Let's Bust a Recap : The Taming of the Shrew

As you can see by the title of this post, I decided to go ahead and read The Taming of the Shrew before saying "Adios!" to February. I read this one faster than any of the three previous plays by Shakespeare I've read, and it was, by far, the most outrageous one yet.

As I did with Macbeth, I'm going to reveal the entire plot of the play, so if you are in the dark about this play and want to stay that way, this is your cue to leave.

In The Taming of the Shrew, we meet Baptista Minola and his two daughters, Bianca (the younger one that everyone's in love with) and Katharina (the older one who is the shrew in the title of the play). Baptista has decreed that no one gets Bianca until he can marry off Katharina. This poses a problem for all Bianca's adoring suitors, NOT because Katharina refuses to marry, but because no man alive is crazy enough to ask for Katharina's hand. Enter Petruchio. A man who is just as crazy as Katharina, looking for a wife with a rich father to offer a sizable dowry. He's easily talked into pursuing marriage with Katharina the shrew because he ain't scared and as long as she's easy on the eyes and comes with money, she's as good as the next broad. 

So off he goes to ask Baptista for Katharina's hand in marriage.

In the meantime, we've met Lucentio who has recently arrived in town, instantly fell in love with Bianca (without ever having talked to her, I might add), and has concocted a plan to spend time with her while we all wait for someone to marry Katharina. He has his servant Tranio pretend to be him so that he can pretend to be a tutor for Bianca. 

Back to Petruchio and Katharina. Baptista happily gives his shrewish daughter to Petruchio in marriage, and Petruchio's big plan to tame this crazy chick is to act crazier than her. He starves her, deprives her of sleep, and generally is the biggest nightmare you can imagine until she finally caves and becomes a docile, submissive little wife. Seriously. That's what happens.

So who ends up with Bianca? While Lucentio is pretending to be her tutor and wooing her, his man Tranio (disguised as Lucentio, remember) is vying for her hand in marriage and basically promises Baptista that between him and his father, Vincentio, he can make the best life for Bianca because he's the richest. Like pretty much, Baptista was holding a bidding war for Bianca. Not kidding. He conditionally agrees to give Bianca to Lucentio as long as his father, Vincentio shows up to validate everything that Lucentio has promised. 

Are you still with me? 

Tranio (still pretending to be Lucentio) hires a random old guy to pretend to be his father, Vincentio, and Baptista grants full permission for the wedding to take place. Tranio sends word to Lucentio that all's clear for the wedding at which point, the real Vincentio shows up. 

Right before Vincentio is about to beat Tranio to death for killing his son (the obvious conclusion when he sees him wearing Lucentio's clothes and lying to everyone), Lucentio and Bianca show up and make peace. Even though Baptista at first is all, "What the devil just happened?!"

So then everyone sits down to a feast together and Petruchio demonstrates just how well he tamed Katharina by making a bet with Lucentio and Hortensio (I know I didn't talk about Hortensio, but didn't you have enough to deal with keeping up with the rest of this story?) that if they all three called their wives, Katharina would be the quickest to obey. And he wins the bet. I'll be sharing Katharina's final words tomorrow in our Word for Wednesday so tune in to see just how completely Petruchio managed to tame the shrew.

My biggest beef with this play is that in the very beginning, a random lord is playing a prank on this drunk guy named Christopher Sly in which he (the lord) has convinced him (Chris Sly) that he's some hoity toity lord himself and The Taming of the Shrew is actually a play being presented to Christopher Sly. And we never find out what happens to him. The end of The Taming of the Shrew, which is actually a play within the play, is the end of the whole thing. What's the deal, Shakespeare??

Other than that, The Taming of the Shrew is outrageously hilarious, and I definitely recommend it. I definitely liked it better than A Midsummer-Night's Dream, but not quite so much as Much Ado About Nothing. Or maybe it's a tie with Much Ado About Nothing. They're both hysterical.

What do you think? Did you follow all that? Have you read The Taming of the Shrew? What is your favorite Shakespearean work?

Casual Fridays

We haven't done a Currently I'm... post in a while and frankly, the Casual Fridays muse has not been with me lately so today we're taking it easy and just having a chatty, catch-up with each other kind of day. Sound good? Good. Let's begin.

