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Taming Of The Shrew Satire

1505 Words7 Pages

Walter Engel
Meaghan Pachay
English 2220
2 March 2023
Short Paper 1
William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew is not in favor of shrew taming; rather, it’s a social satire and critique on marital and gender norms in the Elizabethan era. There is a distinct comic farse being portrayed throughout the bizarre romance of Katherina and Petruchio. Shakespeare was observing the changing cultural norms of his time and wanted to make a caricature of the gender norms starting to be left behind. He uses overemphasis and satire to criticize the norms of his time, while still being covert enough with his messaging so as to not alarm the playgoers of his era who might not be as progressive. The play at its face promotes a twisted vision of marriage …show more content…

Shakespeare’s characters treat Katherina with such an open malice that it is near comical. When Gremio is speaking to Katherina he makes this comment, “GREMIO: To cart her rather! She’s too rough for me.” (Shakespeare 1.1.55). To cart in this case means “treat her like a convicted prostitute by drawing her through the streets in an open cart. (With pun on court in 54.)” (McDonald & Orlin 130). Gremio is flinging this absolute vitriol at Katherina simply for her state of being, in a lighthearted and comic way. Even in the Elizabethan era, physically harming women for shrew behavior was frowned upon, even if other gender norms were extremely backward. Its difficult to argue the historical context, but its warranted and required. Audiences at the time would be familiar with shrew taming stories and stereotypes and The Taming of The Shrew plays off all of this. I think this sort of comparison to a torturing of a prostitute in such a comical way, is showing the audience the ridiculousness of the hatred of shrews. They may laugh along, but they know instinctually something is wrong with this sort of hatred. After all, she’s no criminal. Shakespeare continues to push the sexism envelope, putting the hatred on full display when Petruchio says about Katherina, “She is my goods, my chattels; she is …show more content…

Shakespeare, although heavily borrowing from conventional shrew tales of his time, wanted to twist the common story into something more complicated and unique. Shakespeare wanted to be unconventional, so he staged this play as a ridiculous farce, with a joke marriage, and a woman who is forced to be a wife even though she doesn’t want to. Shakespeare is exaggerating reality to hold a mirror up to his audience and their perceptions of gender and marriage. Shakespeare works in subtext though, allowing the play to be read as a goofy shrew taming tale, or a hyperbolic satire on changing gender values in Elizabethan

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