Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew All actions are initiated with a specific intention in mind. For the
most part, a positive, kind act stems from a good intention. However,
what may appear to be hurtful, malicious acts may be motivated by good
intentions. This last case is applicable to Petruchio in “The Taming
of the Shrew.” Petruchio demonstrates cruelty through his actions, but
sensibility through his intentions. Petruchio develops a clever plan
to change Kate first by stifling her personality, then by eliminating
her dignity and finally by torturing her, rendering Kate docile.
From the outset of Petruchio’s appearance in “The Taming of the
Shrew,” he demonstrates cruelty through his actions towards Kate.
During Petruchio’s first encounter with Kate, he frustrates her with
his “goodly speech” (2.1.255) and quick wit, rather than being a
gentleman and showing politeness. He shows no effort to woo her or
follow proper etiquette of the time but rather is intent on
establishing his domineering attitude in the very first moments of his
time with her. At first, it seems as if this is a harmless bickering
between Petruchio and Kate, however tensions escalate and Petruchio
threatens to “cuff [Kate] if [she] strikes again” (2.1.217). This
demonstrates a strong potential for physical cruelty, even though he
restrains himself, the threat still remains. Petruchio’s cruelty
persists, this time in a possessive manner when he declares that “Kate
will be my hen” (2.1.223...
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...her to “kiss [Petruchio”
in the middle of the street. Once again Kate puts up a fight but
concedes rather easily by kissing him. These last three are definitely
the result of Petruchio taking away Kate’s basic necessities. However,
the culmination of Petruchio’s lesson is displayed when Kate lectures
Bianca and the Widow, on the duties of a wife, stating that “[wives]
are bound to serve, love, and obey” (5.2.164).
Throughout “The Taming of the Shrew” it is obvious that Kate has
undergone a transformation, from a heinous woman into a kind docile
lady. Petruchio demonstrated great talent formulating a plan that
would cause terrific results. Although his actions may have been
cruel, his intention was to tame Kate so that they could have a
wonderful relationship together. In this case, the end does justify
the means.
tasks athand. Hamlet used his cunning when he devised a plan to see if his
A famous man by the name of Kahlil Gibran once said, “Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.” It just happens that Cyrano’s heart shined brighter than anyone I have ever known. Through insecurities and heartbreaks, Cyrano would never forget his pride or the feelings of his friends. He never lost his honor and would always bring light into any situation, even when he was near his death. Cyrano displayed many positive traits and values such as loyalty, devotion, selflessness, knowledge, and pride which all contributed to our sympathy towards him.
The first case of someone’s plans going awry is when Hamlet stabs the curtain that Polonius is conveniently standing behind. Hamlet doesn’t exactly know who is behind the curtain, “Nay, I know not, Is it the King?” (Shakespeare 3.4.32). Hamlet hopes that the person that he slain was the
Hamlet's actions and words have a "method" to them; there appears to be a reason behind them, they are logical in nature. II, ii.
Over the past 400 or so years since Shakespeare wrote _The Taming of the Shrew_, many writers, painters, musicians and directors have adapted and reformed this play of control and subjugation into timeless pieces of art. In _10 Things I Hate About You_ and Kiss Me Kate from two very different times in the twentieth century, and paintings of Katherina and Bianca from the late nineteenth century, the creators of these adaptations have chosen to focus on the role of the two main female characters in the play. The ideas surrounding these women have changed through the years, from Katherina and Bianca simply being young women who deviated from the norm of Shakespeare’s time to women who embody feminist ideals and stereotypes of the more modern world.
Power is the capability of influencing others in their behavior. It all connects to him trying to tame Katherine. He wants to change her behavior and he contains the power of doing this because at the end she respects him more than any other female would respect their husband. Throughout the play, The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare, Petruchio, Katherine 's husband, contains the power in the relationship because he is able to change her behavior.
Arising from Hamlet's depression comes a paralysis to act. By not acting upon the...
A long time ago, a drunken man fell asleep outside an alehouse. This man, Christopher Sly, was discovered by a mischievous lord who took him into his home. The witty lord then convinced Sly that he was a lord, as well. The lord then put on a play for him. The play, The Taming of the Shrew, was about the two young daughters of Baptista. The youngest daughter, Bianca, wished to wed but her father, Baptista, would not allow this until his eldest daughter, Katherina, was married. Under normal circumstances, it would be easy to find a husband for Katherina with all her beauty, but all her beauty was covered by her shrewd personality. By this time Bianca's suitors were growing very impatient, so they decide to team up and find a husband for Katherina. In jest they mentioned their plan to a friend, Petruchio, who surprisingly agreed to marry Katherina. All her beauty and wealth were enough for him. Katherina reluctantly was wed to Petruchio and she was taken to his home to be tamed. With Katherina out of the way, Bianca was now allowed to marry Lucentio, who offered her father the highest dowry for her. In the final scenes of the play, Katherina proves that she is tamed by winning an obedience contest at a dinner party. Katherina is now even more in accordance with her wifely duties than Bianca. A fare is a type of comedy based on a ridiculous situation. The Taming of the Shrew, an eminent example of a farce, is the first of three farces written by Shakespeare.
...nts itself. Hamlet is so determined to do something he does not wish to think about the consequences anymore.
William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew is an interesting story that demonstrates the patriarchal ideas of how a marriage is suppose to be according to society, what is acceptable of a woman's role in a relationship. It's a story that has many things to show for it's been remade, and remade, even slightly altered to better relate to the teenage audience.
In The Taming of the Shrew, the concept of love is a means of emotional manipulation, and manipulation is nothing more than a means of control between men and women. William Shakespeare critiques the patriarchal social structure by ironically employing the manipulative stance Petruchio takes towards winning Katherine as his wife by charming her with words and manipulating her psychologically, and then taming her after their marriage through legal, physical, financial, and psychological control and manipulation. Though Petruchio may think he yields power over his wife, Katherine uses obedience as a tool of manipulation and has the control of the household, as can be seen by her ironic speech at the end of the play, where she claims women must serve their men. Shakespeare uses the irony of a man using manipulation as a tool for control to magnify the significance of the power women yield through manipulation, thus proving that men and women engage in a power-shifting struggle.
In Shakespeare’s play, Othello, several incidents occur that portray the purpose of Roderigo’s character. If one event is isolated from the rest, the thematic desire is lost. It is only when the events are looked at as a whole that the actual theme is obtained. Roderigo is a minor character who carries out a vital role in the play. Although Roderigo has very few lines, he plays a crucial role on a thematic level.
In The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare creates humour through his characters by creating false realities (as demonstrated by Petruchio’s behaviour and attire in the scene of his wedding) and by the use of subterfuge and mistaken identity (shown in the final scenes with the transformation of Kate and Bianca’s respective personas). He also uses irony quite extensively, especially towards the end of the play (as can be seen in the final ‘wager’ scene).
He acts before he thinks, in other words, he makes a move before he sits and thinks about it. Like the scene when Hamlet killed Polonius.
“SparkNote on The Taming of the Shrew.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.