Reading...

... Deuteronomy.

... John Adams by David McCullough and really enjoying it. I was hoping to finish it up in February, but that is definitely not going to happen.

Watching... 

... Bones Season 12. Word on the street is that this is for real the final season. I can't believe it, and I seriously don't know how they're going to tie it up in the next 4 episodes because that's all that's left.

... Parks and Rec. It seems to me that the last time I did a Currently I'm... post I was talking about Parks and Rec. We did finish it and thought it was hilarious and recently decided to re-watch it since I missed Season 1 and half of Season 2 the first time around. I think it's even funnier watching it after you've already seen it and have a feel for the characters. #TeamDonna She's my fav.

... One Tree Hill. Y'all. It pains me to admit this, but I got sucked into One Tree Hill land. I had never seen a single episode in my life, but I was feeling sick or something one day last year sometime and decided to watch an episode just to see what it was all about and lo and behold, I'm now on the final season. Speaking of which, I feel like the show should have ended 3 times, but they just won't quit. Seriously. The series finale on the River Court at the end of high school--should have been the end. The series finale after P. Sawyer has her baby--should have been the end. The series finale with Jamie dribbling the basketball across the bridge--definitely should have been the end. But they just have to wring every last penny out of a show until you hate it, I guess. Don't writers and producers and whoever else has any say in the matter have any sense of pride or integrity in creating a show that tells a story and ends well?? Is it that hard to pull the plug?? End rant. And P.S. this is not an endorsement or a recommendation to watch OTH. That show has more drama than a high school theater club. 

Listening...

... to Switchfoot's Where the Light Shines Through album. It's their latest, and it's on point per usual.

... to Train's a girl a bottle a boat album. It just came out a couple weeks ago, and it is a feel good record in every way. Train and Switchfoot are my two favorite bands, I always keep up with them, and they have yet to disappoint me.

... my James 5:13 playlist. Part of James 5:13 says, "Is anyone happy? Let him sing praise." This playlist has 100 of my happiest praise songs to Jesus, and I love cranking it up and belting it out.

Jonesing...

... for a beach day. This Florida girl starts to get a little restless for some sand and saltwater come February, but the weather hasn't been quite there yet. Soon.

... for cupcakes. I'm not usually a big desserts girl, but lately I have been craving cupcakes. Maybe I should just make a batch and get it over with, but I'm trying to have some self-control here.

Recovering...

... from the flu. It seems like Cody and I have been fighting illness since the beginning of the year and last week, it won. We both went down hard, but this week, I have finally been feeling really good for the first time in weeks. Yay health!

... from Hacksaw Ridge. Cody and I watched this movie Wednesday night, and I'm still feeling sad. War movies always depress me. But if you can handle some pretty gory war violence (I had to cover my eyes a few times), I would recommend this one. It's a true story and one worth telling.

Memorizing...

... Psalm 34:4. We're on Verse 4 of SSMT so since February 15th, I've been working on adding "I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears" to verses 1-3 of Psalm 34 which I've got pretty well memorized at this point. (Also, I just typed that from memory and besides missing two commas: #nailedit)

Trying...

... to keep my house clean. With two energetic puppies and a backyard that is turning into a giant pit of sand because dogs, the struggle is real.

... to decide if i should read The Taming of the Shrew this weekend so that I can complete two books from my list within the month of February. I only have 12 books on my list this year, but I'd like to keep the pace up because March-May always seems to be a difficult time of year for my reading life. Thoughts?

... to work the word "Zamzummims" into my regular vocabulary. I discovered this word yesterday in Deuteronomy 2:20, and I kindof love it. They were giants in the land of Canaan, and doesn't that sound like something Dr. Seuss would call them? Maybe I could use it as a Christian cuss word. Before you come looking to burn me at the stake, watch this video. Imagine stubbing your toe and shouting out "Zamzummims!" I think it could work.

Loving...

... my thoughtful husband who gave me this beautiful ring for Valentines Day that says "Our Love is Forever" on the inside. He is the sweetest.

