Sexism is an ever changing concept in today’s world. Every day the concept morphs a little bit, changing the entire definition of what is sexist and what is not. In The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare, the male characters lie to and abuse their women in order to have the women marry them. Lucentio come to Padua to study, but when he sees a beautiful girl, he pretends to be a teacher in order to marry Bianca. Petruchio on the other hand forces a woman to marry him and then trains her to follow his every command. Although the The Taming of the Shrew is frequently regarded as a particularly sexist play, it is not sexist and demeaning towards women. Women’s rights are a household topic that has been around for the better part of the last century in America, however back when the play was written, women’s rights were unheard of. So when Petruchio didn’t let Kate eat or sleep after they eloped (IV.iii.47-48) “The poorest service is repaid with thanks, and so shall mine before you touch the meat.” Petruchio is controlling everything that Kate is doing, which includes whether she eats or not which is sexist nowadays, but back in the 16th century, it was normal behavior. 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... ... middle of paper ... ...st play, it is not sexist and demeaning towards women. Petruchio, Hortensio, and Lucentio may have bet on their wives compliance in some eyes, but after further analysis, they were actually betting on the trust between the couple. The reader must also take into account the time period the play was written in which was the 16th century, where women were usually not even allowed to go to school to be educated, and Bianca was having private tutors for her education. Kate was changed by Petruchio’s “taming” from the beginning to the end of the play, but at the end of the novel when Kate was called upon and made her speech, she was the happiest she had been in the entire story. There are however some sexist elements in the story, but just because there are certain characteristics of sexism in a play does not mean the play in itself is sexist and demeaning towards women.
“Disrespect towards women” occurs many times during the play. In my opinion, women should not be disrespected just as much as men shouldn’t and especially not the way that they show this in the play. One case of disrespect
In "Scolding Brides and Bridling Scolds: Taming the Woman's Unruly Member," Lynda Boose explains that the punishment of scolds and shrews during the sixteenth and seventeenth century is not what makes modern day directors try to lessen Kate’s unwillingness by emphasizing a sexual attraction between Petruchio; it is more likely that it is due to the power struggle in today’s heterosexual marriages in general (181). Boose explains that Kate's placement of her hand under Petruchio's boot was part of a ceremonial custom when a bride was going to be offered a share of property by her intended husband, but also a physical representation of the marriage vow to love, honor, and obey (182-183).
For example, in the beginning of the play Hermia wants to marry her lover, Lysander, but her father wants her to marry Demetrius even though they’re are in the same class. She takes this up with Theseus the king of Athens he says she had three options marry demetrius, become a nun, or death. Later in the play we’re introduced to Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of the fairies who are arguing about who gets the child given to the queen from a priestess. Guess what? The king gets the child in the end with no consequences! This is blatantly sexist because the men always win whatever arguments they make and always get what they
“The Taming Of The Shrew” by William Shakespeare is a work of satire created to criticize the misogynistic outlooks of the 16th century. With this play, Shakespeare is trying to say that the idea and role of women in his society is deeply flawed and should be fixed, as well as to make other social commentaries, such as on the treatment of servants. Through exaggeration and parody, Shakespeare makes society look silly.
"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
...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 Shakespeare's comedy, The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare has a woman as one of the story's main characters. Katherine Minola (Kate) is off the wall, and kinda crazy. Because of her actions, the “male centered world” around her doesn't know what to do with her.
The Taming of the Shrew written by William Shakespeare depicts the common roles of men and women in the early seventeenth century. Shakespeare writes of Petruchio and Kate, a male and female who sharply oppose each other. Petruicho must "tame" his wife Kate without breaking her true inner spirit.
Exploring Sexuality in Taming of the Shrew Human sexuality underlies many of the happenings of "Taming of the Shrew.". It affects the conflict, theme, and resolution of the play. It becomes evident throughout the play that sexual behavior denotes whether a character is thought of as good or evil (not necessarily good evil as meant in conventional terms, but rather as a "nice" character versus a "waspish" or "mean character" or "mean character" At the beginning of the play, there is an obvious conflict between Kate and Kate. and her sister, Bianca. This conflict stems from the fact that their father favors Bianca, as well as the fact that Bianca has many suitors, while Kate has none.
Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine comment in the Introduction to Shakespeare: Othello that sexism is a big factor in the play:
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 in to modern day, it is not hard to see the plain and simple abuse. Although gender roles are still prominent into today’s society they are toned back. In contemporary version of The
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.
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare is a play that is ahead of its time in its views toward gender roles within society. Katherine is a woman who is intelligent, and is not afraid to assert her views on any given situation. She is paired with another obstinate character in Pertuchio. The Marriage formed between the two is a match made in heaven for two reasons. First Because Katherine is strong enough to assert her views, and more importantly, she realizes when she should assert them. The second reason the bond survives is that Petruchio is strong enough to accept the fact that Katherine has a mind and, more importantly he loves her for that reason. Petruchio cleverly weaves the relationship into the framework of society without compromising the integrity of the relationship. Petruchio does this by comparing Katherine’s at attitude to repulsive clothing. Carefully and calculatingly, Petruchio forges a relationship that is envied by all who witness it.
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. .
“My dear boy, no woman is a genius. Women are a decorative sex. They never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly. Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals.” (Oscar Wilde). To interpret this quote one must understand the prehistoric expectations of men and women. That women were often regarded as a symbol of one's specific standard. Beauty, charm and elegance. In Shakespeare's play “The Taming of the Shrew” it exploits the society's presumption of the gender specification. A man must act chivalrous, they must have testosterone seeming out of their core all while protecting the family they've bought. A women must be elementary and gracious at the same, they must never question but simply do. A battle between the sexes and the winner has already been chosen.