Nathan+Kamal

**Close to True Love**
//**Comparing playwright William Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew to director Mike Nichols' "Closer"**//

By Nathan Kamal In William Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, Luchentio allegedly falls in love with Bianca at first sight. The 2004 film "Closer," directed by Mike Nichols, begins with two central characters falling for each other as they first meet, walking down the street at one another. The literary tool of "love at first sight" is introduced in both scenarios, but the stories' plots and outcomes of the two lovers meeting are two extremes of comedy, each leading to different conclusions about the nature of "love." Luchentio seems to be overcome with deep infatuation at his and Bianca's first encounter, and then towards the end of the play his views on love and romance reflect his impulsive behavior. After "falling in love at first sight," the characters' relationship goes through several ordeals. At the end, their views on love have deeply changed, and have become more sterile. Both of the plots were triggered by "love at first sight," but the nature of the two films are very different. This shows the success of "love at first sight" as a successful plot device in storytelling.

= = ="O Tranio, till I found it to be true, I never thought it possible or likely. But see, while idly I stood looking on, I found the effect of love in idleness"= -Luchentio (Act I, Scene I, line 150)

In the expository scene of Shrew, Luchentio, an ambitious scholar, and Tranio, his assistant, spot the evidently beautiful and softly spoken Bianca. Although Bianca cannot necessarily see or hear either men, Luchentio admits to deeply falling in love with Bianca and expresses interest in possibly initiating a plan resulting in him winning her heart.

This romantic exposition corresponds with the opening sequence of "Closer," except that the feeling of deep attraction is mutual.

Opening a story with two lovers instantly falling for one another is often considered to be a literary banality. However, it is apparent in both Shrew and in "Closer" that such a heavily used medium of expressing fictional love often yields the most interesting plots and character development.

In Shrew, which has more silly comedic and satirical elements than "Closer," the love affair between Luchentio and Bianca ends in marriage. Luchentio has "won" Bianca over and as a result, the happily married couple basks in the glory of "true love."

The play has misogynistic messages, that may or may not be interpreted as satirical. These messages are illustrated very effectively in a final monologue by Katherine, Bianca's sister.

="Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee, And for thy maintenance commits his body To painful labour both by sea and land, To watch the night in storms, the day in cold, Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe; And craves no other tribute at thy hands But love, fair looks and true obedience; Too little payment for so great a debt. "= -Katherine (Act V, Scene II, line 164)

Although the marriage is a successful one, the motives behind it are quite corrupt, and blissfully reflective of gender roles of the Renaissance.

Closer, on the other hand, does not share the same sunny optimism that surrounds Bianca and Luchentio.

The film opens with the two main characters, Alice and Dan, falling in love at first sight. They immediately begin dating. Dan is a struggling author, and one day, while at a photoshoot for his book, he kisses his photographer, Anna. The next day, Anna meets Larry, a dermatologist, and they eventually marry. However, Dan and Anna continue seeing each other behind their corresponding lovers' backs. All at once, both Anna and Dan confess their betrayal to their lovers, and the relationships end. Alice disappears, and Larry strives to win back Anna, who is still seeing Dan. Eventually, he blackmails her into sleeping with him in exchange for his signature on divorce papers. She falls back in love with him, and they re-marry.

In a final act of desperation, Dan confronts Larry. Mike Nichols, the director of the film, is well known for his ability to make the viewer empathize with male characters who are romantically challenged, and this film is no exception. Larry is clearly in the right, but the viewer sympathizes with Dan. Dan (shown below on the left) criticizes Larry's methods of wooing and claims, ="You think love is simple! You think that the human heart is like a diagram,"=

to which Larry (shown below on the right) responds,

="Have you even seen a human heart? It looks like a fist covered in blood, you writer! You liar."=

Neither storyline portrays love in a positive light; Shrew, a silly laugh-out-loud screwball comedy, induces that love is a payment owed to men from women. Closer on the other hand is much darker and is laced with Nichols' signature grim humor, and has a theme far less shallow, but still as questionable. The theme of the film, as is often the case with Nichols' films, is that love and intimacy are often forced, often man-made, and an inconvenience, but are nonetheless necessities in human development. Both stories include a plot triggered by love at first sight, and feature flawed characters. They are both hilarious in two very different ways, and brilliantly shed a more sinister, realistic light on the true nature of true love.