... my most recent home pedicure. You guys, I achieved smudge-free status! I waddled around my house like a penguin most of the day Wednesday to accomplish this long sought after dream, but it was worth it! My toenails look so pro. Oh you want to see a picture? Wish granted.

... these sweet dogs because even though they're a total mess, they make up for it by being the most loyal, loving, cuddly little buddies, and I would hate not having them around.

What's currently going on with you?

A Word for Wednesday

"To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love..."

~from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen~

A Tuesday Confession

I have the worst high school yearbook pictures in the history of the world.
I know that there are many people out there who might think this about themselves, but mine are actually the worst.
I would show you, but it's just too embarrassing.
Okay, fine: I'll show you anyway. What's the point of a Tuesday Confessional if we can't laugh about these things, right?

Oh y'all.
It pains me to look at them.
Hi Ellie Mae (Freshman Hannah) who wore overalls to school on picture day. The tweasers were not your friend freshman year, were they?
Sophomore year: I will never forgive that crock of a photographer whose actual mission was to wait to snap the photograph until he could extract the worst possible facial expression from me. I'm serious. (Mini-rant here: I sat there smiling while he said stupid things like, "Say 'I love hamburgers!' or 'I love peas!' or 'I love my boyfriend!'" And finally, in exasperation, I ground out, "I don't have a boyfriend" at which opportune moment, he finally decides to press the dang button. What a guy.)
Junior Hannah, thanks for forgetting altogether that it was picture day and wearing an oversized t-shirt and doing absolutely nothing with all that long, straight, hippie hair. But on the upside, at least your eyebrows were starting to grow back in.
And Senior Hannah, who were you mad at or contemplating murdering?? Would it have killed you to smile?

Did anyone else hate school picture day?

A Word for Wednesday

"'If you knew how great is a mother's love,' Wendy told them triumphantly, 'you would have no fear.'"

~from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie~

Artwork: "Sheltering Arms" by Jules Erbit

Let's Bust a Recap : Jo's Boys

Ah, sadly we have come to the end of our Little Women trilogy. To tell the truth, I kindof just want to forget my book list, and start this set over again. Little Women, Little Men, and Jo's Boys are the absolute sweetest, most wholesome, heartwarming-est books you'll ever read, and I really appreciate how moral and innocent they are. While Little Women has long been a favorite of mine, I have only just completely read Little Men and Jo's Boys for the first time over the past year, but this little trilogy has claimed a corner of my heart, and I will most definitely be revisiting it in future. 

Jo's Boys was published in 1886 and in it, we get to peek back in on life at Plumfield one final time as Louisa May Alcott definitively ends this delightful series. Jo's Boys opens ten years after the close of Little Men, and Plumfield has grown into a thriving co-ed college where we get to catch up with and learn how our favorite boys (and girls, too!) have turned out. 

As with Little Women and Little Men, I couldn't make it through Jo's Boys without my fair share of chuckling and blubbering. My heart ached for the young men struggling through hard life lessons, and soared with the triumphs of others conquering their temptations and discovering love. Louisa May Alcott certainly had the literary genius, in my opinion. These books are a grand-slam. 

What else can I say really? I would recommend this series without reservation to any person, young or old, boy or girl, avid reader or reluctant skimmer. These books have won an uncontested place among my all-time favorites, and it is a crying shame they're not more accessible in book stores. I hunted high and low for Little Men and Jo's Boys in several major bookstores in my area and finally had to resort to ordering them online. You should definitely add them to your collection before they're entirely obsolete. 

Have you read anything by Louisa May Alcott? What books rank in your all-time favorites? Do you get emotional when you read certain favorites or are you stoic and phlegmatic at all times? 

**Today is the last day to enter the giveaway I've got going right now, so don't miss out! Winners will be announced tomorrow morning at the top of the giveaway post. Good luck!**

A Word for Wednesday

"Not the pain of this but its unfairness was what dazed Peter. It made him quite helpless. He could only stare, horrified. Every child is affected thus the first time he is treated unfairly. All he thinks he has a right to when he comes to you to be yours is fairness. After you have been unfair to him he will love you again, but he will never be quite the same boy. No one ever gets over the first unfairness."

~from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie~