hits her and attempts to make her do things because she´s ultimately jealous of her. Kathrine is jealous because men don't find her appealing but are head over heels for Bianca who is ultimately happy with life and grateful with the people who are affectionate of her.  I can compare this to the scene in Cruel Intentions because Kathryn saw how happy Sebastian was and how unbothered he was with the fact that he had major feelings for Annette so she took it upon herself to do something that would ruin that out of jealousy. Readers can see that Katherine wants Bianca´s life from personality, suitors and her fathers love.

Monolonge-

Kathryn :  ¨Ronald ?¨

Ronald : ¨Whats up ? Is everything okay ?¨

Kathryn : ¨No its Sebastian, He's out of his mind.¨

Ronald : ¨What do you mean ?

Kathryn : ¨He hit me and then took off…  There's more, it involves Cecile¨

*Two Scenes, first two pictures is Kathryn & Ronald talking & second picture is Sebastian forcefully coming clean to Annette*

Monolonge-

Sebastian : ¨I have something to tell you¨

Annette :  ¨What is it ?¨

Sebastian : ¨This isnt working out for me anymore… It's me not you . Im completely fu*ked up.¨

Annette: ¨What are you saying ?¨

Sebastian :  ¨ I thought I was in love with you but it's just a lie.. I wanted it to work but I feel nothing¨

Annette: ¨ Why are you doing this ?¨

Sebastian : ¨ I just wanted to see what you were like in bed¨ -lies-

In this scene from Cruel Intentions, Kathryn came to a realization that Sebastian was falling in love with Annette and completely obliterating the bet they had in place. She called Ronald- another innocent person muddled into their bet, lying and making up stories about Sebastian and Ronald´s significant other, knowing how Ronald would react.Kathryn lives for ruining peoples lives and dallying with their happiness. So she made a few calls and sabotaged Sebastian´s relationship with Annette by making it known about their little speculation that was made in the beginning of the movie. I can compare this to the scene in Taming of the Shrew because both Katherine and Kathryn can´t stand to see each other siblings happy. They both have the same characteristics which include jealousy, supremacy and  insecurity. Viewers can see that Kathryn does not like the nonchalance attitude that Sebastian possessed,when she realizes that the bet is meaningless to him; she wants him to care and react and show interest in her since before Sebastian knew Annette genuinely he would devote his time and attention all to Kathryn. All that change when he fell for Annette slowly than all at once. Lastly When Kathrine ties up her sister and is pressuring her to give her all her suitors and do this and do that it also relates to Cruel Intentions because In that moment Sebastian had no other choice but to come clean about the bet and be honest about the relationship he has with his stepsister, which changed over time when he started caring for Annette. Both Kathryn and Katherine blackmail their siblings in different ways.

Act 5 : Scene 2

Kathryn : Fie, fie! Unknit that threat’ning unkind brow,

And dart not scornful glances from those eyes

To wound thy lord, thy king, thy governor.

It blots thy beauty as frosts do bite the meads,155

Confounds thy fame as whirlwinds shake fair buds,

And in no sense is meet or amiable.

A woman moved is like a fountain troubled,

Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty,

And while it is so, none so dry or thirsty 160

Will deign to sip or touch one drop of it.

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, 165

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. 170

Such duty as the subject owes the prince,

Even such a woman oweth to her husband;

And when she is froward, peevish, sullen, sour,

And not obedient to his honest will,

What is she but a foul contending rebel 175

And graceless traitor to her loving lord?

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.180

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?

Come, come, you froward and unable worms!185

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, 190

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

In this scene from Taming of the Shrew, Katherine finally lets go of all her emotions and anger that she's been holding on to and just speaks what is truly on her mind. She stops fighting everyone else and basically tells them what they want to hear. Readers can see that  Katherine is actually very genuine and loving under that alleged crazy shell everyone sees and knows of. They can see that someone like the author labeled her as in the beginning is capable of love. And that she was jealous of her sister (Bianca) because she just wanted love and to feel and have the same experiences as she did. I can compare this scene to the scene in Cruel Intentions because at the end of the book and movie both Katherine and Kathryn finally let go and let things be. They accept their predicament and stop running from it.

