Love and Marriage in Taming of the Shrew

1698 Words4 Pages

The Taming Of The Shrew: Love and Marriage

Despite the fact that Shakespeare is mostly known for its tragedian playwrights, yet, in The Taming Of The Shrew, he once again proves that he is capable to write anything - even comedy. The Taming Of The Shrew is a play within a play. However, the play takes place towards the end of the 16th century. Most of the comedy scenes are shifted from the city to the country and back to the city. Therefore, most of the scenes took place in the city of Padua, Italy. Christopher Sly is a drunken tinker who appears in the induction of the play. Nevertheless, he is fooled by a lord stating that he is a lord and has been mad for fifteen years. Therefore, there is a play that is to be performed to the drunker. In the play there are two main characters and other minor personalities. As one of the main characters, Katherine is called a shrew, even by her father Baptista, but Katherine has a deeper character than what she seems to appear. Katherine's reactions are due to the preferences that her father resembles between her and her sister. However, as a consequence to her fathers' preference she is hurt and seeks for revenge. It is an immature response, but the only one she knows, and it serves for her dual purpose of her hurt and revenge. The transformation that she undergoes near the end of the play is not one of character, but one of attitude. She alters dramatically from the bitter accursed shrew to the obedient and happy wife when she discover that her husband loves her enough to attempt to change her for her own good, as well for his. The other main character is Pretruchio her husband. On the surface he appears to be a rough, noisy, and insensitive, one who cares nothing for Katherine's feelings so long as she has money. Yet, in the inside Petruchio's intention is not interested for her money but the challenge of capturing her because of the reputation that she has. Like a secondary character is Katherine's sister Bianca. Apparently in her gentle behavior, she is an unkind sister and through the play she is in fact a disobedient wife. She fosters her father's attitude of favoritism for herself and dislike for Katherine by playing the part of a whole victim.

Open Document