Taming of the Shrew
Gender roles have a major part in the play “Taming of the shrew”. They drive the plot showing that gender has a difference in society. In today’s society that has been obliterate, woman can do anything that a male can do. When Shakespeare wrote this play that was false and males usually dominated. That's why shakespeare believes that the amount of power and respect you receive is based on your gender.
Gender roles were used throughout the play and was shown in act one by a woman speaking her mind out against a male which back then was unusual. Katherine was show talking to Hortensio by stating “ To comb your noddle with a three legg’d stool and paint your face, and use you like a fool”(I.ii.65-66). The respect in this situation was used in the way were kathrine should of gave Hortensio the respect he deserved. Although in this scene Katherine is speaking out and not following how they perceived woman back then and how they gave power and respect to the male.
Shakespeare showed that women could have the capability of being smarter and even more witty than men. Katherine showed power and got respect from Petruchio when they had an argument. Petruchio would speak in a way where it was witty and katherine would respond even more, and this was show when she argued “ So may you
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Petruchio is the master at the table so if the food is not at his quality he wants it discarded. So in act 4 the meat was not at Petruchio liking but was at katherine's so she says “ I pray you, husband, be not so disquiet.The meat was well, if you were so contented”(IIII.i.168-169). Katherine doesn't understand that Petruchio has all the power in their marriage, that she has no authority in the house. This connects to real life back then because the males had everything they wanted no one else. Katherine is learning to give the amount of power and respect to her husband as he
In William Shakespeare 's play, The Taming of the Shrew, was written in 1590’s to 1610. This time period was very hard for a women. The culture was very misogynistic, the culture demanded that a women
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.
William Shakespeare is known to be the greatest writer in the English language, and till this day Shakespeare upholds the title of being the start of English literature. Something every reader has possibly observed is how Shakespeare portrays women. The majority of William Shakespeare’s plays objectifies women and in some ways shows his underline feelings towards women, and their roles in society. This is clearly shown through out Shakespeare’s play ‘Othello’. The society of Othello is completely controlled by men who are the military and political leaders of their homeland. Furthermore women are seen as powerless second-class citizens, who are in place for nothing more than to serve their men. But the horrendous actions and intense downfall of the men in Othello show how men are not nearly as authoritative and powerful as they seem. The boldness of the female characters proves that they are much more capable of just serving. Furthermore, by the end of the play, I admit the men of Othello are not the ones who perform courage and power instead; this title is given to the women in the play.
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 first Shakespeare play which Zeffirelli adopted to the cinema, The Taming of the Shrew, deals with the theme of gender roles. In a grander scale the play explores the behavior expectations of males and females both in society at large and within a domestic relationship. For many years, most critics agreed that the heart of the play suggested male domination and female submission, especially to the authority of their husbands, as the accepted male-female dynamic. This view went unchanged for many years and audiences widely accepted Petruchio's “taming” of Katherina as politically correct.
"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.
"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 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 Taming of the Shrew is one of the earliest comedies written by William Shakespeare. The Taming of the Shrew focuses a great deal on courtship and marriage. Especially the life after marriage, which was generally not focused on in other comedies. Notably, the play focuses on the social roles that each character plays, and how each character faces the major struggles of their social roles. Which plays into one of the most prevalent themes of The Taming of the Shrew. The theme of how social roles play into a person’s individual happiness. This is displayed through the characters in the play that desperately try to break out of the social roles that are forced upon them. This exemplified through the character, Katherine, an upper-class young maiden-in-waiting, who wishes to have nothing to do with her role.
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 themes of gender and female individualism surround Katherine through her inability to conform to the strict regulated values of typical Victorian women. In one of the first meetings between Katherine and Petruchio, he remarks that he would like to change Katherine ‘from a wild Kate to a Kate Conformable as other household Kates’ (2:1:267-268). This displays the need men of this time had for obedient and well-behaved women as opposed to the candid, shrewish women. She is the typical character who does not wish to conform to society and rebels against everyone, attempting to fight for her own rights. Currently, many woman are beginning to stand up for their rights and struggling for equality.
The story is about two sisters Katherine and Bianca. Bianca has a suitor who would like to marry her, Lucentio, but the only way that he will be able to marry her is if her older sister is married first. When Petruccio arrives to Padua he agrees to court and marry Katherine because she will provide a lovely dowry. Rumor has it that Katherine is a cynical, unruly, and extremely unpleasant female. Bianca on the other hand is the typical image of a lovely woman, beautiful, soft-spoken, and very feminine.
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.
In Othello, Shakespeare writes about relationships and gender power between females and male who are from different classes and race. Gender roles and power has always been an issue in a society. Now man and women are becoming more equal than before, but it is hard even now. In that time, the man was superior and the power in the house and women were seen just as objects with no saying at all and they had to act feminine. It was hard to be a woman at that time because man felt superior and was encouraged to act like bosses to them.
I find it very insulting that Shakespeare's only significant female role in the whole play, is being used as a " Prize" to be given away. Shakespeare doesn't even try to hide the fact that he is setting Katherine up as a prize. I find this kind of arrogance to be offensive and very belittling to women.