Shakespeare tells the tale of The Taming of The Shrew, Trans. 2005, through a series of Important themes to represent meaning in this tale. The taming of the shrew starts off with a young man. Lucentio arriving in the main setting, padua with his servants. This young man sees a young lady named Bianaca and instantly wants to be her suitor. Although Lucentio would like to be her suitor, Bianca already has 2 additional potential suitors in the story, Gremio: an older man with his father's fortune already and a man names Hortensio. These men all would like to woo Bianca and become her future husband because she is a lovely, respectable young woman, with a father of wealth but she can not be wed until her sister, Katherina is wed first since she …show more content…
In the beginning of the play it can be determined that everyone in town feels as if Kate is a rude, disrespectful womans and it was stated that,“To cart her rather, She's too rough for me” (Shakespeare, Trans. 2005, 1.1.55). Obviously if no one will marry this lady she must not act like a lady. But throughout the story, she becomes unwillingly married to Petruchio who teaches her by starving her and restricting her from doing what she would like she begins to listen to her husband petruchio. Not only does Petruchio notice this but everyone as well does to, “for she is changed as she had never before” (Shakespeare, Trans. 2005. ….). An time that is an example of Kates changed behavior is at a celebration for all new marriages, Petruchio shows the men how Kate is now obedient. “See where she comes and brings your forward wives as prisoners to her womanly persuasion - Katherine, that cap of yours becomes you not. Take it off and place it on the ground. [She Obeys]” (Shakespeare, Trans. 2005, 5.2.124-126). This shows that not only does she listen to things she should, she obeys every single command no matter her …show more content…
Bianca in the beginning of Shakespeare’s play when speaking to her sister kate pleads, “Unbind my hands, i'll pull them off myself, yea, all my raiment, to my petticoat, or what you will command me will i do, so well i know my duty to my elders” (Shakespears, trans. 2005, 2.1.4-7). Bianca shows respect to her sister as well as telling her that she will do as her sister commands, even when poorly treated. It is noticed that Bianca once married to her husband Lucentio, she starts to become less obedient. Her actions are different from her sister when at the same celebration as spoken of before, celebrating the newly weds, Petruchio to show how loyal, and subservient Kate is, he comes up with the idea of, “ Sending each wife out, and whose wife is most obedient to come at first when is told so, shall win the wager of twenty crowns” (Shakespeare, Trans.2005, 5.2.65-69). Everyone, knowing Bianca expected her to do just so but it happens that neither her or the window appear but Katherine does. When Bianca speaks to her husband about him betting money on her actions, she adds, “The more fool you, for laying on my duty” (Shakespeare, Trans. 2005, 5.2.133). Before she was married she would not of ignored his command and disrespected him by telling him he was silly to
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
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.
Katherine and Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew. & nbsp; The Taming of the Shrew brings out the comedic side of Shakespeare. where irony and puns carry the play throughout. In my paper, I will. concentrate on the irony of the play, the introduction of the two. sisters. These two sisters begin off with the elder, Katherine, viewed as. a shrew, and Bianca as the angelic younger of the two. However, as the play proceeds, we begin to see the true sides of the two sisters and their roles totally turn around. I will try to analyze the method in which Shakespeare introduces the two sisters and how he hints at their true identity.
"That is, not to bestow my youngest daughter Before I have a husband for the elder. " (Lines 50 and 51) Here we have an example of how the father is dictating the future of his daughter's in a way that would not happen in today’s Western society. In view of the strict rules surrounding love and marriage, such as formal courtship and chaperoning, Lucentio has to pretend to be a schoolteacher in order to get close to Bianca with whom he has fallen in love. "You will be schoolmaster, And undertake the teaching of the maid- That's your device." (Act 1 Scene 1, lines 193-195) Today it is unlikely that a young man would need to go to these lengths in order to woo a girl.
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).
Taming of the Shrew, had a great story line, which can be related to several movies that exist today i.e. Othello, 10 Things I Hate about You, and The Lion King. In William Shakespeare's play, The Taming of the Shrew, the shrew played by Katherine, had a terrible perspective on life and just about everything else. Her negativity was caused by her younger, more pulchritudinous sister Bianca. Bianca wanted to get espoused. She had all of the men's hearts, Katherine retained none. If Katherine got espoused then Bianca could get espoused. She authentically was a shrew who needed to be tamed.
Katherina rebuts this whining after their father enters, and ends the scene with her own speech in which she argues that
The Taming of the Shrew unravels to reveal a wild beastly Katharine lacking respect for her family, herself and others around her. Kate is a very outspoken and vulgar woman without respect to authority. Katharine, although depicted as a beautiful woman quickly becomes the talk of Padua. Kate has found that if she is loud and obnoxious she can have her way. She screams and grunts and pushes those who she does not get along with. The general character of Katharine seems to be that of a small child.
In Shakespeare's, "The Taming of the Shrew" the relationship between the sisters Katherine and Bianca appears to be strained with rampant jealousy. Both daughters fight for the attentions of their father. In twisted parallel roles, they take turns being demure and hag-like. Father of the two, Baptista Minola, fusses with potential suitors for young Bianca and will not let them come calling until his elder, ill-tempered daughter Katherine is married. The reader is to assume that meek, mild-mannered, delicate Bianca is wasting away while her much older, aging, brutish sister torments the family with her foul tongue. Katherine seems to hold resentment toward Bianca. Her father favors Bianca over Katherine and keeps them away from each others' torment. When gentlemen come calling, Bianca cowers behind her father and Katherine speaks up for herself. "I pray you sir, is it your will to make a stale of me amongst these mates?" (1.1.57-58) Bianca and Katherine dislike each other feverishly. Katherine torments Bianca with words and physical harm. She binds her hands, pulls her hair then brings her forth to her father and the gentlemen callers. Bianca denies liking any of the visitors and portrays herself an innocent that merely wants to learn and obey her elders. She says, "Sister, content you in my discontent to your pleasure humbly I subscribe. My books and instruments shall be my company, on them to look and practise by myself." (1.1.80-84) Because Katherine speaks freely and asserts herself she is labeled as "shrewish." When Hortensio describes her to Petruccio, he spews out that she is "renowned in Padua for her scolding tongue." ( 1.2.96) He gilds the lily further by clearly telling of her fair fortune if suitable man comes courting and wins her hand in marriage. Petruccio sees dollar signs and rushes onwards in grand dress and fluently gestures to court the gracious "Kate." When he first begins his ritual of winning the family and Katherine to his love, he is seeking his fortune in her dowry. The mention of her being at all undesirable does not put rocks in his path.
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.
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 for 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.
‘The object of art is to give life shape’. William Shakespeare, likely the most well know playwright who’s ever lived, has captured the essence of his work through this one simple quote. Despite being over 400 years old, his plays have resonated with modern audiences, therefore justifying the notion that his works are still as relevant now. His play Taming of the Shrew, written in 1593, is an excellent example of a Shakespeare play with everlasting relevance through its use of archetypal characters and themes and its ability to articulate human nature. The 5 act antifeminist comedy follows the life of several Victorian figures during their passage into marriage and the taming needed of the main character, Katherine; a wild outspoken female.
While Petruchio is trying to woo Katherine he uses similes to compare Katherine to ideal women standards, “sweet as springtime flowers. Thou canst frown, thou canst not look askance,” (II.i.93). With this simile, Petruchio refers to a feminine image of a rose and helps convey that men of that time period expect women to relate to only feminine images. Petruchio also refers to Katherine as being happy and nice all the time, which is a strong oxymoron to what she really is like. By creating these scenarios Shakespeare is able to represent how vastly different Katherine is compared to the social standards for women.