Beth+Knibbe

 __ **Comparing "The Taming of the Shrew" to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"** __

Parental influence is something that not only is a major theme in media from an older time period, but also comes up in modern media. In "The Taming of the Shrew," the rich man Lucentio disguises himself to get past the father of the girl he wants, Bianca, and then once he has won her heart, he sneaks her out of the house to elope with her. In the 2002 movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," the guy, Ian, falls in love with a woman named Toula. He is also not accepted by the woman's father, but instead of deceiving him, he goes though great lengths to be accepted by her family and, more importantly, her father.

Lucentio and Ian may face very similar situations, but the way they attempt to overcome their situations are totally different. When Bianca's father refuses to allow Bianca to be married, Lucentio overcomes this negative influence by deceiving the father. In "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," Ian insists upon being open with the father and refuses to elope, even when Toula says that's what she wants to do. He overcomes the father's negative influence by doing things to make the father accept him.

These two situations show how society's views about respect and obedience of elders have changed. **Younger people have more influence on their elders in today's world. In situations when, before, the father would have the last word, the children can make more decisions for themselves and the what the father wants isn't as influential. This makes it possible for people to be more open in family situations and negotiate.**

For how I firmly am resolved you know: That is, not to bestow my youngest daughter Before I have a husband for the elder. ** (Act 1, Scene 1, 48-51)
 * Gentlemen, importune me no farther,

In this quote, Baptista, Bianca's father, tells Bianca's suitors his terms for her marriage, and in doing so, creates a roadblock for those suitors that they must then overcome.



In this scene from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," Ian and Toula have been dating for a while, and Toula's father has just found out. He is furious that his daughter is "secretly" dating a non-greek, and declares, "You sneak around all over Chicago, but you never come here to ask me can you date MY daughter!" When Ian states that he would have asked him, but Toula is 30 years old, Toula's father asserts that "I am the head of this house!" Ian decides to give in and asks him, "Okay, may I please date your daughter?" Toula's father shouts, "NO!" and the conversation is over. Toula's father is similar to Bianca's father, Baptista, in that his word is final, and he demands complete control over his daughter's love life.

** Here's Lucentio, Right son to the right Vincentio, That have by marriage made thy daughter mine While counterfeit supposes bleared thine eyne. ** (Act 5. Scene 1. 118-121)

In this quote, Lucentio tells Bianca's father, Baptista, that he has just gone and married Bianca behind his back. I don't think Lucentio ever really thought ahead to the future impact on family dynamics when he came up with the plan to elope with Bianca. I would imagine that it would create a lot of tension in the family. If Lucentio and Bianca decieved Baptista once, why should he have any reason to trust them not to deceive him again? Nowadays, we would say that it would have been wiser for Lucentio to negotiate with Bianca's father, and be honest from the begining. However, this may not have been an option for Lucentio. In Shakespearean times, the fathers had so much more influence in their daughter's lives then they do now. The fathers were the ones to decide who would marry their daughter, and the daughter really wouldn't have much say in the matter at all. So perhaps Lucentio did the only thing he could to be able to marry the woman he loved.



In this scene from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", Toula comes to see Ian at work and tells him that she's so frustrated by her family's expectations that she wishes they could just run away and elope. Instead of agreeing with Toula and deciding to get marry her behind her father's back, like Lucentio did, Ian tells Toula, "You're a part of your family and I'll do anything, whatever it takes, to get them to accept me. We're not going to skulk off and get married, as if we're ashamed of ourselves." The audience is expected to agree with Ian (as is Toula), because creating that kind of tension and distrust in one's own family can make for a very difficult situation. The family is a support system, and with weakened relationships with one's family, that support system doesn't work as well as it is meant to. This is true throughout time, but in modern times it is a much more realistic option.

In Shakespearean times, it was the norm for fathers to have that kind of control over their daughters. If the play had been written to have Lucentio be honest and open with Bianca's family, and still win her in the end, it would have been so unrealistic that it would have pushed the audience's imaginations too far. However, in modern times, it is so much expected for daughters to take control of their own decisions that it would have been unrealistic for Ian to do what Lucentio did. It is important to remember that these are romantic comedies. "The Taming of the Shrew" was funny in that time period becuase of the ridiculousness that Lucentio was trying to pull off in trying to marry a woman without her father's consent. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was funny because of the ridiculousness of the father expecting to have that much influence over Toula's decisions. Overall, these two examples of media reflect a very dramatic change society has gone through over time.