Romeo And Juliet And Taming Of The Shrew Comparative Essay
635 Words3 Pages
When one searches for two twin plays by the world’s favorite playwright, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew may not be the first to come to mind. The former is an iconic tragedy about young love and death, ending in heartbreak, while the latter is a romping comedy filled with wit and sass. However, these two seemingly different plays show yes, some differences, such as gradual love versus immediate love, but also many similarities, including puns and witty dialogue, and themes of marriage and family. For Romeo and Juliet, it’s love at first sight, even though Romeo was infatuated with Rosaline the second before he laid eyes on fair Juliet. Romeo, upon seeing Juliet for the first time, describes her beauty and declares: “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” (1.5, lines 52-53) The Taming of the Shrew’s stubborn couple Kate and Petruchio’s gradual love shows a true contrast to Romeo and Juliet’s immediate love. Upon meeting Petruchio, Kate exclaims what she’d prefer…show more content… Her father threatens to disown her if she doesn’t go along with his plan: “I Tell thee what: get thee to church a’ Thursday, or never after look me in the face.” (3.5, lines 161-162) If they hadn’t done this, she wouldn’t have made drastic plans which caused two suicides. The Taming of the Shrew’s whole plot stems from a marital dilemma: Baptiste has two daughters, beautiful, sweet Bianca and shrewish, sharp Katherine, and will only let Bianca wed one of her many suitors if Kate marries first: “That is, not to bestow my youngest daughter before I have a husband for the elder.” (1.1, lines 50-51) By the end of the play, the true message of the harmony of marriage shines through after Petruchio tames