Shakespeare tells the tale of The Taming of The Shrew, Trans. 2005, through a series of Important themes to represent meaning in this tale. The taming of the shrew starts off with a young man. Lucentio arriving in the main setting, padua with his servants. This young man sees a young lady named Bianaca and instantly wants to be her suitor. Although Lucentio would like to be her suitor, Bianca already has 2 additional potential suitors in the story, Gremio: an older man with his father's fortune already and a man names Hortensio. These men all would like to woo Bianca and become her future husband because she is a lovely, respectable young woman, with a father of wealth but she can not be wed until her sister, Katherina is wed first since she …show more content…
In the beginning of the play it can be determined that everyone in town feels as if Kate is a rude, disrespectful womans and it was stated that,“To cart her rather, She's too rough for me” (Shakespeare, Trans. 2005, 1.1.55). Obviously if no one will marry this lady she must not act like a lady. But throughout the story, she becomes unwillingly married to Petruchio who teaches her by starving her and restricting her from doing what she would like she begins to listen to her husband petruchio. Not only does Petruchio notice this but everyone as well does to, “for she is changed as she had never before” (Shakespeare, Trans. 2005. ….). An time that is an example of Kates changed behavior is at a celebration for all new marriages, Petruchio shows the men how Kate is now obedient. “See where she comes and brings your forward wives as prisoners to her womanly persuasion - Katherine, that cap of yours becomes you not. Take it off and place it on the ground. [She Obeys]” (Shakespeare, Trans. 2005, 5.2.124-126). This shows that not only does she listen to things she should, she obeys every single command no matter her …show more content…
Bianca in the beginning of Shakespeare’s play when speaking to her sister kate pleads, “Unbind my hands, i'll pull them off myself, yea, all my raiment, to my petticoat, or what you will command me will i do, so well i know my duty to my elders” (Shakespears, trans. 2005, 2.1.4-7). Bianca shows respect to her sister as well as telling her that she will do as her sister commands, even when poorly treated. It is noticed that Bianca once married to her husband Lucentio, she starts to become less obedient. Her actions are different from her sister when at the same celebration as spoken of before, celebrating the newly weds, Petruchio to show how loyal, and subservient Kate is, he comes up with the idea of, “ Sending each wife out, and whose wife is most obedient to come at first when is told so, shall win the wager of twenty crowns” (Shakespeare, Trans.2005, 5.2.65-69). Everyone, knowing Bianca expected her to do just so but it happens that neither her or the window appear but Katherine does. When Bianca speaks to her husband about him betting money on her actions, she adds, “The more fool you, for laying on my duty” (Shakespeare, Trans. 2005, 5.2.133). Before she was married she would not of ignored his command and disrespected him by telling him he was silly to
"That is, not to bestow my youngest daughter Before I have a husband for the elder. " (Lines 50 and 51) Here we have an example of how the father is dictating the future of his daughter's in a way that would not happen in today’s Western society. In view of the strict rules surrounding love and marriage, such as formal courtship and chaperoning, Lucentio has to pretend to be a schoolteacher in order to get close to Bianca with whom he has fallen in love. "You will be schoolmaster, And undertake the teaching of the maid- That's your device." (Act 1 Scene 1, lines 193-195) Today it is unlikely that a young man would need to go to these lengths in order to woo a girl.
Taming of the Shrew, had a great story line, which can be related to several movies that exist today i.e. Othello, 10 Things I Hate about You, and The Lion King. In William Shakespeare's play, The Taming of the Shrew, the shrew played by Katherine, had a terrible perspective on life and just about everything else. Her negativity was caused by her younger, more pulchritudinous sister Bianca. Bianca wanted to get espoused. She had all of the men's hearts, Katherine retained none. If Katherine got espoused then Bianca could get espoused. She authentically was a shrew who needed to be tamed.
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.
Katherina rebuts this whining after their father enters, and ends the scene with her own speech in which she argues that
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).
The Taming of the Shrew unravels to reveal a wild beastly Katharine lacking respect for her family, herself and others around her. Kate is a very outspoken and vulgar woman without respect to authority. Katharine, although depicted as a beautiful woman quickly becomes the talk of Padua. Kate has found that if she is loud and obnoxious she can have her way. She screams and grunts and pushes those who she does not get along with. The general character of Katharine seems to be that of a small child.
In Shakespeare's, "The Taming of the Shrew" the relationship between the sisters Katherine and Bianca appears to be strained with rampant jealousy. Both daughters fight for the attentions of their father. In twisted parallel roles, they take turns being demure and hag-like. Father of the two, Baptista Minola, fusses with potential suitors for young Bianca and will not let them come calling until his elder, ill-tempered daughter Katherine is married. The reader is to assume that meek, mild-mannered, delicate Bianca is wasting away while her much older, aging, brutish sister torments the family with her foul tongue. Katherine seems to hold resentment toward Bianca. Her father favors Bianca over Katherine and keeps them away from each others' torment. When gentlemen come calling, Bianca cowers behind her father and Katherine speaks up for herself. "I pray you sir, is it your will to make a stale of me amongst these mates?" (1.1.57-58) Bianca and Katherine dislike each other feverishly. Katherine torments Bianca with words and physical harm. She binds her hands, pulls her hair then brings her forth to her father and the gentlemen callers. Bianca denies liking any of the visitors and portrays herself an innocent that merely wants to learn and obey her elders. She says, "Sister, content you in my discontent to your pleasure humbly I subscribe. My books and instruments shall be my company, on them to look and practise by myself." (1.1.80-84) Because Katherine speaks freely and asserts herself she is labeled as "shrewish." When Hortensio describes her to Petruccio, he spews out that she is "renowned in Padua for her scolding tongue." ( 1.2.96) He gilds the lily further by clearly telling of her fair fortune if suitable man comes courting and wins her hand in marriage. Petruccio sees dollar signs and rushes onwards in grand dress and fluently gestures to court the gracious "Kate." When he first begins his ritual of winning the family and Katherine to his love, he is seeking his fortune in her dowry. The mention of her being at all undesirable does not put rocks in his path.
