ipl-logo

Theme Of Sexism In The Taming Of The Shrew

1056 Words5 Pages

The Taming of The Shrew is a comedy play by William Shakespeare that takes place in Padua. You could argue that the story is very feminist, but it is for sure a sexist play. What is “sexism” you might ask? Sexism is unfair treatment of people because of their sex; especially : unfair treatment of women. The play is all about men manipulating women and making them something they are not. It all starts with the beautiful and kind Bianca which is the sister of the awful bad-tempered shrew also known as Katherina. Their father Baptista is a very uptight person. Baptista starts getting worried for his youngest daughter Bianca when all these men come to their house looking to marry Bianca. In a moment of despair Baptista decides that the only way Bianca can get married is if her older sister Katherina gets married first. This was a brilliant decision Baptista took …show more content…

Petruchio is the type of guy that would work for what he wants and does not care what it takes to get what he wants. Petruchio is good friends with one of Bianca’s suitors (Lucentio). Lucentio informed Petruchio about the Dowry (property or money brought by a bride to her husband on their marriage) he would get if he married Katherine. Petruchio saw this as in the opportunity to help a friend and also get what he was looking for (more money). Petruchio came up with a plan to tame Katherine after meeting her and seeing how violent she was. Petruchio’s plan was to “tame” Katherine. People could argue that this play is feminist because Katherine always stayed true to herself, even after the ‘taming process’ she maintained traits that she had before being tamed and because she would still speak out and let her voice be heard. This play is a full on a sexist play because the men in the play are manipulating and deceiving women, men are not giving the women the right to make their own decisions, and lastly the stereotypes of how women should act and be are way too

Show More
Related
793 Words | 4 Pages

In the play, women are treated as property that is for sale. In the time of the play, fathers would pay off the men who chose to marry their daughters to help make their daughters more appealing or desirable. Petruchio in the play, abuses, starves, and breaks Katherine down to the point of submission. Which obviously makes this play hysterical and just an overall great rom-com. Or not.

Read More
1521 Words | 7 Pages

And thus I’ll curb her mad and headstrong humor.” He believes that in starving his wife and keeping her awake, she will do anything he wishes to acquire these basic human necessities. Shuqair states it perfectly, “In Act IV, Petruchio's power is further established through Katherine's loss of identity and her subjective vision of the world. Starving her into submission and denying her sleep, Petruchio effects complete mastery over her. All of this violence is done, as Petruchio himself says, ‘in reverend care of her’(IV.i.204), and, as Katherine recognizes, ‘under

Read More
809 Words | 4 Pages

This was all just an act that Petruchio was playing to “tame” Katherine. He wanted her to start acting the way she was supposed to, more like her sister Bianca who was the favored sister. He also had a goal of gaining some money because katherine was a part of a rich family. Katherine was very different than all the rest of the women when it came to gender ideals. She needed to be “tamed” and start acting like all the rest of the women.

Read More
1055 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
1910 Words | 8 Pages

Throughout history, men have always dominated. They never let a woman rise to power or have the same rights. This sexism has been ingrained in society for thousands of years, so much so that it has defined some of the most famous works of literature, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This play was written during the Elizabethan Era, an era in which a woman had all the power imaginable (Queen Elizabeth), and yet, women were still severely discriminated against. Women had no say whatsoever in their society; they were not allowed to vote and they had very few legal rights (Papp, Joseph, Kirkland).

Read More
628 Words | 3 Pages

“A Doll House”: The Righteous Deception Henrik Ibsen, the writer of the play “A Doll House,” provides insight on self-righteousness when the character Nora is faced with assisting a loved one and the deception that arose from it. Nora has the most extenuating circumstances for her reasons of dishonesty within the play. Her deceitfulness is created through criminal applications, social expectations, and fear of her husband. Unfortunately, the biggest fabrication, revealed at the end, was the falsehood she said to herself. All of Nora’s deception begins as an act of love for her husband, Torvald.

Read More
1215 Words | 5 Pages

Taming of the Shrew is a dramatic comedy in which several suitors try to captivate and marry a beautiful woman named Bianca. However, the suitors stumble upon an issue; Bianca’s older sister, Kate, is not married. Bianca is only eligible for marriage if Kate is married, so the suitors set out to find Kate a man. During Taming of the Shrew, the suitors of both Kate and Bianca are dishonest and deceive the sisters using disguises and mind games which results in a breakdown of all the characters.

Read More
1136 Words | 5 Pages

William Shakespeare’s Comedy, Taming of the Shrew is a play that takes place in Padua where Lucentio, a student Begins chasing a girl he is interested in, Bianca. As Bianca already has two suitors, who neither seem to catch her interest, a couple men on Lucentio’s ‘team’ start to develop a plan to be able to woo Katherina, the older sister, so then lucentio can gain the rights to Bianca. After this all works out, Petruchio is going to embarrass Kate, and quickly teach her that he is in charge. Petruchio and his servants deny her food and sleep. Kate is treated horribly, until she eventually obeys him.

Read More
542 Words | 3 Pages

In Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’, women are portrayed as either pure angelic beings and jewels, or as whores who are impure. They are objectified and shown as something to be used. The only women in this play are Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca compared to the main 6 male characters, not to mention the minor characters, who are also all male. Their depicted purpose is to belong to a man; Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca’s lives revolve around being wives to Othello, Iago and Cassio. This fits into the idea of a perfect Elizabethan woman, who’s lives are subject to their husband’s rule across all aspects, to be disposed of as men wish.

Read More
815 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
1031 Words | 5 Pages

The feminist perspective challenges sexism and other beliefs and practices that result in the domination of women. When we look at Othello from feminist point of view it is important to note how the women of this play are treated and stereotyped.

Read More
465 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More
1049 Words | 5 Pages

It is a story of how Petruchio, the money-grubbing wife hunter, transforms the aggressive and bad-tempered Katherine Minola into an obedient, honey-tounge trophy wife. Written by William Shakespeare between 1590 and 1594, it's one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies. It is also one of his most controversial works as well. The Taming of the Shrew has been criticized for its representation of abusive behavior and misogynistic attitudes toward women, and the play has pretty much been dogged since it was first performed. There is a lot of evidence that Shrew made, even Shakespeare's contemporary audiences more than a little squeamish.

Read More
1360 Words | 6 Pages

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

Read More
535 Words | 3 Pages

The whole point of The Taming of the Shrew is to show that women are inferior to men and must obey them at all times. In the play, the ideas about gender

Read More

More about Theme Of Sexism In The Taming Of The Shrew

Related Topics

Open Document