Gilberto+Gonzalez

Knocking up the Shrew a comparison of "Knocked Up", and "Taming of the Shrew"

Within the play "Taming of the Shrew" and most romantic comedies such as "Knocked Up" A similar theme always comes up the expectations of the other gender in a relationship. They're many expectations in relationships that the movie and the play depict. "Knocked Up" and "Taming of the Shrew" are the movie and play I'm choosing. Within "Knocked Up" There is a couple within the movie who actually truly become a couple towards the very end. Trough out the movie they don't like each other and the night they spent together causing the female in the relationship to get pregnant was a mistake in the beginning. But as the movie progressed they began to find a love for each other even though at first there was nothing there. Within "Taming of the Shrew" Kate and Petruchio don't like or love each other at all in the beginning of the play but trough out the movie Kate begins to find a strange love for Petruchio some people may call it torture or hypnotizing her but she got to a point of loving him due to the environment around her it may be torture or she loves him but the environment affected her decision as in "Knocked Up" Within "Taming of the Shrew" Petruchio expects many things of Katherine and this shows what they expect from each other for there relationship to work out. In "Knocked Up" there is a one nightstand where Ben the main character gets a girl pregnant. They try to make the relationship work for the baby to come. This shows one of the expectations of the significant other within relationships. The differences between "Knocked Up" and "Taming of the Shrew" is that one is in an older day and age. Also that it wasn't torture that caused the couple to be brought together it is that the female was pregnant.

"Thy head, they maintenance commits his body"

(Act 5, Sc. 2, Line 163)

Within the "Taming of the Shrew" Kate is ranting about how much Petruchio does for her and how disrespectful all of the other married women are to the husbands they married. Kate has gotten to the point where she feels its needed for everything her husband says to be completed because those are his expectations of her.



Within the scene going on right now Ben and Alison are talking about they're opinions on Alisons sisters current relationship and how messed up it is they are talking about how her sister and husband don't get along and they don't want to be like that Alisons talking about how she doesn't want Ben to be the down fall of the relationship. She also admits that Ben is trying to bring them closer which is making her happy.

"This is the way to kill a wife with kindness."

(Act 4, Sc. 2, Line 208)

Within this quote Petruchio is talking to the other people how he intends to, "Tame" the shrew.(Kate) He is telling everyone that "Killing a wife with kindness." is a way to get them to listen to you and the only way they'll ever agree with you.



Within the Movie Ben is going out of his way to be with Alison in her time of need. They where currently broken up and not in a relationship but he proved himself to her by "Killing her with kindness" after being there for her they ended up getting back together and living happily together. But also by doing this you are living to the wifes expectation of you treating her well which might cause the good outcome.

Within "Taming of the Shrew" and "Knocked Up" its about an unlikely couple that find a way to make things work. They show that within society everyone expects something of everyone they know but specifically the people they keep close such as the people they are in a relationship with. The expectations of others also greatly effects the people within relationship which can be caused by outside sources such as parents and friends.