Shakespeare’s play ‘Taming of the Shrew’ was written between the years 1590 and 1592 and is categorized as a comedy, mainly for its comedic elements of playfulness and disguises. It has been criticised for its elements of misogyny that have caused controversy; distracting many from its comedic nature. Hodgdon maintains that the play has sparked remarkable angst from its Elizabethan patriarchal power structure which seamlessly no longer ties with modern cultural gender ideology. Elizabethan women were made to be obedient to their husbands and never intervene with the outside world known as the man’s world. Knox quoted “To promote a woman to bear rule, superiority, dominion, or empire above any realm, nation, or city, is repugnant to nature” suggesting the limitation of women in society. Katherina challenges these values by appearing the exact opposite of a traditional 16th century woman as she is hot-tempered, sharp-tongued and rebellious until she meets her match.
Audiences observe an excessive amount of dramatic comedy in the form of farce in Act 2. Kate and Petruchio can be argued to be devised as extreme characters to perform comedic functions, hence shouldn't be taken sincerely. It is possible to execute this comedy in a way that brings out its farcical construction. Katherina and Petruchio engage in a lengthy battle of wit. Katherina refers to Petruchio as ‘a joint stool’, in which Petruchio retaliates with ‘come sit on me’. Their remarks are exaggerated thus only continuing to build sexual tension, as Petruchio counters Katharina with sexual innuendos. Shrewish women were often described as crabs. In using the term: 'I see a crab', Katherina positions Petruchio on a corresponding level with herself. A crab apple is a sour...
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...ates'. These two lines portray Petruchio's scheme: he seeks 'one rich enough to be' his wife, and is convinced he will make Kate conform with his standards for a wife. Petruchio emphasis through the repetitiveness of Kate's name within the structure, endorses his authority: he has the ability to conform Kate. There is demonstration of male superiority throughout the rest of the play, portraying injustice in equality. During Act 2 Kate is shrewish but soon as she marries; her character traits begin to wither away, making her fit the role of women in Shakespearean time. Shakespeare could have intended to show the injustice of the role of women in Shakespearean times, implying that even the strong fall weak. He uses the play to mock society's norms but does have to come to a conclusion to show Katherina as vulnerable like any other women were portrayed at that the time
In Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew the elements of farce are exemplified in terms of character, plot, and writing style. The stereotyped characters in The Taming of the Shrew are typical of a farce. Katherina is an outstanding example of a farcical character. Katherina, although stereotyped as a boisterous shrew, can be portrayed as a person needing sympathy due to Baptista's favoritism. The quote, "She is your treasure, she must have a husband: I must dance barefoot on her wedding day…" (A. II S. 1 L. 36-37), makes it obvious that Baptista favors Bianca. In terms of plot, Shakespeare devises the plot to resemble a situation comedy. Although the subplot is more romantic, both the subplot and the main plot revolve around the principle of a favoristic father who is outwitted by his child and her lover.
"Women have a much better time than men in this world; there are far more things forbidden to them." -Oscar Wilde. This quote embodies the fight over gender roles and the views of women in society. Taming of the Shrew deals with Kate and Bianca, two sisters who are at the time to he married off. However, suitors who seek Bianca as a wife have to wait for her sister to be married first. Kate is seen as a shrew because she is strong willed and unlike most women of the time. In his 1603 play The Taming of the Shrew, William Shakespeare enforces traditional gender roles and demonstrates how little say women had in society. He accomplishes this through the strong personality of Kate, Baptista 's attitude towards his daughters as transactions, and
Petruchio could possibly just be trying to get his woman the best food possible, or in the case of his wedding, the best tailored clothes for Kate. Petruchio brings in a tailor for his wedding, and when the dress doesn’t live up to his expectations, he lets the tailor know (IV.iii.113-121) “O monstrous arrogance!... that thou hast marred her gown.” Petruchio cares so much about getting everything for his wife to be perfect that he does not let one thing fall out of line for his wedding preparations. These things could be taken as sexist acts; however they were just acts... ...
...ironic use of manipulation before and after the wedding, Petruchio is able to tame Kate. Or so he thinks. The only real change is that Kate agrees with him, but she only does this to get her way. Therefore she is manipulating him by pretending that he has been able to tame her. He has not tamed her, because she also utilizes the art of manipulation. Before, Kate’s only defense against patriarchy is to be outspoken; now, she negotiates her own sense of power within patriarchy by using manipulation. Shakespeare’s critic of the patriarchal social structure is therefore just, because not only are women denied the same legal power as men, but their manipulative power is also disregarded and considered a weakness. Therefore women are not to be blamed for utilizing this powerful form of control, because that is what the patriarchal social structure forces them into.
