Archetypal Themes In Taming Of The Shrew

‘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.

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. This can be seen in the current case against the producer Harvey Weinstein as he has been using his power in the movie industry to force actresses into situations which there are not comfortable with. These women are starting to stand up against Weinstein and fight for fairness and justice. Katherine represents the classic archetype of the rebel through her feminist nature, however, the meaning behind the theme of feminism has changed and developed over

Upon his arrival in the city of Padua, Petruchio exclaims to Horetensio that, ‘if thou know One rich enough to be Petruchio’s wife, as wealth is burden of my wooing dance, Be she as foul as was Florentius’ love, As old as Sibyl and as curst and shrewd as Socrates’ Xanthippe.’ (1:2:52-57). What this declaration is basically saying is that all Petruchio looks for in a wife is money and would not care if she was ugly, old, or bad tempered as long as he received his dowry. Furthermore, the trickster is an archetype who can get away with anything and enjoys humiliating and joking with others, which is what Petruchio does with Katherine. On their wedding day, Petruchio arrives late to the ceremony ‘in a new hat and an old jerkin, a pair of breeches thrice turned, a pair of boots that have been candle cases, one buckled, another laced’ (3:2:17-20). Petruchio knew that in order to tame Katherine, he must first humiliate her to destroy her current social standing. However, even though he does this, she still goes through with the marriage. In our contemporary society, humiliation is constantly occurring in relationships but yet people stay together through everything. Petruchio is a central character in the play, representing the archetype of the trickster and several