Status In The Taming Of The Shrew By William Shakespeare

Status is the rank or position of an individual in relation to others within a society. Those possessing a higher status are seen to have greater power or privilege, while their inferiors are expected to follow under their instruction. In William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, the function of status is comparable. However, Shakespeare deliberately challenges these ideas by providing the characters an equal opportunity to vocalize their thoughts and opinions. Such is evident in countless scenes of the play, such as when Lucentio—the quixotic son of a wealthy lord—and his servant Tranio exchange roles, allowing Tranio’s display and expressions of authority to be heeded. Katherine Minola—a shrewish, outspoken woman—also serves as a stark

One such character displaying this scenario is Tranio, Lucentio’s servant and friend. When they first arrive in Padua, Lucentio spots a quiet young lady standing off to the side of an argument; Bianca Minola, daughter of the wealthy Baptista. Lucentio immediately decides he is smitten with her and wants to have her as his wife. By listening more closely, they discover that the young lady is to be married only after her older sister is and is only allowed to be visited by tutors until then. To get Lucentio within enough proximity to Bianca to convince her to marry him, Tranio suggests disguising Lucentio as a tutor. In Lucentio’s stead, Tranio will pose as him to distract Baptista. Near the end of the play, When Lucentio’s father appears and accuses Tranio of murdering his son and taking his place, Tranio uses his newfound power and influence to command a bystander to “call forth an officer” (5.1:74). When Tranio makes the command, he is immediately acknowledged and obeyed, demonstrating the use of his voice to exert influence, although as a servant he is expected to have none. By having a servant make a demand and have it obeyed, Shakespeare demonstrates his challenge to the idea of status dictating who has a voice and who does not, as, during Shakespeare’s time, it was not expected or even considered for one of lower status to speak out of

Katherine is often labelled as “shrewish” due to her unwillingness to comply with society’s conforming behavioural standards; women are to be quiet and subservient to their male counterparts, seen to have higher status than women. Shakespeare challenges these traditional ideas by allowing Katherine to speak up for what she wants. Although she may not receive her wishes, she makes it very difficult to deny her. One such instance occurs when Petruchio—a man who wishes to marry Katherine to inherit her dowry—meets with Katherine in an attempt to convince her to marry him. However, when Petruchio tells Baptista that they have agreed to be married the coming Sunday, she expresses her obvious reluctance by exclaiming, “I’ll see thee hanged on Sunday first” (2.1:292). Katherine fighting back instead of quietly complying as she is expected to demonstrates how Shakespeare challenged the idea of women remaining quiet and subservient to men. A woman who expresses herself as Katherine does is only beginning to be accepted now, while in the past, Shakespeare was expected to do anything but have the protagonist in his play be so bold. Including a character like Katherine who rebels against societal norms by voicing her opinions works to display how little importance Shakespeare considers his societal standards. Katherine’s character provides a stark contrast to how women were expected to behave in the past, making her