The Taming of the Shrew – William Shakespeare In my essay I will discuss the play The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare in the frames of the ideas of feminism and the chances for womens self-affirmation in the age of William Shakespeare and our contemporary world. For this purpose I will disclose the symbolic meaning of the relationships between Catherina and Pertuchio, their progress and the self-expression of the main characters throughout the play. I will argue the vice and virtue of Petruchio and his possible designation in the story. And also I will try to justify Kate and prove that she was not the shrew in the play. Finally, I will suggest my own point of view on the transformation of Kates character and support it with some socio-historical background. In my conclusion, I will bring the main characters of The Taming of the Shrew to our time and analyze the difference.
To my mind the play The Taming of the Shrew is the hymn to the ideals of Victorian family. There are two main forces – masculine and feminine, which are represented by the main characters of Katharina and Petruchio. The story of their relationships is symbolic and shows the progress from the beginning of the play and up to the end of it. The relationships between the main characters came through different stages: indifference (before Petruchios decision to marry Katherina), courting (the period preceding their marriage), open confrontation (after their marriage), timing (the period at Petruchios house), submission (Pertuchio decided to send Katarina back to her father), and love (wedding).
The Essay on Taming Of The Shrew Play Review
The Taming of the Shrew Keeping within the imaginative boundaries of human life, without becoming overly outlandish, the comedy demonstrated in the play was often sardonic, lighthearted, and always entertaining. The comedy revolves around a group of men and the conflict that ensues between them in the battle to win the heart of a wealthy man's beautiful and gentle daughter, Bianca. These men ...
These relationships reveal the inner world of both of the characters, their advantages and disadvantages, their roles in the family and in the society. The character of Petruchio is controversial in the play.
The author described him as a clever and wise educator, who brought out the best in his wife. At the same time, his language shows that he is not much educated because it is full of old and rude words which were peculiar to the representatives of the middle class in the Victorian England: Signior Baptista, my business asketh haste, or Thou hast hit it or Thou canst not frown, thou canst not look askance. Though this feature does not mean that Petruchio was stupid, for he attempted to answer back all Katharinas ironical and sharp remarks. Katherina. Asses are made to bear, and so are you. Petruchio.
Women are made to bear, and so are you. Or Kath.: If I be waspish, best beware my sting. Pethr:. My remedy is then to pluck it out. Also the contradictions in Petruchio are emphasized by the reveal of his greediness and cruelty: (Hornestio.): Petruchio, ..And yet I’ll promise thee she shall be rich, And very rich. Ptruchio to Baptista: Then tell me, if I get your daughter’s love, What dowry shall I have with her to wife? He decided to woo Katharina because he wanted a wealthy wife. Throughout all the play Petruchio tried to fight the personality of Kate, to submit her and establish himself a man-conqueror who is a master of what is mine own”. In addition, there are scenes in the play that evidence his such bad traits as – egoism and love for exercising his power.
For example, there was the episode when Pertuchio asked Kate to stamp upon her hat in the view of other guests. Also, I think that his methods of depriving his wife of food and sleep are inhumane and humiliating for Kate. But on the other hand, throughout the play Petruchio demonstrated that he was firm in his decisions (he declared he would marry Kate and he kept his word), knowing (he knew how to tame a woman) and finally he got what he desired. Maybe, it was a picture of a man who was necessary and ideal for the Victorian family and who was adequate for the morals and manners of that time. However, the character of Kate was depicted by Shakespeare with an anticipation of modern outlook characterizing an independent personality and a feminist. I do not think that Kate was ill-mannered and bad tempered. I find most of her reactions adequate to the circumstances.
The Essay on Status Quo Kate Petruccio Love
The Taming of a Shrew or The Escape of a Prisoner The female characters of Shakespearean literature inspire much controversy over their roles. Many critics assert the female characters are depicted as unreal portrayals of passive women. Other critics argue that the roles portrayed were considered normal for the period in which they took place. During the period of the Enlightenment, many social ...
For example, Katherina said to Baptista: I pray you, sir, is it your will To make a stale of me amongst these mates? This remark addressed the situation when Baptista refused to allow Biancas marriage until Catharina could get married. Catharina reproached her father for not loving enough. And she was right, because Baptista, as the father, loves Biance more. In the same episode Hortensio answered. Mates, maid! How mean you that? No mates for you,Unless you were of gentler, milder mould. This reply meant that Catharina was bound to be obedient, complaint, otherwise nobody would want to marry her. This scene also evidenced the role of a woman in the English society of Victorian age.