No monolonge

In this scene, after Sebastian passes away he and all the other victims of Kathryns games help expose her true self by giving copies of Sebastian's journal to the entire school and faculty. Which include every interaction and conversation he had with every person he came in contact with. Kathryn is finally exposed but this scene isn't about just that but finally she reached her breaking point and her cry for help has been heard. Throughout the book Kathryn has been doing cocaine not because she wanted to but because she needed to she relied on it so she wouldn't feel how she really felt. Viewers can see that, Kathryn will finally become sober and face her real world problems instead of hiding behind chemical messenger dopamine. Lastly she will take the advice of her parents and finally let go of all that anger and just be her true self and accepting it. I can compare this scene to the Taming of the Shrew scene because Kathrine finally accepts herself and she lets every thought and feeling out, basically she's letting her faults just be and making them known, coming to reality with how she really feels.

In conclusion, the antagonist may have seem to win in both the novel and movie since Kathryn is finally free of Sebastian and able to help herself from her addiction and Katherine who finally knows what love is and will do anything to have it even if it means bettering herself and accepting herself and her faults. Nevertheless the protagonist in this story- Sebastian and Bianca both won in reality. Sebastian may have passed away but he still felt that intensifying love that he deeply desired and broke out of his phase of having intercourse with a manifold of women; he learned to not treat women as if they were a game. He could finally say that he was happy and for once didn't allow his step sister to control how he felt about a person. For Bianca she was finally free to live and love and be herself without having the anxiety and stress of her once jealous sister who now is happy and at ease with life and leaving her alone. To conclude, each character won, but also each character took a loss in order to gain their happiness, struggling with themselves mentally and taking it out on the people who care for them , when in reality it was just cruel intentions that turned out good.

WORK CITED

Cruel Intentions -  March 5, 1999,Roger Kumble.

Taming of the Shrew- March 8, 1967, William Shakespear.

50 First Hates

Kimberly Gucciardi-Kriegh

Comparing "Taming of the Shrew" and "50 First Dates"

William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew deals with many themes involving romance, relationships, and the roles of men or women. The play is about two very different sisters getting married to two very different men. Petruchio sets out to marry Katherine even though she is considered to be a shrew with a hot temper that no man wanted to marry. He then tries to “tame” her and make her more ladylike. Meanwhile, her beautiful younger sister Bianca had many suitors, but finally chose to marry Lucentio because they were genuinely happy together.

In the 2014 movie 50 First Dates, Henry falls in love with Lucy, who has short-term memory loss from a car accident that happened over a year ago. Henry has to get Lucy to fall in love with him everyday because she forgets the next day. The two go through many family, health, and trust problems. Both have many connections involving the roles of men and women. Through it all, Henry, Petruchio, and Lucentio always stay dedicated to their partner. In both 50 First Dates and Taming of the Shrew, the characters are in  relationships that carefully balance control and dedication. This reflects to audiences that control is a sign of dedication.

“Your husband is your lord, your life, your keeper, your head, your sovereign, one who cares for you... And in exchange, he seeks no more from you but love, kind looks, and true obedience—too little payment for so great a debt. A woman owes her husband the same loyalty a subject owes his king."

(Page 219, Act 5 Scene 2, line 161)

In both the film and the play, the women doing something unnatural to their personalities to please a man.In this scene from Shrew, Katherine is giving her final monologue. At this point, Petruchio has tamed Katherine. She is no longer disobedient of her husband, starts fights, or acts out of turn. Petruchio had to “tame” Katherine by not letting her eat or sleep, this taught her that bed and food was not important and the only thing she had to care about was her love for him.  Katherine and Bianca’s husbands, Petruchio and Lucentio, are sitting with their father, Baptista, and their friend, Hortensio, who is recently married. They all make a bet to see whose wife is most obedient and would come when they call. Katherine won and this is her reaction to the other girls not going when their husbands called. Katherine started out as a head-strong defiant woman and Lucy had complete control over her life and got to make conscious decisions everyday.

Henry tells Lucy, “I love you very much, probably more than anybody could ever love another person." she responds "Wow. And how do I feel about you?" He answers “You’ve been dying to make out with me for quite some time now.”

In that scene, Lucy asks Henry if he loves her. His answer is a big turning point in their relationship and is something the viewers have not been told before.