A long time ago, a drunken man fell asleep outside an alehouse. This man, Christopher Sly, was discovered by a mischievous lord who took him into his home. The witty lord then convinced Sly that he was a lord, as well. The lord then put on a play for him. The play, The Taming of the Shrew, was about the two young daughters of Baptista. The youngest daughter, Bianca, wished to wed but her father, Baptista, would not allow this until his eldest daughter, Katherina, was married. Under normal circumstances, it would be easy to find a husband for Katherina with all her beauty, but all her beauty was covered by her shrewd personality. By this time Bianca's suitors were growing very impatient, so they decide to team up and find a husband for Katherina. In jest they mentioned their plan to a friend, Petruchio, who surprisingly agreed to marry Katherina. All her beauty and wealth were enough for him. Katherina reluctantly was wed to Petruchio and she was taken to his home to be tamed. With Katherina out of the way, Bianca was now allowed to marry Lucentio, who offered her father the highest dowry for her. In the final scenes of the play, Katherina proves that she is tamed by winning an obedience contest at a dinner party. Katherina is now even more in accordance with her wifely duties than Bianca. A fare is a type of comedy based on a ridiculous situation. The Taming of the Shrew, an eminent example of a farce, is the first of three farces written by Shakespeare.
"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
Called "cursed Kate" throughout the play, Katherine is openly jealous of the attention he sister is receiving, whereas she, because she speaks her mind, is being bypassed and even avoided in the wooing process. Katherine reveals this attitude in act 2 scene1, lines 31-35, "nay, now i see she is your treasure, she must have a husband; i must dance barefoot on my wedding day, and for your love to her, lead the apes to hell. Talk not to me i will sit and weep!...." This anger is not concealed, it serves to provide motivation as to why a rational person would rebuke petrucchio so rudely upon first encountering him. Katherine surely realizes that petruchio is interested in her for ulterior motives other than love. Be it purse that the dowry will bring or the actions of an...
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
...st play, it is not sexist and demeaning towards women. Petruchio, Hortensio, and Lucentio may have bet on their wives compliance in some eyes, but after further analysis, they were actually betting on the trust between the couple. The reader must also take into account the time period the play was written in which was the 16th century, where women were usually not even allowed to go to school to be educated, and Bianca was having private tutors for her education. Kate was changed by Petruchio’s “taming” from the beginning to the end of the play, but at the end of the novel when Kate was called upon and made her speech, she was the happiest she had been in the entire story. There are however some sexist elements in the story, but just because there are certain characteristics of sexism in a play does not mean the play in itself is sexist and demeaning towards women.
By charming her with kind words, Petruchio is able to manipulate Katherine into marriage and woo her, but in an unaccustomed way, as Kate is not used to men being so nice and direct with her. Petruchio is able to achieve this end by manipulating Katherine’s words. He twists what Kate says and makes it seem as if she is coming on to him sexually, while in reality he is the one implying the sexual innuendo. This manipulation can be seen when they have an argument about whether or not the wasp carries his sting on his tail or tongue, and Petruchio says “What, with my tongue in your tail? Nay, come again, good Kate. I am a gentleman—” (II, 1; 230-231). By contorting the words he ...
This further strengthens Katherine’s personality as she continues to stay the same even though she knows exactly what men are looking for in a woman. Shakespeare uses other metaphors to further represent how restrictive male dominance is on women, “she is my house, my household stuff, my field, my barn, (III.ii.133). By creating these metaphors to compare Katherine to everyday items, Shakespeare is able to convey just how intense the male dominance is. Showing this to the audience will make Kate look better as a character and even strengthen the point that women should not be treated with such disrespect. Overall, Shakespeare uses figurative language throughout the play to strengthen the audience’s idea of the power Katherine has to stay
When someone is a female their first thought should not be weak or nurturing, just as when someone is male their first though shouldn’t always be powerful. Unfortunately it has becomes so ingrained in societies mentality that this is the way that things work. The Taming of the Shrew is a past writing piece that expands on a mentality that is modern. The male gender cannot be put into this same constraint. Petruchio is the epitome of what society would describe a male as. He thinks he is in charge and always the superior to women. He expects Katherine to always do what he tells her to do, because he believes that is her duty as his wife. Moreover he should not be expected to do that for her. Furthermore, Bianca is what many would describe as the perfect woman. She is nurturing and she does not speak out against what she is told. When she does speak she always speaks like a lady. She exists merely for decoration in the home and to serve her husband. Katherine is the inconsistency in this stereotype on femininity. Her purpose in the novel originally is to rebel against this biased thought on female gender roles. Katherine is not afraid to speak out against the things that she is told to do. If she disagrees with something she will act on it and she is just as strong as the men in the novel; which is why many of the men actually fear her. Katherine is not submissive and does not believe that the only reason that she exists is to serve a husband. Katherine does not want to be just the damsel in distress, she wants to be in charge. At the end of the novel there is a switch in the personalities of Katherine and Bianca. This alteration provides the purpose of showing that gender is not something that someone can be confined in just because they were born a female. A woman can have many different traits and still be feminine. It is impossible to put femininity in a box because there are no real qualities for what