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Taming Of The Shrew Character Analysis Essay

There is true love and there is lust. Love is an intense feeling of deep affection while lust is a very strong sexual desire in which one does not truly care for another. The characters in both the play and the movie explore and experience these feelings along with character traits such as kindness, selfishness, and greed. Petruchio, from the play Taming of the Shrew, is not a kind character. He seems like he only wants money, which is gluttonous and a sin. On the other hand, Patrick Verona (from 10 Things I Hate About You) initially wants the money given to him from Joey, but eventually develops a relationship with Katherine.

During the 16th century, money was more important than true love and Petruchio grew up to be greedy and selfish, while Patrick lived during a more modern and contemporary lifetime that allowed him the opportunity to pursue true love. Patrick and Petruchio have some similar traits, like how both of them were interested in money in the beginning. But Patrick Verona from 10 Things is a more compassionate character because he and Katherine find out that they care about each other. This is unlike Petruchio from Taming of the Shrew who never loved her. Petruchio did awful things to people and by “pampering” Kate.

Ever since they got married, it was “nothing is too perfect for my Katherine”, this bed is not good enough, this food is not good enough, etc. Katherine kept begging for him to stop but he would not hear of it. After Petruchio asked for water, one of his servants brought it out and spilled it. Petruchio then yells “Son of a b****! You spilled it! ” (Act 4 Scene 1 Page 7 of T. O. T. S) and strikes the servant. Kate tries again to calm him down but it doesn’t help. Patrick, on the other hand, began by accepting money from Joey to take Katherine out, but he later evelops feelings for her and she feels the same way about him.

You can see that Patrick is the one who truly has feelings for her and Petruchio only married Katherine to tame her and win a bet. Lucentio truly has love at first sight with Bianca and decrees that he will marry her. Of course Baptista stops him and says ” Gentlemen, importune me no farther, For how I firmly am resolved you know– That is to bestow my youngest daughter before I have a husband for the elder. If either of you both love Katherina, Because I know you well and love you well leave shall you have to court her at your pleasure”. Act 1 Scene 1 Page 4 of T. O. T. S. )

Hortensio chooses Petruchio to be the best candidate to marry Katherine and Petruchio begins to tame her. From this example you can tell that Hortensio, Gremio, and Lucentio all want Bianca to be their wife and none of them get their supposed “Love of their life”. Although in 10 Things I Hate About You, Camryn is truly in love with Bianca and the same is for her, Bianca proves her true love by pummeling Joey after he beats up her date Camryn at the 2000 prom. So Camryn in the beginning just wanted Bianca to be his girlfriend because of love at first sight.

He in the end got what he wanted and Bianca got him to be her boyfriend, so this would be an example of no greed or lust, just love. The same would be for the caring, yet a little overprotective, Baptista/Mr. Strafford. Baptista in Taming of the Shrew is a wealthy man who cares and loves for his two beautiful daughters Katherina and Bianca. It appears as Baptista only wants his daughters to be happy and in love. He proves this in his quote… “Certainly, as soon as you’ve gotten the most important thing–her love. That counts for everything. ” (Act 2 Scene 1 Page 6 of T. O. T. S. )

The same goes for Mr. Strafford in 10 Things, Baptista and Mr. Strafford play the same role in both stories as the caring and slightly overprotective father. Katherine in general dislikes her father because of his initial refusal to let her go to a college he considered too far away, but in one scene, she helped him prevent Bianca from going to the prom. This would show that Katherine and Mr. Strafford both care very deeply about the well-being of Bianca. Although Mr. Strafford is different from Baptista as he prohibited his daughters from dating until they graduate, he changes the rule to Bianca being allowed to date if Katherine dates.

While Baptista did not want Bianca to get married until Katherine is married. From this example, you can see that Baptista and Mr. Strafford have no lust or greed in their lives, just love. Katharine, after arriving when Petruchio calls for her, leaves while he is boasting about how his wife is the most tame to the other gentlemen who made the bet. When she meets the other wives, she gives a long speech about how women should listen to their husbands more often which most likely bored everyone reading it but here is a short quote to give you some perspective.

Girls, girls! Wipe those frowns off your faces and stop rolling your eyes. This disrespectful stance toward the man who is your lord, your king, your governor tarnishes your beauty the way the frosts of winter blights the land. ” (Act 5 Scene 2 Page 9 of T. O. T. S. ). Katherine from 10 Things, has a different ending in which she learns about the money Joey gave to Patrick to take her out on several dates and leaves the prom heartbroken. Patrick tries to convince her that it was not always about the money but for a short time she does not believe him. After Mr.

Strafford changes his mind about the college and allows her to go, Patrick arrives and asks her to forgive him. She does and they reconcile with a kiss and the camera pans out on them. All in all, a very satisfying ending for both stories, with Katherine being tamed in a manner of speaking to were she becomes more dignified and respected. Just like mentioned before, there is true love and there is lust. Love means when you actually care for somebody while lust is just a sexual desire to be with someone, mostly in the case when they do not care about another. In conclusion, this paper deserves an A+!

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