Emma+Connnell

__**Disguise as a Deception**__ Comparision of The Taming of the Shrew to Mean Girls

In the Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare Lucentio falls immediately in love with a young girl named Bianca, who is the daughter of a wealthy man named Baptista. Yearning to get closer to Bianca, Lucentio devises a plan to disguise himself as a schoolmaster for Bianca. Once in disguise Lucentio admits his love for her and the two secretly get married. In the movie Mean Girls, Cady Heron is new to high school and stumbles across two students by the names of Janice and Damien. In less than a week they become friends. Regina George, the queen bee of high school, happens to take an interest in Cady and invites Cady to eat with her and her group, “The Plastics”.

Afterwards Janice devises a plan to learn The Plastic’s darkest secrets. Cady not having to many friends accepts this plan; which includes her pretending to be a so called plastic. All goes well until Cady starts falling for Aaron Samuels (Regina’s ex boyfriend). When Regina finds out about Cady’s likings to Aaron she quickly turns jealous and decides to take revenge by making out with Aaron in front of Cady at a Halloween party. Cady is heartbroken and as quoted she “felt like her stomach was going to fall out her butt”.

Cady rushes to tell her friends Damien and Janice who immediately seek revenge and the plan takes form into something new. First Cady must find a way to get rid of Aaron Samuels. Second Cady must find a way to make Regina fat. And third Cady must get the other two members of the plastics, Gretchen and Karen, to ditch Regina. As time goes on Cady turns more into a real plastic and eventually gets her chance to kiss Aaron Samuels.

In Mean Girls and The Taming of the Shrew both characters Cady Heron and Lucentio fall under the illusion that in order to get to the one you like you must devise a secret plan and disguise yourself as somebody your not in order to get closer to that one special person.

In the opening scene of The Taming of the Shrew Lucentio spots Bianca and remarks at her beautiful coral lips and sweet scent. Utterly and instantaneously in love with Bianca Lucentio confides in his servant, Tranio. ** Lucentio: “Ah Tranio what a cruel father’s he! But art thou not advised he took some care to get her cunning schoolmasters to instruct her?” ** (Page 43, lines 188-199, Act 1. Scene 1) ** This scene shows the plan devised by both Tranio and Lucentio to get closer to Bianca. Lucentio didn’t think he could go right up to Bianca and win her heart. Instead he and Tranio conformed a plan around it, which ended up as Lucentio disguising himself as a schoolmaster all just to talk to Bianca.
 * Tranio: “Ay, marry, am I sir- and now tis plotted!” **
 * Lucentio: “I have it, Tranio! “ **
 * Tranio: “Master, for my hand, both our inventions meet and jump in one **
 * Lucentio: “Tell me thine first.” **
 * Tranio: “You will be schoolmaster and undertake the teaching of the maid: That’s your device.” **
 * Lucentio: “It is. May it be done?"

Just as Lucentio disguises himself as someone else so does Cady. In the movie Mean Girls Cady was at a Halloween party hoping Regina would talk to Aaron (Regina’s ex) for her. Regina was suppose to see if Aaron liked her the way she liked him, but instead of doing so Regina hooked up with Aaron right in front of Cady. Cady felt heartbroken by saying, “ // I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. // //My stomach felt like it was going to fall out my butt.// //I had this lump in my throat like after you dry-swallow a big pill.// “ Infuriated and seeking revenge Cady went to Janice and Damien and a new plan came into play. The plan included Cady getting Aaron Samuels to dump Regina, having the two members of the plastics ditch Regina, and last but not least making Regina fat**.** (HAVING TROUBLES GETTING PICTURE UP)

Cady continues with the plan but as time goes on she converts more and more into a plastic. During a house party at Cady’s place Cady finally got the chance to talk to Aaron who recently broke up with Regina. Cady was ready to make her move and admits how she changed herself in order to talk to Aaron.



code Cady: “I pretended to be bad at math so that you'd help me.But the thing is, I'm not really bad at math. I'm actually really good at math. You're kind of bad at math. Anyways, now I'm failing. Isn't that funny? “ Aaron: “Wait. You're failing on purpose? That's stupid. “ Cady: “No. Not on purpose. Just, you know I just wanted a reason to talk to you. The conversation goes downhill from there and ends with Cady vomiting on Aaron and him leaving disgusted. While running after Aaron, Cady is spotted by Janice and Damien who were uninvited to her party. Insulted and choleric Cady attempts to explain why they weren’t invited. Cady: “You know I couldn't invite you. I had to pretend to be Plastic.” Janice: Hey, buddy, you're not pretending anymore. You're Plastic. Cold, shiny, hard Plastic.”

code

The first scene shows that Cady believed she had to dumb herself down in order to talk to Aaron (Regina’s boyfriend at the time). The second scene shows while pretending to be a plastic Cady actually turns into one. Of course Lucentio doesn’t actually go strongly into the role of being a school master but the same concept is perceived which is in order to get to the one you like you must disguise yourself as someone else. Not only does the deception of disguising oneself lie in both movies but the sneaking behind others back. Just as Cady had her sneaky ways to get with Aaron Samuels so did Lucentio. In The Taming of the Shrew Lucentio poses as a schoolmaster, Tranio poses as Lucentio, and a merchant poses as Lucentio’s father. The false Lucentio (Tranio) and false father (the merchant) are busy making false plans with Baptista to marry Bianca. All is a distraction for the real Lucentio, disguised as a schoolmaster, to marry Bianca. While the false plans are being done Biondello, a mere servant, reports the good news to Lucentio to go on with the wedding. Once hearing the good news from Biondello, Lucentio proceeds with his plan to secretly marry Bianca behind everybody’s back. As shown there are multiple ways of deception in both The Taming of the Shrew and Mean Girls. Both Tranio and Lucentio devised a secret plan behind everybody’s back just like Cady, Damien, and Janice. And both Lucentio and Cady disguised themselves as somebody else in order to get closer to the one they love. The two stories show a strong correlation of deception. Luckily, at the end of both movies the illusion of being somebody else is shedded and the theme to just be yourself is the best way for somebody to like you.
 * BIONDELLO: **
 * “I cannot tell, except they are busied about a counterfeit **
 * assurance. Take you assurance of her cum privilego ad **
 * imprimendum solum. To th' church take the priest, clerk, **
 * and some sufficient honest witnesses. **
 * If this be not that you look for, I have no more to say, **
 * But bid Bianca farewell forever and a day.” (line 92, page 184 Act 4, scene 5) **

// Mean girls. // Dir. Mark Waters. Perf. Lindsy Lohan, Rachel Mcadams, Jonathan Bennett, Tina Fey, Lizzy Caplan, and Daniel Franzese. Paramount Pictures. 30 April 2004.
 * __ Resources __**

William, Shakespeare.//The Taming of the Shrew.// New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. Print.