History Main / OpenShirtTaunt

* In ''Film/{{Beowulf 2007}}'', our hero -[[spoiler:now a king and becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the world]]- goes the whole-hog of taking off his armour, throwing away his sword, and ripping open his tunic to bear his chest to an enemy warrior, all the time telling him to kill him. The last time he yells 'Kill me', it doesn't seem so much a taunt, as a '''plea'''.

* In ''Film/{{Beowulf}}'', our hero -[[spoiler:now a king and becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the world]]- goes the whole-hog of taking off his armour, throwing away his sword, and ripping open his tunic to bear his chest to an enemy warrior, all the time telling him to kill him. The last time he yells 'Kill me', it doesn't seem so much a taunt, as a '''plea'''.

* In the 1983 movie of Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance, The Pirate King (Kevin Kline) does this in the scene before the "Paradox" song.

* In ''Film/{{Beowulf}}, our hero -[[spoiler:now a king and becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the world]]- goes full the whole-hog of taking off his armour, throwing away his sword, and ripping open his tunic to bear his chest to an enemy warrior, all the time telling him to kill him. The last time he yells 'Kill me', it doesn't seem so much a taunt, as a '''plea'''.

** When founder of the LDS church JosephSmith was once confronted by a would be assassin, he invoked this trope. The man immediately dropped his gun, thinking that Smith must have concealed bodyguards with weapons trained on him.

[[AC: {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

[[AC:Comics]]
* In ''CreatureTech'', the last fight between Dr. Ong and Dr. Jameson ends with Ong baring his chest for Jameson to strike him. It's a BatmanGambit [[spoiler:and it works. Jameson gained his powers for this fight from an alien symbiote, and Ong had figured out that the symbiote was an intelligent creature that would much rather bond with a moral host than an evil one. When Ong bares his chest, Jameson rips his heart out--and the symbiote immediately abandons Jameson (killing him in the process) to bond with Ong and save his life.]]

** NapoleonBonaparte famously did it after he escaped the island of Elba and stepped on the French soil again. A troop of king's soldiers was dispatched to stop him, but he bared his chest and shouted: "Who wants to shoot his Emperor?" The soldiers still had fond memories of Napoleon's reign, and immediately defected to his side.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' episode "Stimpy's Fan Club", Ren is so distraught at disappointing Stimpy that he [[FurIsClothing tears open his fur]] and hands Stimpy a (uibber) dagger for him to stab him in the chest.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' episode "Stimpy's Fan Club", Ren is so distraught at disappointing Stimpy that he [[FurIsClothing tears open his fur]] and hands Stimpy a dagger for him to stab him in the chest.

* In {{Farscape}} Commandant Grayza is all about the [[http://farscape.wikia.com/wiki/Mele-On_Grayza cleavage.]] In an interview with the actress, Rebecca Riggs, she notes that she didn't originally view Grayza's costume as titillating; rather, she thought it was more this trope, baring her vital organs for the enemy to see to show she's not afraid.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. After yet another double-cross Buffy turns up at Spike's crypt determined to stake him once and for all. A pissed-off Spike rips off his shirt to expose his manly body and tells her to get on with it, whereupon they start making out passionately. Cue DaydreamSurprise CatapultNightmare as Spike realises he's [[DatingCatwoman fallen in love with his]] ArchNemesis.

** According to some versions, [[TheRomanEmpire Nero]]'s mother Agripinna confronted the assassins her son sent to kill her by showing her abdomen, telling them to strike the place her son had come from.

** It's said BenitoMussolini did this right before he was shot to death.

* In the original text of ''Theatre/RichardIII'' the stage directions explicitly say Richard "layes his brest open" [sic] - that is, he opens his shirt/jerkin for Anne to run him through with his sword, which he has given her for the express purpose after she says she wants to see him dead. (In the 1995 film adaptation of the scene, the title character does this after giving her a dagger.) Unfortunately for a lot of people (her included), she doesn't go through with it.

* ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. After yet another double-cross Buffy turns up at Spike's crypt determined to stake him once and for all. A pissed-off Spike rips off his shirt to expose his manly body and tells her to get on with it, whereupon they start making out passionately. Cue DaydreamSurprise CatapultNightmare as Spike realises he's [[DatingCatwoman fallen in love with his]] ArchNemesis.

** It's said BenitoMussolini did this right before he was shot to death.

* In {{Farscape}} Commandant Grayza is all about the [[https://www.google.com/search?q=commandant+grayza&client=firefox-a&hs=jGQ&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&imgil=XP2uXxT6o15EBM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcQqKv0ftDfVltAWllpx_EY0waidxeKd0gUSwL7UP-WwV20kFJkwZw%253B375%253B450%253B7y0k_AkUOAv7zM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.themakeupgallery.info%25252Ffantasy%25252Falien%25252Ffar%25252Fgrayza.htm&source=iu&usg=__bRmI4q_t4DSuDhWVLVo-URoLYqU%3D&sa=X&ei=NuZnU_yUIMqosASos4DIBA&ved=0CDYQ9QEwAQ&biw=1680&bih=920 cleavage.]] In an interview with the actress, Rebecca Riggs, she notes that she didn't originally view Grayza's costume as titillating; rather, she thought it was more this trope, barring her vital organs for the enemy to see to show she's not afraid.

In some cases, the character welcomes the injury, thinking it's deserved. Alternatively, he [[YouWouldntShootMe doesn't really believe the other will harm them]], or is at least confident that the blow won't be fatal. Or he just wants to FaceDeathWithDignity. Or it's a case of StrikeMeDownWithAllYourHatred.

Usually seen with the character unbuttoning or removing a shirt, this trope involves a character baring a vital region of their body to provide an easy target and daring another character to stab or shoot them. In the same manner as a ShamefulStrip, the removal of clothing signifies vulnerability and defenselessness. In some cases, the character welcomes the injury thinking it's deserved. More often, the character baring themselves either has a backup reason for the other not to harm them, or is otherwise confident that the blow they're soliciting won't be fatal.

** NapoleonBonaparte famously did it after he escaped the island of Elba and stepped on the French soil again. A troop of king's soldiers was dispatched to stop him, but he bared his chest and shouted: "Who wants to shoot his Emperor?" The soldiers still had fond memories of Napoleon's reign, and immediately defected to his side.

[[AC:Comicbooks]]

** NapoleonBonaparte famously did it after he escaped the island of Elba and stepped on the French soil again. A troop of king's soldiers was dispatched to stop him, but he bared his chest and shouted: "Who wants to shoot his Emperor?" The soldiers still had fond memories of Napoleon's reign, and immediately defected to his side.

* In the original text of ''Theatre/RichardIII'' the stage directions explicitly say Richard "layes his brest open" [sic] - that is, he opens his shirt/jerkin for Anne to run him through with his sword, which he has given her for the express purpose after she says she wants to see him dead. (In the 1995 film adaptation of the scene, the title character does this after giving her a dagger.) She doesn't go through with it.