How William Shakespeare Presents Katherine and Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew Shakespeare's comedy "The Taming of the Shrew" shows the two sisters, Katherine and Bianca, as complete contrasts to eachother. He uses various techniques to achieve this effect. Many of these techniques are the same for both sisters; however their outcomes are different, therefore creating two completely different characters. We first see some of these techniques in action in Act I scene 1 when Kate and Bianca are first introduced. Our perception of the sisters is formed by what the men say about them and to them. Baptista, Kate and Bianca's father, tries to persuade Gremio and Hortensio, Bianca's suitors, to woo Kate, as she has no suitors yet. Gremio's first comments on Kate paint a picture of her in our minds, "To cart her rather! She's too rough for me". Already we have a bad first impression of her and it becomes worse when Hortensio insults her, "No mates for you unless you were of gentler, milder mould". These nasty comments show that the men are scared of her and obviously don't think she is marriage material. Kate then says marriage is the last thing on her mind and wittily thinks of a comeback, "to comb your noddle with a three-legged stool". She threatens to hit him with a piece of furniture. It is now clear in our minds that Kate is obviously the Shrew. In contrast to Kate, however, Bianca is presented as very different. When we hear how the men speak of Bianca it is in an entirely different way. Everything said about her is not only flattering but elevates her; men worship her like a goddess, "the love I bear my sweat Bianca". She ac... ... middle of paper ... ...his time Bianca is seen as the shrew whereas Kate is seen as the "perfect" wife. Now at the end of the play Kate is perceived as the ideal woman; she is obedient, fetching her sister, and submissive, she comes when called. Her language is also much more polite and refined which nicely complements her calmer personality. Bianca is now much more shrewish than she was at the start of the play. The deception and disguise through out the play has played a big part with Bianca as now we see her "true colours". She also appears to have no conscience for what she has done. Shakespeare has used techniques like how the sisters behave, speak and react to show their characters but also he's used other people's perceptions of the sisters to round up their full characters, therefore effectively presenting Katherine and Bianca.
The Different Masks of the Characters in The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
preparing us for the tragedy. I will be focusing on Act 3 Scene 1 and
find a wife. "I come to wives it wealthy in Padua; If wealthy, then happily in
In the play The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, Petrucio recognizes, respects and desires Katherine’s strength of character. Petrucio is a clever man who sees beyond facades because he uses them himself. (II, i 46) (II, I 283 - 89) He is stimulated by Katherine’s sharp tongue and harsh actions. He proves this many times throughout the play.
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.
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
In Act II, Kate comes in, dragging Bianca with her tied up. When first reading this, the thought of one sister tying up the other and dragging her is pretty funny. But when you stop to think about why Kate is doing this to her sister, you start feeling sorry for her. We see the immaturity of Kate and that she does not know how to deal with her feelin...
in this play, women are used as a symbol of male power, or lack of it.
Kate, from Frances O’Roark Dowell’s book The Kind of Friends We Used To Be, is a round a static character. Kate used to be best friend with Marylin, until middle school. In middle school Kate decided to make a change and become her own person. Kate, in elementary school wore, “gym shoes, running shoes, soccer cleats, hiking boots, and red Chuck Taylor high-tops” (1). Kate decided to leave the popular club, ballet shoes, and cheerleading act. Kate threw all of that away and turned to playing a guitar, wearing some black combat boots, and music writing book. Kate is a shy and talented guitar player. Kate loves to write music and because of that love,
"The Taming of the Shrew" is a great example of Shakespear's use of women. Shakespeare indeed does transcend the stereotypes of his own time.
Her personality is strong and she is independent, unlike most women. This makes her unattractive to most suitors and gains her the label of shrew. She demonstrates her personality in the beginning of the play: "I pray you sir, is it your will to make a stale of me amongst these mates?" (1.1 57-58). Shakespeare uses the characterization of Kate to demonstrate the defiance against traditional gender roles and how Kate almost immediately speaks out for herself, unlike her sister Bianca. In addition, Kate describes her future husband as a "mate," unlike how most women would describe their lovers. Moreover, Kate is educated: "I 'faith, sir, you shall never need to fear: I wis it is not half way to her heart; But if it were, doubt not her care should be to comb your noodle with a three-legg 'd stool and paint your face and use you like a fool." (1.1 61-65). Shakespeare uses the characterization of Kate to demonstrate how she defies traditional gender roles by being the only person to speak in iambic pentameter. This demonstrates her intelligence unlike many women. In addition, Kate doesn 't enjoy receiving orders from others. When her father leaves with Bianca and tells Kate she may stay, she gets angry. "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? (1.1 103-105). Shakespeare uses the characterization of Kate to
Battle of the Sexes would have been another appropriate title for this play because the entire play is women verses men, men verses women. This battle of the sexes shows no boundaries between the rich and poor, young or old, man or women. The basis of all the rivalry stems from the fact that the men in this play look at the women as if they were objects, instead of human beings with feelings. This theory that women are merely objects creates an environment that the women have to adapt to and survive in and the environment of a person will depict what he or she will become, resulting in a battle between the sexes.
In The Taming of the Shrew, the concept of love is a means of emotional manipulation, and manipulation is nothing more than a means of control between men and women. William Shakespeare critiques the patriarchal social structure by ironically employing the manipulative stance Petruchio takes towards winning Katherine as his wife by charming her with words and manipulating her psychologically, and then taming her after their marriage through legal, physical, financial, and psychological control and manipulation. Though Petruchio may think he yields power over his wife, Katherine uses obedience as a tool of manipulation and has the control of the household, as can be seen by her ironic speech at the end of the play, where she claims women must serve their men. Shakespeare uses the irony of a man using manipulation as a tool for control to magnify the significance of the power women yield through manipulation, thus proving that men and women engage in a power-shifting struggle.
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
What do you consider to be the most successful stage effect and language techniques used to create dramatic tension in Act 2, Scene 2?