Gender Roles In The Taming Of The Shrew

Literature may be used to approach issues in ways that would otherwise be difficult to broach. The method of storytelling in itself is a method of communication which can be used in a myriad of ways. Some choose to teach lessons through their stories or to invoke curiosity with the reader about questions they’ve never thought to ask themselves. In The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, the subject of gender is presented and toyed with in a comical manner. He treats the topic playfully and without seriousness. The character Katharina is the central focus of the drama as she is forcefully courted by Petruchio. A battle of wits between the two commences for the entirety of the story. The back and forth displayed almost mimics a broader dialogue between the two sexes. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the Shakespeare’s intentions for this play can only be left to interpretation. For example, some critics “see [Katharina’s] role as reflective or constructive of early modern patriarchal hierarchies that contend women must be

Not only is it taxing to hide the debt from Torvald, but also to pretend to be a flighty, careless doll for his amusement. Throughout the drama, Nora’s difficulty only grows. It culminates when Torvald receives a letter from Nora’s debtor, Krogstad. When he learns of what Nora had done, he becomes enraged and yells, “What a horrible awakening! All these eight years – she who was my joy and pride – a hypocrite, a liar – worse, worse – / a criminal! The unutterable ugliness of it all” (IV.i.386-8)! Finding the revelation too infuriating to bear, he continues to lash out against his wife. Soon after, a letter from Krogstad arrives which states that the debt is forgiven. Overjoyed with relief, Torvald immediately forgives his wife and expects the household to return to the peace it had once