Throughout history, women have always been considered inferior to men. Women are typically supposed to stay home and care for the children, quieter than men, do not need an education, and are supposed to listen and do what they are told. The men are the ones in charge. They are “always at the top”, expected to work to provide for their family, and tell their wives what to do. When reading “Taming of the Shrew” by Shakespeare and watching “10 Things I hate About You” directed by Gil Junger, the stereotypes and gender role of Katherine (Kat) and the sisterly relationship between Katherine (Kat) and Bianca come across.
Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, focuses on the tumultuous events that surround a regicide. Despite being the shortest of Shakespeare’s plays, in his critical study of the play A. C. Bradley concludes that due to its vehement nature the audience is left with an impression “not of brevity but of speed” . The principal female character of Lady Macbeth is arguably one of his most contentious. Consumed with intense passion, ambition and greed she challenges the subservient role of the traditional Elizabethan woman. She has disturbed, horrified and intrigued both contemporary and modern audiences alike through her powerful diction.
It’s no surprise, that Shakespeare’s Macbeth was clearly constructed as a rebellion against femininity roles of the time. During the Elizabethan era, women were raised to believe they were inferior to men since men obtained desired masculine qualities such as strength, and loyalty, whereas women were viewed as figures of hospitality (1; 6; 28-31). Obviously, not being tempted by the luxury of subservient women, William Shakespeare rebuked this twisted belief, applying that women deserve more respect than their kitchen tables.
The above approach can be applied to one of the Shakespeare’s tragic comedies, Taming of the Shrew, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The main plot depicts the courtship of Petruchio and Katherina, the headstrong, obdurate shrew. Initially, Katherina is an unwilling participant in the relationship, but Petruchio tempers her with various psychological torments—the "taming"—until she becomes a compliant and obedient bride. The subplot features a competition between the suitors of Katherina's more desirable sister, Bianca. The play's apparent misogynistic elements have become the subject of considerable controversy, particularly among modern scholars, audiences and readers, who coined Shakespeare as Misogynist, Metadramatist.
Now, I realize what you are thinking, “how can you have English class without Shakespeare?” Well, learning his plays and teaching his beliefs are two different conditions. In “The Taming of the Shrew,” a man is the authoritative member and the women is their trophies. In America, men and women have equal rights; considering women have the right to vote, work, and decide their own spouses. Teaching how men treat women during Shakespeare's time might cause another suffrage that is unwanted.
The nocca adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew comes with a New Orleans flare. Instead of being set in Italy the show is now set in the New Orleans Bywater. The New Orleans Bywater already comes with a cast of characters for example, the new age hipsters, the annoying bicycle riders, and the strange gutterpunks that live on the median and beg for constantly money. The story and the characters stay true to the original story by Shakespeare, but the difference is very noticeable especially at the beginning. The show opens up with a Bouncer/DJ as the narrator, from time to time she plays current and popular songs to enlist a response from the audience and also the music serves as transitions between scenes.
In the play “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare he writes the story in a different era and culture to establish values within his work of literature. In this piece the societal codes of the era functions in the work value as a whole. Gender roles and courtship plays a greater role into this above anything else. The entire plot is over, many men going the extra mile to try and court a 15 year old girl. This rat race of a play oozes the foul being of how older men can marry women who hit puberty no longer than 2 years ago With that being said, the entire race to court Bianca is stopped when the father then says that Bianca can only be married when her sister is married, which makes all the men come together to get her sister married.
Shakespeare’s play “Taming of the Shrew” has quite a controversial plot, theme, and dialogue. Many accuse Shakespeare of being sexist, and having a hatred towards women. People tend to compare this old play to modern times, and compare Petruchio 's actions to what is socially acceptable in our generation. We can’t help but compare. Growing up in a culture where women are treated generally well (for the most part,) makes this play seem disturbing, alarming, and difficult to comprehend.
From Sexism to Social Reformation Many actions and ideologies of the characters in The Taming of the Shrew create an overarching conflict between comedy and sexism for most readers. Specifically, the relationships between the men and women introduce controversial topics such as obedience and love which must be questioned thoroughly. The conditions of Petruchio and Katherine’s marriage was more “traditional” in the sense that it was primarily patriarchal, and that Kate was expected to be subservient and obedient. While this is sexist, on the surface, this was not the intended meaning behind the works.
The Taming of the Shrew William Shakespeare, an English poet, play writer and actor, is considered the world’s greatest dramatist of all time. One of his most famous stories is “The Taming of the Shrew”. One would say they loved the story but another could say they hated it. In this particular play, William Shakespeare focused on social status, happiness, and domestication. Whether we like it or not, social status still impacts us today regardless of how much time has passed.
Paul Vu Dr. Elizabeth C. Ramírez THTR 475A.03 2 May 2017 Macbeth and Medea: Breaking Expectations Macbeth by William Shakespeare and Medea by Euripides are known for their powerful critiques on the social expectations of women. Women during the time of Elizabethan and Greek theatre were often stereotyped and considered the weaker sex. Men were depicted as strong individuals who supported and protected women. However, both Shakespeare and Euripides broke expectations by portraying strong and iconic female characters in their respective plays. The idea of a strong female character was often unheard of during the time of Elizabethan and Greek Theatre.
Ever wonder about gender roles in Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew? In Taming of the Shrew, the gender roles affect the characters in a rather negative way, and when they surface in the play, it’s rather shocking. This essay will discuss how gender roles affect the characters in what I believe is a negative way, and how they surface in the play. In this play, the men appear to have a particular idea on how all women should behave.
The truth is, they are different films, made for different audiences, and when compared, the misogynistic contrast is evident between eras. The Taming Of The Shrew, filmed in 1967 by Franco Zeffirelli , depicts the extreme sexism of a classic William Shakespeare romance. Following the life of Katharina Minola, Zeffirelli’s film explores several themes, such as power, love, femininity, masculinity, dowry and relationships, all of which are prevalent in misogyny, when being displayed in the film. The plot generally stays true to the original text written by William Shakespeare in the 1590’s, and in this time the behaviours that are now considered misogynistic, were considered normal. Opposing this, is Gil Junger’s 1999 film, 10 Things I Hate
The novellas Of Mice and Men and The Pearl are both often noted as social criticisms. The author, John Steinbeck addresses real-life issues that society is facing. Whether through direct statements and comments, or through a fictional characters’ situation, Steinbeck criticizes just some of the problems of society. He shows the way people are discriminated against, and why. He shows the issues society faces.
A Modern View of Feminist Criticism William Shakespeare 's "Othello” can be analyzed from a feminist perspective. This criticism focuses on relationships between genders, like the patterns of thoughts, behavior, values, enfranchisement, and power in relations between and within sexes. A feminist examination of the play enables us to judge the distinctive social esteems and status of women and proposes that the male-female power connections that become an integral factor in scenes of Othello impact its comprehension. I believe that the critical lens that provides modern society with the most compelling view of literature is Feminist Criticism because it analyzes distrust and disloyalty among relationships, women being treated as possessions
