Shaming of the Taming

How Michelle in Southside with You and Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew show a major shift in relationship and gender dynamics

Though William Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew has been celebrated as an early example of romantic comedy, it has also garnered plenty of criticism from literary scholars and modern audiences for its seemingly misogynistic politics with women and courtship. In the play, a man named Petruchio tries to win both the heart and submission of his romantic partner, Katherine, the titular “shrew” of the play. Though Katherine is rather resistant to Petruchio’s efforts, he eventually converts Katherine from a headstrong and asocial woman to a overly obedient housewife by depriving her of necessities, such as food and sleep.

The 2016 drama film Southside With You displays a more modern and reformed idea of courtship. In the movie, a 28 year-old Barack Obama attempts to woo his colleague, Michelle Robinson, on an innocent summer date in the South Side of Chicago. Though Michelle is also rather resistant to Barack’s advances, his charisma and ebullient personality eventually win her over by the end of the date.

Though Barack and Petruchio may have similar goals in mind, their tactics are markedly different, and that is indicative of a major shift in worldview. They both want to win over a woman’s heart, but while Petruchio finds it perfectly fine to force Katherine into showing him affection through inhumane means, Barack is much more respectful of Michelle’s discretionary freedom. He is understanding of her reluctance and acknowledges that it would be abusive to use coercion tactics to achieve his end goal. This shows that though the concept of male pursuit is still very much alive, coercion is now generally looked down upon while the personal freedom of romantic partners is championed.

Petruchio: Come, come, you wasp; i' faith, you are too angry.

Katherine: If I be waspish, best beware my sting.

Petruchio: My remedy is then, to pluck it out.

(Act 2, Scene 1, Lines 222-225)

In this scene, Petruchio and Katherine are arguing somewhat comically as Petruchio plots his “taming” of her. He tells Katherine that she is too angry and compares her to a wasp. In response, Katherine says that Petruchio should then fear her sting, and Petruchio says that he will pluck her stinger out. This is Petruchio’s way of asserting that Katherine is powerless against him because he will always find ways to control her and stifle her disobedience.

In all likelihood, Shakespearean audiences would have laughed heartily at this scene, and it would not have offended many or garnered much controversy. This is because it was normal for men at the time to assert conjugal control, even if that meant threatening violence to their partner. This scene is a key example of the overbearing tendencies of men at the time of Shakespeare. Women were scorned and punished for trying to declare any type of control, just as Katherine is here.

Many modern romance movies are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

In Southside with You, Michelle Obama is depicted as a strong-willed woman, similar to Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew. One of the main differences between the two is how their willfulness is perceived. In this scene, Michelle, maddened by the fear that the date will cost her her job, fires up at Barack, saying that he should have been more respectful of her request to keep everything professional. Barack is silent the whole time Michelle is talking, carefully listening to her without trying to shoot her down, as Petruchio does to Katherine. Viewers of the film can see that Barack has is doing his best to understand Michelle’s point of view, though he may not agree with it. This major difference reflects a more modernized perception of how women should be treated—with unwavering respect as a peer and not property. Unlike the play, the film does not celebrate taming, but rather it seeks to put the lead male character and lead female character on a more equal level of control.

No shame but mine. I must forsooth be forc’d

To give my hand oppos’d against my heart

(Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 8-9)

This line comes from Katherine on the day of her wedding, shortly before Petruchio’s arrival. Petruchio’s tardiness to his own wedding makes Katherine go into a fit of both anger and sadness, as she mourns the fact that she is being forced by her father to marry a man that she does not have romantic feelings for. This is reflective of the marriage regime at the time of Shakespeare. Marriage was an extremely important cornerstone of societal structure, and unfortunately, women were often left disenfranchised from the process of courtship and marriage. Many women, like Katherine in this scene, were forced to marry men whom they did not love.

While this line may have been dismissed by the Shakespearean audiences as normal, audiences today would likely have much more empathy for Katherine. Marriage now is more of a consensual covenant, usually involving vows and legal documents. This alone shows a societal leap in ideology: women are now expected to have dominion over their own romantic affairs. This means that, in most cases, a father no longer decides whom his daughter marries, like Katherine’s father does for her.

The new system of courtship surfaces notably in Southside with You.

In this scene from the beginning of the movie, Michelle expresses her reluctance to Barack about going on a date, saying that it would make her look bad if she dates her coworker. Barack, understanding of her situation, then eases her angst by telling her that it is not officially a date until she wants it to be. Unlike Petruchio, he is considerate of Michelle’s disinterest and his pursuit subsides a bit. The mere fact that Michelle is able to express her disinterest to Barack shows a huge difference in power structure from Shakespeare’s time. Had Katherine told Petruchio she does not care for him, she likely would have been dismissed or perhaps even violently punished. Here, Barack is able to relent pretty quickly, without so much as a heated argument. Viewers should take close notice to this small scene because it illustrates the modern customs surrounding relationships: women have a much more prominent role in the courtship process, as they are more easily able to reject suitors without major backlash.

“Now, go thy ways, thou hast tamed a curst shrew”

(Act 5, Scene 2, Line 205)

This line is spoken by Hortensio at the very end of the play, as all the male characters feast cheerfully and commend Petruchio on his successful taming of Katherine. The most important detail modern audiences will notice in this scene is how Petruchio’s coercive abuse has earned him acclaim among all the men, as if he had proved himself a valiant and respectable man. The scene is communicative of the history of marital coercion, and how it was not uncommon for men to find coercion perfectly fine in a relationship. This play is an example of a larger historical pattern: love being won not with the heart, but with the fist.

Romance has conceptually changed for the better in this regard.

Unlike Taming of the Shrew, Southside with You ends on a precious note of romance and the power of wooing with charm and chemistry. There are very few words in the last scenes, allowing room for body language to come to the forefront. After a long date with ups and downs, Michelle and Barack share a special moment after he buys her chocolate ice cream, which she mentioned was her favorite dessert earlier in the date. Though Michelle’s infatuation with Barack had become gradually more evident throughout the course of the date, this act is the one that finally wins Michelle over. It is important to note how Barack did not use any type of coercion to romance Michelle. Instead, he used his naturally alluring personality, which distinctly sets his actions apart from that of Petruchio, who does not even seem to have a genial conversation with Katherine throughout the whole play. In the end, things work out favorably for both Barack, the pursuer, and Michelle, the pursuee, which truly highlights the contrast in what 21st century movie-goers want to see in a romance film: gentle courtship that ends in consensual happiness.

Both of these works can be interpreted as romanticized capsules of real-life attitudes when it comes to love. While it tends to be very easy to overlook entertainment history, by analyzing the romantic works of a time period, one may arrive at a deep understanding of how relationship ideals and gender roles have evolved over the course of time. Truth be told, The Taming of the Shrew and Southside with You are not that different in that they both use the plot device of a man pursuing a woman. However, with the rise of modern feminism and an always maturing civil culture, these movies offer two opposing archetypes of how that should be done. The ideological divergence here is evident, and it may be a guide in objectively studying where the impressive change has come and where change is due next.