Certainly, Catherina had an independent character. She thought she could decide herself what to do. When Baptista asked her to wait while he was going to talk with Biance, Katherina answered: Why, and I trust I may go too, may I not? What! shall I be appointed hours, as though, belike, I knew not what to take and what to leave? Ha! Also, Kate felt mixed emotions of envy and angry when she noticed that her father favoured her sister more. I think that this reaction is quite natural and nobody can blame Kate for saying such words: What, will you not suffer me? Nay, now I see She is your treasure, she must have a husband; I must dance bare-foot on her wedding-day, And for your love to her lead apes in hell. Talk not to me; I will go sit and weep, Till I can find occasion of revenge. I perceive this monologue as the act of revenge of a broken heart, of an abandoned child.
Who knows what was Kates childhood like. It could be filled with grief and sorrow for her mothers death, it could be a complete solitude of an child, whose share of fathers love had been stolen by the younger sister. The fact is that Kate evidently survived through the unhappy things that shaped her character and developed her ironical perception of the existing world. In spite of all her independence and love for leadership, Kate was subjected to radical changed in her behaviour and her outlook. Unlike Petruchio, whos character remained the same, Kate turned into a completely opposite person. Modern critics are puzzled: Katherina’s development in the play is an important psychological puzzle you must solve.
The Homework on Unexpected Reward Loved To Play
Unexpected Reward Organized youth sports are excellent programs that every town in every state should offer to young people of their community. These programs help children to find their interests, build confidence, and make friends. All of these things are important in the development of a child. These are a few of the reasons that interested me in volunteering my services as an assistant coach ...
Is she really tamed by Petruchio? Or does she figure out his game and decide it’s best to play it? I agree that this transformation does not seem to be natural. Either Kate was so preoccupied with physical distress or frustration that she had nothing but obey her husband, or it can be just her temporary adaptation to the circumstances. Thus, the last scene when Kate assembled other wives and taught them can be interpreted in different ways. Some actresses while playing the last episode show the broken and exhausted Kate with a quiet voice and a listless look. Or in others Kate speaks with tongue in cheek as if she is only joking. Anyway, the play The Taming of the Shrew is about the battle of the sexes and conquering the weaker sex. I think that at the begging of the play Shakespeare depicted the main characters both as leaders and as those who loved to dominate. But one of them should surrender and it happened to be Kate.
To my mind the episode that already predicted that Pertuchio would win was when he changed her name from Catherine to more a modest and plain Kate, that once was even reduced to Cat. Pet. You lie, in faith; for you are call’d plain Kate, And bonny Kate and sometimes Kate the curst; But Kate, the prettiest Kate in Christendom, Kate of Kate Hall, my super-dainty Kate, For dainties are all Kates, and therefore, Kate, Take this of me, Kate of my consolation, Hearing thy mildness prais’d in every town, Thy virtues spoke of, and thy beauty sounded, Yet not so deeply as to thee belongs, Myself am mov’d to woo thee for my wife. These numerous adjectives that belong to Kate not Catherine promised the woman that she would be loved, cherished, worshiped if only she agreed to become plain Kate. It meant that Pertuchio asked her to get rid of her shrewish character and become the woman he would like to see. And Kate submitted, partially maybe she wanted to receive the warm feelings and attention she had been deprived while being a child.
In this way the author taught other women the difficult and at the same time simple, way to happiness. Later Kate pronounced this rule herself: I am asham’d that women are so simple/To offer war where they should kneel for peace; Or seek for rule, supremacy, and sway, When they are bound to serve, love, and obey. Finally, I think, Shakespeare proposed his own view of the outcome of the battle of the sexes: women should surrender and the two parts would become happy. This, to my mind was the message the author of the play addressed to his contemporaries. All in all, today we are likely to interpret the main idea of The Taming of the Shrew differently. We live in a world were all the ambitious and progressive women are the shrews.
The Essay on Taming of the Shrew-women in Elizabethan
The Taming of the Shrew The Taming of the Shrew was a clear demonstration of the role of women in Elizabethan society. In Elizabethan society women played the role that depicted them as lower than men. They were basically slaves. The most evident example of this is the character of Katherina, who embodies Shakespeare's way of demonstrating to his audience the improper way to behave. The whole ...
In our society this feature of theirs is not reproached and what is more- considered to be indispensable for career-making. Now the shrews possess the social status that allows them to lead the way of life they want and be afraid of nobodys censure. Personally I am apt to see in the story about timing the shrew the failure of self-expression and self-affirmation of a woman in the Victorian society.
Bibliography:
William Shakespeare. The Taming of the Shrew. (1594) Renaissance edition.
The University Oregon. Retrieved Mar.19, 2005 from darkwing.uoregon.edu/~rbear/shake/ts.html The Taming of the Shrew William Shakespeare.(2003) PinkMonkey.com Retrieved Mar.19, 2005 from www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/quotations/pmTaming01 .asp.
