The Taming of the Shrew: Deciphering Kate’s Shrewish Character
The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's most popular plays. It is both a witty and complex play with characters that are appealing and believable drawn from life and based on a keen understanding of human nature. One can see this in the main character of the play, the shrew Katherine. The reasons for Kate's shrewd behavior as well as her tameness have puzzled Critics and Shakespearean scholars for ages. This essay will attempt to decipher Kate's shrewish character from the beginning with her father and sister, through the middle with her first meeting of Petruchio, to the finale where she is finally tamed.
There is a strong underlying notion that Kate's shrewish behavior is a by-product of the mistreatment of her sister and father. Firstly, Kate's father continually humiliates her in public.
For example, when Baptista, Kate's father, informed Bianca's suitors, Tranio and Lucentio, in public that he will not allow either of them to marry his younger daughter until a husband is found for Katherine, he is in effect announcing he first wants to have Katherine off his hands. He then offers her to either of Bianca's suitors. Katherine's humiliation at this point is complete. Not only is she discussed on a public street like a piece of scandalous gossip; but she is also offered to her sister's suitors by her own father and profusely turned away as one turns away from a piece of rotten meat. Kate then tries to reveal her mortification to her father, "I pray you, sir, is it your will/To make a stale of me amongst these mates?"(57-58). Upon hearing this, Hortensio scolds Kate for her infamous temper to which she replies that i...
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.... There is now obvious affection between the two, and Petruchio says of their new harmony, "Is not this well?" (154). He calls her his sweet Kate, and she recognizes the sincerity of the epithet. Therefore, with careful love and affection stemming from Petruchio's sincerity towards Katherine, her shrewd behavior turns into sweet honey.
In conclusion, due to her father and sister's lack of affection and humiliation, Kate develops a nasty shrewish character. She then recognizes her equal when she meets Petruchio, yet she has no choice but to keep acting as a shrew. It is not until Petruchio wins Kate's affection through his kindness and love that she finally lets go of her shrewish cover and becomes the envied wife of every husband
Works Consulted:
Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. Ed. Milton Glaser. New York: Signet, 1971.
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Weinstock, G. Yael. "Spiritual Resistance During the Holocaust". Yad Vashem. Yad Vashem, n.d. Web. 18 May 2014.
...e to show how ridiculous she looks, and will not let her have what she wants until she agrees with him on everything. Thoughtfully stated in the 1 Peter 3:1-4, Peter writes, “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious”. Peter explains to the people, that obeying your husband is important and your appearance is not that important which backs up Petruchio when he does everything in his power to get Kate to obey him and treat him with respect.
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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).
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The younger sister cannot have a relationship with a man until her older sister does remain the same in both the play and the film. In the play, Lucentio wants to marry Bianca and pretends to be her tutor so he can spend more time with her. He pays Petruchio to wed Bianca’s sister, Kate, so he can marry Bianca. Cameron acts as Bianca’s French tutor to gain more face time with her. He convinces Joey Donner to pay Patrick to date Kat. Patrick is nice to Kat throughout the movie and tries to win her back after she finds out that he was paid to go out with her. Kate never finds out that Petruchio was paid to marry her. Petruchio and Patrick both use deceitful tactics in order to be with their respective loves. They disguise their true feelings and motives for being with their girl. Both Kat and Katherine fall in love with the man who was paid to be with her. The fact that they fell in love is meant to show how they were tamed. Kate gives a speech about how she understands how she should be subordinate to her husband. Petruchio has tamed her bec...
Baptista is looking for suitors to marry his daughters and views the marriage as a monetary transaction: "After my death the one half of my lands, and in possession twenty thousand crowns." (2.1 122-123). In this quote, Shakespeare is using the characterization of Baptista to demonstrate how women were viewed as nothing more than objects that could be sold. Baptista told this to Petruchio when he asked how much Kate was worth. In addition, Baptista was attempting to appeal to suitors: "Proceed in practise with my younger daughter; she 's apt to learn and thankful for good turns. Signior Petruchio, will you go with us, or shall I send my daughter Kate to you?" (2.1 165-168). Shakespeare uses Baptista to demonstrate how poorly women were viewed. Baptista is practically selling his daughters and attempting to make them more appealing to suitors, so much as offering to bring Kate to Petruchio. Throughout most of the play, Baptista is looking to marry off his daughters. "Faith, gentlemen, now I play a merchant 's part, and venture madly on a desperate mart." (2.1 345-346). Shakespeare uses Baptista to demonstrate once again the little value women have and how they are viewed as objects. Baptista is acting as a "merchant" when he is selling his
The second reason the bond survives is that Petruchio is strong enough to accept the fact that Katherine has a mind and, more importantly, he loves her for that reason. Petruchio cleverly weaves the relationship into the framework of society without compromising the integrity of the relationship. Petruchio does this by comparing Katherine’s attitude to repulsive clothing. Carefully and calculatingly, Petruchio forges a relationship that is envied by all who witness it. Called "cursed Kate" throughout the play, Katherine is openly jealous of the attention her sister is receiving, whereas she, because she speaks her mind, is being bypassed and even avoided in the wooing process.
Swift, Jonathan. "A Voyage to Lilliput." Gulliver's Travels. dover thrift study edition. mineola, new york, ny: Dover publications, 1995. 17., . . Print.
Another type of pluralistic ignorance sheds light on interactions between different ethnic groups. Research done by Nicole Shelton and Jennifer Richeson (2005) predicted that due to pluralistic ignorance, outgroup members avoid intergroup interactions. The study shows that outgroup members have interpersonal conflicts about outgroups rejecting other outgroup members which deters intergroup interactions. This study highlights the possible causes for why interracial contacts maybe low because ethnic groups misconstrue the feelings held by outgroup members (Shelton & Richeson, 2005). It is important to understand why and how social groups implement attributional biases about other social groups. This understanding will further our knowledge of how human beings choose not to interact with other groups due to the fear that the other group will reject them.
William Butler Yeats was born on June thirteenth, eighteen sixty-five, at ten-forty pm, in Sandymount, Dublin (Foster, 13). He grew up lanky, untidy, slightly myopic, and extremely thin. He had black hair, high cheek bones, olive skin, and slanting eyes (Foster, 34). It was presumed he was Tubercular. As a child he was ridiculed, mainly because of his Irish heritage (Foster, 16). He accomplished many things in his life time.
...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.
Walt Disney’s early life and attitude impacted how he became the success that he is today. He had a harsh childhood with a relentless father, “Walt sometimes received rough treatment at the hands of his father for little or no justification. Still, he found a way to bounce back, often seeking solace in fantasy” (Watkinson and Nutile). Walt was one of four boys and their father, Elias, was very strict with them. When delivering newspapers, if Walt missed a house his father would force him to run to the houses to redeliver it. “At times the cold and his tiredness would conspire, and Walt would fall asleep, curled inside his sack of papers” (Gabler). All this hard work forced Walt to grow up quickly leaving him with virtually no childhood. “Out of this Dickensian boyhood grew Walt’s vision of escape to a utopian world. That vision, of course, would inspire his animations and theme parks” (Karlgaard). However, later in life, Walt ...
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