In both the play and the movie, Katherine and Lucy are both under complete control of men. Some could say the biggest difference between Katherine and Lucy is that Katherine is letting this happen and she is choosing to listen to her husband. But, in reality, she was abused and deprived to be trained to act like this. Due to Lucy’s short-term memory loss, she has no choice in any parts of the relationship. It is true that each day she is happy being with Henry, but their relationship is so unhealthy. Henry could cheat, abuse her, do her wrong, and she would forget the next day, She also has no recollection of how she feels the relationship is developing and grow. This quote shows that just from saying he loved her, he got her to kiss him, even though she has no memory of him. Luckily, Henry really does love Lucy, but nevertheless, he still has all the control over the relationship.

"We have not yet been seen in any house, nor can we be distinguished by our faces for man or master. Then it follows thus: thou shalt be master, Tranio, in my stead, keep house and port and servants as I should. 'Tis hatched, and shall be so. Tranio, at once Uncase thee. Take my colored hat and cloak."

(Act 1 Scene 1, page 45, line 204.)

The quote above comes from Taming of the Shrew. Bianca’s father, Lucentio, has stated that no one will see Bianca unless they are school teachers visiting their home to give her school lessons. Lucentio and Hortensio are suitors to Bianca, they have devised a plan to dress up as teachers and go into Bianca’s house to try to win her over and seduce her. The two men were not concerned with the fact that their true identities would eventually be revealed, even long after they came up with the idea. They were ready to charm Bianca no matter what. Both Henry, Lucentio, and Hortensio were lying to a woman in hopes that they can captivate a beautiful woman by controlling her every move.

Before Henry met Lucy, her family and friends worked extremely hard to make her think that it was the day after the car crash. It worked very well and even though she was being lied to everyday. One day, Lucy realized she was being lied to and that was very hard for her. One thing she discovers is the newspaper dates are all the current date, not a year ago.  She discovers all the tricks they used and begins to scream and cry on the dock.

In both Taming of Shrew and 50 First Dates, Bianca and Lucy’s loved ones performed elaborate schemes in hopes of very different things. Lucentio and Hortensio completely erased their identities. The two men proved their dedication to the woman they loved, but they also had lots of control over Bianca by intruding in her home and time to learn. In the end, their lie worked and made Bianca very happy. Unlike in the film where Lucy was unaware that she was being lied to everyday but it made her happy, so they all continued. Until, their lies were exposed and she felt heartbroken and betrayed. These relationships, reflect that being very dedicated to controlling the ones they love is important, but it has to deal with control. These lies and all the control over the women was the start of their relationship and was the key to making their relationship last.

"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, suitors to her and rivals in my love, supposing it a thing impossible, for those defects I have before rehearsed."

(Act 1 Scene 2 page 57, lines 120-125)

This scene from Taming of the Shrew is right after Lucentio and Hortensio devise the plan to be school masters. Hortensio announces how much he loves Bianca, a girl he doesn’t even really know. He is addressing Baptista, her father, who will not let her get married until Katherine does. Hortensio and Henry both felt they had to stay dedicated to a woman they don’t even know. These characters reflect the idea that male suitors will stop at nothing to get a woman.

At the beginning of the movie, Henry was considered a ladies’ man because he went on lots of dates and never called the women back. In this scene, right after Henry met Lucy, he went on a date with another woman, Noreen. They were drinking and she invited him to go home with her, Henry thought of Lucy and declined her offer.  

Noreen says, “I’d like to do something extra fun tonight… so, what are you thinking?” “What am I thinking?” He then thinks of Lucy and turns her down.

These characters represent the idea of love having to start from dedication and control. The biggest difference between the two decisions is that Hortensio did not get the woman he was dedicated to, but Lucentio did the same thing and he did. They also had to do a lot more to prove their dedication. Henry was making a clear choice to go against his typical character and leave a beautiful woman.

The characters from the play, The Taming of the Shrew and from the movie, 50 First Dates, represent the two values that are important in a long term relationship; control and dedication. The ideas shown in these stories represent the crucial parts of a real life relationship, even if the movie was made long after the play.

Works Cited-

50 First Dates. Director, Segal Peter, 2004

Shakespeare, William “Taming of the Shrew”

Comparing “Taming of the shrew” to “17 Again”

Taming of the shrew is a play that Starts as Lucentio arrives in Padua. Lucentio hears that the merchant Baptista has two daughters. One daughter is prettier and respectful but she cannot be married until Katherina the second daughter and the oldest gets married. Blanca is the youngest daughter that Lucentio wants to marry.

