For an English assignment, we were assigned to write an expository piece that related William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew with something from modern day. Most everybody in my class seemed to be doing how the marriages then related to today’s or the women or men, etc. I wanted to do something original and different, so here is what I chose to write.
“Glad that you thus continue your resolve / To suck the sweets of sweet philosophy” (Act 1 Scene 1 lines 27-28.) While most may not understand what Tranio, the loyal servant of Lucentio from William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, was exactly saying to his master, most do understand the meaning of “fun”. No matter what the century, man has always fed his craving for entertainment. Even when work must be done and the opportunity of knowledge is in hand, recreation still holds its firm grip on the mind. At times, the value of fun is held higher than that of education and duty. This can be observed by overlooking the current rate of high school and college dropouts, the number of high school graduates who do not plan on attending a college, those who do make plans and are then sidetracked, and even the number of parties that take place during the school years. Even relationships are considered more important than education to some people. Today, you can still see this in the number of married people who attend college and those who drop out of high school for relationship-related issues. It is not uncommon for relationships to affect future college plans nowadays also. As history continues on, man’s love of relaxation and entertainment are carried with it.
