Similarities Between Much Ado About Nothing And Taming Of The Shrew

William Shakespeare’s comedies Much Ado About Nothing and Taming of the Shrew have a similar theme: they both contrast the stories of a mature couple and an immature couple. In Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice and Benedick, the mature couple, are trying to find the courage to love, while Hero and Claudio, the immature couple, are learning the importance of maturity within a relationship. In the same way, Katherina and Petruchio, the mature couple in Taming of the Shrew, are finding the capacity to love, while the Bianca and Lucentio, the immature couple, are learning that appearance isn’t everything in a relationship. I believe that the two mature female leads, Beatrice and Katherina, have some thought-provoking similarities and differences.

First, Beatrice and Katherina are similar in many ways. One reason that exemplifies their similarities is that they are both strong, independent women. Beatrice establishes her independence through her self-sufficiency. She is hesitant to marry, as it would threaten her independence. When Leonato, Beatrice’s uncle, communicates his hope for her to one day be fitted with a good husband, her reply is “Not till God make men of some other metal than earth” (II.i. 451). Similarly, Katherina exhibits independence throughout the play. Katherina’s upbringing has a lot to do with her independence. Her father never gave her much attention, which caused Katherina to figure life out on her own. Since both of these women grew up being fiercely independent, they had a difficult time adjusting to the idea of giving up part of that independence in order to marry. Another reason that demonstrates their similarities is that they are both fearful of getting hurt. Both of them have been hurt in the past and don’t want to feel that pain again; therefore, they both are afraid of getting too close to people. In Beatrice’s case she had gone through a terrible breakup previously, which made her fear vulnerability. She didn’t want to go through another breakup. In the same way, since Katherina had been discouraged by her own father, she was afraid to let anyone else close to her in fear that they would do the same thing. This caused her to act unruly in hopes that it would keep people away. Her strategy worked as many of the men in the town declared her “too rough” for them (I.i.55). In conclusion, Beatrice and Katherina have many similarities.
On the other hand, Beatrice and Katherina also have some significant differences.

For example, these two strong women have very different support systems. Beatrice has an immense amount of support. From the time that she was young, she had her father, her uncle, her cousin, and so many others there for her. This is the complete opposite of what Katherina grew up with. In Katherina’s family Bianca, her younger sister, was always the favorite. Since Bianca was always the favorite, Katherina felt a lack of love and support in her life. Another difference between Beatrice and Katherina is their type of power. Beatrice is powerful through her words. She is quick-witted and proves how much power words can have. During the first act in response to Benedick announcing that he shall never desire to marry, Beatrice comes up with a witty response within seconds: “A dear happiness to women: they would else have been troubled with a pernicious suitor” (I.i.96). While Beatrice shows her power through words, Katherina demonstrates her power through actions. She uses physical force to get what she wants. For example, Bianca pleads “I prithee, sister Kate, untie my hands” (II.i.857). In this scene Katherina had tied up Bianca’s hands because Bianca didn’t admit which suitor she preferred. In conclusion, even though Beatrice and Katherina have many similarities, they also have many

differences.
Shakespeare has composed these timeless, complex plays involving the intertwining of two stories that have mirroring themes. Among his plays, many of the lead characters resemble each other. In Much Ado About Nothing and Taming of the Shrew Beatrice and Katharina, the two mature female leads, are good comparisons of each other. Perhaps the reason Shakespeare creates such similar, strong female characters in many of his plays is to challenge the cultural norm that women should be dependent on their husbands.