Tsundere/Theatre

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Examples of Tsundere characters in Theatre include:

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Other Examples

Usually tsuntsun ("Type A")

  • Kate from Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew may count if you're one of those people who insist on believing that Shakespeare did everything first, although she was more of a Defrosting Ice Queen.
    • Some more modern interpretations of the play never have her lose her edge. However, Lilli Venessi, who plays Kate in the play-within-a-play in Kiss Me Kate definitely exhibits tsundere traits. Same goes to Catalina (played by Claudia Di Girolamo)from "La Fiera", a Chilean Telenovela also based in the play, though she's a Hot Amazon and older than the standard.
      • And Kat in 10 Things I Hate About You, which is also based on the play.
  • Shakespeare has some more straightforward examples of a Tsundere than Katherine -- Hermia, for example, who gets very fiery when roused, and Katherine Percy and Hotspur of Henry IV, Part 1, who are a Tsundere married couple. He constantly insults and belittles her while she threatens him with violence. And they are adorable.
  • Isabella from Measure for Measure also acts in this manner, although her moods are somewhat... bizarre from time to time.
  • Penelope Pennywise from Urinetown is a rare Western example of a Type A Tsundere. Her 'dere trigger' is anything to do with Hope, since she is her daughter, and/or being reminded of her past with Cladwell. She has even been known to get violent at times, and is particularly good with a plunger...
  • In Mary, Mary, Mary alternates between being a cynical Deadpan Snarker and acting helplessly romantic, particularly around her ex-husband Bob. Her smug denial of being a "Miss Birdseye Frozen" only adds to the Tsundere impression, as does the noticeable catch in her voice when she says "I should know better than to believe it when somebody tells me that I'm--pretty."
  • Christmas Eve from Avenue Q, her solo song is even called "The More You Ruv Someone (The More You Want To Kill Them)"

Usually deredere ("Type B")

  • In Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe, the fairies give rather mixed messages, with cooing "don't go"s in between the abuse in "In vain to us you plead." It's practically the Tsundere anthem.

Verse 1:

In vain to us you plead –
Don’t go!
Your prayers we do not heed –
Don’t go!
It’s true we sigh,
But don’t suppose
A tearful eye
Forgiveness shows.
Oh, no!
We’re very cross indeed –

Yes, very cross,
—Don’t go!

Verse 2

Your disrespectful sneers –
Don’t go!
Call forth indignant tears –
Don’t go!
You break our laws –
You are our foe:
We cry because
We hate you so!
You know!
You very wicked Peers!

You wicked Peers!
—Don’t go!
  • Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing is more a Type B; she is friendly and amiable toward most people, except Benedick. Their "merry war" fails to hide their true affections from the rest of the cast. She defrosts to a certain extent, but her relationship with Benedick races up and down the temperature scale throughout. She's also fiercely protective of her cousin Hero, to the point of wanting to see Claudio dead when he wrongly accuses Hero of infidelity.

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