Shakespeare’s Interpretation of Men in Taming of the Shrew

Shakespeare’s Interpretation of Men in Taming of the Shrew

Evidently Shakespeare was writing at a time in which men dominated

society and patriarchal ideology was very much demonstrated as women

had very few rights and opportunities in life compared to those of

men. Fully represented within Shakespeare’s ‘Taming of the Shrew’, the

character ‘Petruchio’ portrays this dominance of males and the way in

which they were able to abuse and humiliate women. Thus I believe that

in this play, women are used as a symbol of male power, or lack of it.

Shakespeare frequently expresses male supremacy concerned with

different themes: love, marriage, wealth and hierarchy. In this essay

I will assess the different interpretations of the male characters in

‘Taming of the shrew’ and how they represent the themes that I have

mentioned above.

Verbally dextrous, Petruchio states clearly that he wishes to “Haply

wive and thrive as best as I may”. Represented to be conceited and

egotistical, his arrogance is reflected by his belief that he isn’t

concerned with love and believes that he has the power to win over

Kate, “Why that is nothing”. Further emphasizing this Petruchio sees

women as a possession and money as a prerequisite for marriage, “I

will be master of what is mine”. Insulting Kate, he also lists her

alongside his animals, “My horse, my ox, my ass, my any thing”. This

demonstrates that Shakespeare interpreted dominant men to disrespect

their wives and disregard their feelings as their only concern was

their wealth and prominence within society. Stated as “Nothing less

but psychological rape”, Shakespeare uses Petruchio to assert his

dominance ...

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women: physically weak, suppressed and trivial in comparison.

Palpably, in Shakespearian times marriage was viewed as a way in which

men could acquire more wealth and raise their social stance at the

expense of women, the only exception to this is Lucentio who desired

to marry for love. Petruchio is presented to be the male extreme of

dominance as his use of psychological rape, sexual innuendo and battle

of wits, suggest that he has one aim in life: to raise his

significance within society and obtain substantial wealth. This type

of character would not be surprising to a Shakespearian audience as it

is viewed in modern days as men in general were associated with

command, control and superiority whilst women were expected to conform

to the instructions of their husbands and remain an anonymous stance

in society.