In the film 17 Again Mike O’Donnell is a high school basketball star, but he has a girlfriend that he really cares about. Scarlet has some shocking news to tell Mike before the biggest game of his life. Twenty years later Mike’s has married Scarlet. Their relationship has been rocky and failed that Scarlet filed for divorce. He has a chance fix his past by transforming back into a teenager in high school.

17 Again and Taming of the shrew have a different but similar idea of what is a relationship.  Lucentio and Bianca have a vitalized relationship because Lucentio and Bianca love spending time together and also have a common vision of what they want in the relationship. While Petruchio controls Katerina in the relationship because he believes the only way a relationship works, is if one partner takes control. Mike and Scarlett’s relationship is similar to Lucentio and Bianca but Mike wants Petruchio’s type of relationship. Scarlett wanted a relationship like Bianca’s relationship, which means she wants Mike to spend more time with her and the children, and also wants common need.  The play and the movie show that men are still interested in basing the relationship off of control. However, the play and the movie are also different because Petruchio has control of his relationship, but Mike because his relationship to fail. This reflects the audience’s belief that vitalized relationship seems to be a healthy relationship but true relationship depends on the Personality of the couple.

“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 house, my ox, my ass, my anything. And here she stands, touch her whoever dare.”

(Act 3, Scene 2, line numbers 235-239)

In this quote, Petruchio describes himself as domineering husband and take control of the relationship. He makes it seem that Kate is his property. Once married, women had no legal right to their own.

In 17 again the connection of Mike Petruchio has been shown

In the early scene from “17 Again” Mike and Scarlet are having a dialogue about how their relationship has been ruined. Scarlet is changed her yard but Mike told her “Yeah, Well, the divorce isn’t final for another two weeks, so you have no right.” Isn’t Scarlett given “Really? So I’ve spent the last 18 years of my life listening to you whine about the things you could’ve done without me, and I have no right?” This prove any answer of why their marriage has failed.

“Why, gentlemen, you do me double wrong To strive for that which resteth in my choice. I am no breeching scholar in the schools. I’ll not be tied to hour nor ‘pointed times, But learn my lessons as I please myself.”

(Act 3, Scene 1, line numbers 16-20)

Bianca describes her relationship by saying that she does not control by anyone. Bianca knows that Lucentio is actually suitor trying to prove his love to her. She believes that a relationship should be controlled by one partner.

A vitalized relationship is caring about a person

Naomi is trying to Persuade Scarlett to start dating again. Scarlett wants to her men to tell her that she is beautiful and have a common connection also respect. This proves that Scarlett wants a vitalized relationship.

“Well, I say no. And therefore, for assurance Let’s each one send unto his wife, And he whose wife is most obedient To come at first when doth send for her Shall win the wager which we propose.”

(Act 5, Scene 2, line numbers 67-71)

Petruchio has made a wager with Lucentio and Hortensio about who the wife is more obedient. The plan was to call each wife into the room. Whoever wife that come in the room will win the wager. Hortensio calls his wife in a nice way but she said no because she has something do. Lucentio calls Blanca and she said no because she was with the other wives. Petruchio calls Kate and she walks in the room ask him for anything he wants.

Each relationship need a happy ending

Mike is giving one of the heartfelt speech about his relationship before Scarlet divorce him. “Scarlet, before you go through this, I want to remind you of September 7th, 1988. It was the first time that I saw you. You were reading Less Than Zero, and you were wearing a Guns 'n' Roses t-shirt. I'd never seen anything so perfect. I remember thinking that I had to have you, or I'd die... then you whispered that you loved me at the homecoming dance, and I felt so peaceful... and safe... because I knew that no matter what happened, from that day on, nothing can ever be that bad... because I had you. And then I, uh... I grew up and I lost my way. And I blamed you for my failures. And I know that you think you have to do this today... but I don't want you to. But I guess... if I love you, I should let you move on.”  The speech has proven that he should try to listen to Scarlet.

In the 17 Again Scarlett want a husband who compliments and shows love to her. Also, she was happy with both partners. A vitalized relationship isn’t for every couple. In taming of the shrew Kate relationship was different because in the book Kate has a change to adapt to her relationship by being control by Petruchio. The ending of the film Mike and Scarlett give another chance at their relationship.

Work Cite:

Shakespeare, William, et al. The Taming of the Shrew. Pocket Books, 1963.

Steers, Burr, director. 17 Again. 17 Again, New Line Cinema, 14 Apr. 2009.