In the beginning, a lot of what we learn about Kate comes from what other people say about her. In Act I, she is only seen briefly and she speaks even less, but our picture of Kate is pretty clear. Shakespeare, sets up a teaching lesson, helping us to see the mistakes of our own judgment. When Baptista announces that Kate must marry before Bianca may take suitors, Gremio describes Kate by saying "She's too rough for me" (1.1.55). Later in the scene, Gremio reiterates his dislike for Kate, claiming she is a "fiend of hell" (88) and offering that "though her father may be very rich, any man is so very a fool to be married to hell" (124–126). He finishes by saying that to marry Kate is worse than to "take her dowry with this condition: to be whipped at the high cross every morning" (132–134). Hortensio, too, is quick to add to the situation, calling Kate a devil (66) and claiming that she is not likely to get a husband unless she is "of gentler, milder mold" (60). Tranio, Lucentio's servant, is perhaps the only man in this scene not to talk ugly about Kate, claiming she is either "stark mad or wonderful froward" (69).
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.
The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare, deals with marriage. The ideas explored are primarily shown through the characters of Petruchio and Katharina. We are introduced to the trials and tribulation's which present themselves in their everyday lives. The characters bring up a traditional concept of male domination. Through the play we see the need for domination through Petruchio, and the methods he uses to dominate. While these ideas of male domination have remained a constant throughout the years, however recently there has been a change toward equality.
A Shakespearean scholar expanded on this, “The play enacts the defeat of the threat of a woman’s revolt; it does so in a comic form – thus so offers the audience the chance to revel in and reinforce their misogyny while at the same time feeling good” (Gay). The Taming of the Shrew at many points is just praising the men in the novel despite their behavior and putting down the women for being anything but perfect. The novel makes the actions happening comedic and the reader does not get upset at the things happening, but in reading further into it and comparing it to modern day, it is not hard to see the plain and simple abuse. Although gender roles are still prominent in today’s society, they are toned back. In contemporary versions of The Taming of The Shrew, such as 10 Things I Hate About You and Kiss Me Kate, the character Kate is always mitigated.
The concept that ‘things are not always as they seem’ is quite evident in the events surrounding, and including, Petruchio’s wedding ceremony. This particular scene in the play demonstrates how the use of false realities (a real situation falsely presented in order to deliberately deceive) can be used to create humour. Biondello describes Petruchio’s appearance to Baptista, and by doing so sets up the expectations of the audience. He says that Petruchio comes wearing:
The Taming of the Shrew is set in a time period that did not accept women as we do today. In today's society, women who are strong and independent and quick witted are praised. In Elizabethan times women were supposed to know their role in life, being good to their husbands, making children and taking care of them. There were no women in politics, there were no women in business, it was only acceptable for women to participate in domestic areas of life. Women could not live a respectable life in this time period without a male figure to take care of them, rendering them helpless without men. If there was anything that must be done involving economics or education, it was up to the men. Men were the ones who worked and brought home the money to support the family. The roles of men and women were very distinct, and it resulted in giving the men the majority of the power.
Zhu, Mei. ""Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew and the Tradition of Screwball Comedy." Purdue University Press, 1 Jan. 2004. Web. 20 May 2014.
In this play as any other, Shakespeare proves to be a visionary. Petruchio achieves his goal through witty persuasion rather than resorting to beating his wife like many a man before him has done. Though Shakespeare does not go as far as some feminists would like him to, Shakespeare does much for the fight of equality of the sexes. Katherine’s as strong, or stronger than any woman in Shakespeare’s plays. The amazing thing is that she achieves this without ulterior motives such as lady Macbeth. She is an honest, bright independent woman. She is not underscored by her subservience to petruchio in public, for "the sun breaks through the darkest cloud" and so do Katherine’s assets break though the public visage of subordination to her husband.
Due to the patriarchal society of the Elizabethan era, women were expected to succumb to men and follow their orders. Shakespeare created Katherina in order to challenge Elizabethan society’s view that a dominant woman was a symptom of disorder . She has little respect for men and speaks bluntly A prime example of this is when she tells Hortensio that she will, “Use you like a fool.” Katherina employs the use of mockery, violence and a rhyming couplet in order to indicate her disdain of Hortensio. The simile also serves to demonstrate that she does not...
The introduction to this play was among the best I have read for this class and I don't mean to seem to be "slamming" Anne Barton, but her justifications for Petruchio and Shakespeare were pretty funny, in my opinion. Maybe I am crazy, but I don't see how starving your new wife and refusing her sleep is enlightening behavior in any way, shape, or form. Barton tells us that, in Shakespeare's time, "shrewish" wives could become the victims of "physical violence, the more ingenious and excruciating the better." She further tells us that, in comparison to the men of that day, "Petruchio. .
With scenes such as when Petruccio denied Kate food, clothing, and gifts, women were further deprived of their dignity. That scene showed the power of the male over the female. Shakespeare also portrayed men, as being superior to women by having Petruccio seem more “cunning'; than Kate. “This is a way to kill a wife with kindness.'; This was Petruccio’s quote referring to the way he was treating Kate. He complimented her all the time and never took the answer “no';. With Petruccio’s control over Kate, Shakespeare further deprived women of their dignity.