In William Shakespeare's comedy, The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare reveals Hortensio as having a degrading tone towards Bianca showing that he does not commend her. Shakespeare uses diction and syntax to depict the difference between true love, and the absurd love that men believe to be real in this play. The first way Shakespeare displays this tone is through the diction Hortensio uses as he is talking with Gremio about competing for love from Bianca. After Kate’s tantrum, Baptista explains to the suitors how they cannot marry Bianca until Kate is married. Hortensio exclaims to Gremio that, “he who runs fastest gets the / ring” (1.1.142-143). Here, Hortensio refers to Bianca as a ring. Him being the one that wishes to marry her, gives her the identity …show more content…
His words demonstrate she is like an item that is worn out ready to be replaced. The last way Shakespeare displays Hortensio as having a degrading tone towards Bianca is when he uses diction and syntax when he realizes Bianca and and Lucentio are in love. Since he has realized this he knows that he will marry a wealthy widow that loves him, “as long as I have loved this proud disdainful haggard” (4.2.39). Once again Hortensio takes away Bianca's identity referring to her as a wild animal. He strips her from her own individuality. He talks about her in a cruel way only to show how he has no respect for her. The words used in this quote portray that he has no affection for her and thinks of her as being in his own control. Shakespeare does not put breaks between “proud” or “disdainful” revealing that Hortensio does not give enough effort to even separate his thoughts about Bianca. Failing to hesitate, Hortensio continues to humiliate Bianca through his words. He just keeps humiliating her without stopping to think. He never really loved her as a person but only as the girl he craved in his
The Different Masks of the Characters in The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
During Shakespeare's time, the wedding and engagement rings indicated commitment. The rings Portia and Nerissa gave to Bassanio and Gratiano, that they were never to remove, were just that. "I give them with this ring, Which when you part from, lose, or give away, Let it presage the ruin of your love And be my vantage to exclaim on you" (3.2.171-4). The rings stood for the man's commitment to his wife just as rings Bassanio and Gratiano would give to Portia and Nerissa at their weddings would stand for the wives' commitment.
Petruchio physically asks her to sit on his lap “come sit on me” in a
Using the same satirical techniques, he points out, a little more subtly, that servants, like women, are treated like less than people, when they are people just as good as everybody else. throughout the play we see instances of the mistreatment of servants, such as Vincentio beating Biondello, Petruchio abusing his entire staff, and Lucentio using Tranio as a pawn to help him win over a girl. Tranio even laments about this, saying, “Oh, sir, Lucentio slipped me like his greyhound, which runs himself and catches for his master.” Tranio is comparing himself to a dog to be used at Lucentio’s command in this quote, commenting on how Lucentio may treat him well, but he still does not value him as a person.
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).
Kahn, Coppélia. "The Taming of the Shrew: Shakespeare's Mirror of Marriage", Modern Language Studies, 5:1 (Spring, 1975), 88–102
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.
"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
... between Petruchio and Kate is contrasted with the superficial properness of the relationship of bianca and lucentio.
William Shakespeare utilizes simplistic language to emphasize the themes in "Fear no more" however, he exercises complex metaphors to depict the struggles one undergoes during a lifetime and as a result urges the reader to overcome all melancholic sentiments that lead one to oppose a peaceful death. The diction applied in "Fear no more" efficiently creates emphasis on specific sections of the poem. In addition, the euphonic flow used by Shakespeare illustrates the author's serenity and resignation towards the subject at hand. In essence, Shakespeare's "Fear no more" employs rhetorical devices such as repetition, appeal to the audience, and imagery to reveal the desired theme.
Language Techniques in Hamlet by William Shakespeare Shakespeare used a variety of language techniques throughout Hamlet,
In Taming of the Shrew Hortensio mentions that Katerina is a shrew, but Petruchio does not care because she is wealthy. Petruchio could have easily found another woman, but with money involved Petruchio does what he can to “win” her love by attempting to talk with Katerina and eventually takes his time to try and tame Katerina. “When Petruchio first meets Baptista, Petruchio inquires about the dowry, once Baptista replies, Petruchio immediately demands to sign the contract. Baptista tells Petruchio to first win her love. Petruchio acts and has a one to one debate with Katerina, Petruchio does not win her love but tells Katerina he will marry her anyways, resulting in Petruchio tricking Baptista in winning Katerina’s love” (Shakespeare, Act 2 Scene 1 Lines 110-308). The paraphrase examines Petruchio increased desire to marry Katerina after being told about the dowry or money involved by attempting to win her love and deceiving Baptista of achieving to win Katerina’s. In 10 Things I Hate About You Patrick has an increased desire to attempt again and date Kat after being offered more money. Patrick takes the money and takes her out to different places, however, Patrick ends up falling in love with Kat and money began to no longer play a role for him showing a difference between the play Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You. In the scene where Joey confronts Patrick about his failed
The Taming of the Shrew, written by William Shakespeare, features an abundant number of puns and metaphors which are used in several different ways throughout the play. Among the most widely used metaphors and puns in the play are sexual, food, animal, and word play puns and metaphors. (I:i,31-33) "Let's be no stoics nor no stocks, or so devote to Aristotle's checks as Ovid be an outcast quite abjurd". The first sexual metaphor in the play is spoken by Tranio to Lucentio. In saying this to Lucentio, Tranio means he does not want to put aside his emotions and desire, and completely devote his life to Aristotle's teachings while ignoring Ovid's poems. The quote is a sexual metaphor because Tranio is saying although he wants to study, he also wants to have sex and not become deprived of life's pleasures.
We see this exaggerated one-sided love play out in many forms throughout the play. Viola, for example, says in this line, “I’ll do my best To woo your lady: Aside. Yet a barful strife! Whoe 'er I woo, myself would be his wife.” (1.4.44-46) This tells us that Viola, having just met Orsino a few days ago, has a desire to be wed to Orsino. This kind of desire that Viola has for Orsino can only be conjured up from a fairytale due to the sheer passion and irrationality of falling in love with an acquaintance. Shakespeare also uses diction in deceptive forms. This is evident when Orsino uses the word “violets” (1.1.6) in his speech and to display the deception that is played out in the play. The word “violets” comes from the comes from the latin word viola. Some readers would be deceived, as many might not even notice the hint that Orsino gives in his own speech. We know this deception to be true in the form of Viola when she disguises herself as a eunuch to Orsino in his own courts as evidence in this line, “For such disguise as haply shall become The form of my intent. I 'll serve this duke: Thou shall present me as an eunuch to him”
After Duke Orsino asks Cesario (disguised Viola) to make Olivia love him, although she had stated that she would not marry for seven years due to her sadness from her brother’s death, Cesario tells him “I’ll do my best to woo your lady.” Then Viola tells the audience “(Aside) yet, a barful strife—Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife,” meaning that she has to convince another woman to love the man she loves. The exchange of words in this scene exemplifies dramatic irony since the reader now knows that a love road that connects Duke Orsino, Viola, and Olivia has formed while Orsino is clueless about the situation. Situational irony can also be withdrawn from this conversation because it is shocking that Viola is in love with Orsino. Viola’s sudden love for Orsino illustrates a universal truth about life that sometimes people fall in love too quickly without thinking far ahead.