In William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew the question of who is the real "shrew" is a subject of much debate. Throughout the play, the characters of Katherina and Bianca are portrayed as contrasting figures, with Katherina being described as the initial "shrew" and Bianca being seen as the sweet, submissive woman. As the play progresses, we see the switch between the two women as Katherina becomes more obedient and Bianca’s true colours are shown. At the beginning of the play, Katherina is depicted as a sharp-tongued, unruly woman who defies authority and engages in verbal battles with those around her. Her behaviour is exemplified when she strikes Petructchio, and he responds, "I swear I'll cuff you if you strike again" (2.1 222)
When it comes to the way modern society functions, somebody’s gender can influence the amount of respect given to them. This exact structure of power based on gender was in place during the English Renaissance era. This is when English poet and playwright, William Shakespeare, created his most famous works, where these ideologies of gender superiority are evident. He uses his plays to critique society and its flaws. In The Taming of The Shrew, the complex character of Katherine and her arranged marriage with Pertruichio makes a mockery of her true identity and develops the plot as well as the theme that misogyny and gender roles defined humanity in the English Renaissance era.
The opening of the play The Taming of the Shrew reinforces and challenges class and gender roles in Elizabethan England. In Induction 1 of the play, the character Christopher Sly makes his first appearance; he is being thrown out of an alehouse for not paying his tab. More interestingly, however, he is being thrown out by a woman, not a man. This hostess of the alehouse is taking on a non-traditional role for a woman during this time by throwing him out into the street; she is placing herself in a position of power over him. When Sly tries to yell at her in anger, she simply yells back at him, telling him she will have him put in the stocks, and that she is going to call the constable.
The movie 10 Things I Hate About You directed by Gil Junger brought the story of The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare back to life. This story remains relevant today through the main character of Katherine or the “shrew” and how the change of her personality, the change of her and her suitors relationship, and the change of her character in the plot creates a new story of different romances and creates a new stance on gender roles and misogyny take place within love. The modernization of this play changed this dramatic comedy of a mean and controlled woman written in the 1500s to a very well-known 1990s romantic comedy with a lead feminist character. The main character of a story can make or break keeping an audience’s attention.
Throughout the play, ‘The Taming of The Shrew’ Katherine has been through a series of events and multiple emotions. At the start of the play Katherine was opinionated and challenges men, because of her behaviour and act she was known around the kingdom as a shrew which is a bad tempered or aggressively assertive woman. There were many suitors for her younger sister, Bianca, but none for her as men knew who she was and was uninterested. Baptista(the father) has to marry off his oldest daughter in order for Bianca to get married and it would benefit him as well because of the dowry the men that was going to marry his daughters had to offer.
This attitude is reflected in The Duchess of Malfi, where the protagonist’s brothers shame her for expressing her desire to remarry after her husband dies. Even so, she possesses an extraordinary amount of power in the play that was prodigiously radical during the Renaissance era. Meanwhile, Shakespeare wrote Richard III which, for a play completely dominated by its titular character, has, in my opinion, some outstanding female characters that convey authority over him, however, as I will explain later on in my argument, many critics disagree with this. Throughout this essay, I will aim to express the argument that female power is represented positively in both Richard III and The Duchess of Malfi, despite their male counterparts,
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.
Women’s Sovereignty Women do not exactly play a large role in any of William Shakespeare’s major works. Taking all factors into consideration, like time period and assumed gender roles, women did not play a significant role in society. During the sixteenth century, at which Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew was written, it was natural for women to be confined to a lifestyle that allowed no independence.
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.
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.
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 Like many of Shakespeare’s comedies “The Taming of the Shrew” features women who would be the stories protagonists, Biacna and Katherina Minola, at the start of the play, did not have a strong sisterly relationship, but as the play progresses, we see the two characters change individually, which have affected their relationship as seen towards the end of the play. Bianca Minola is a beautiful, silent and obedient women, and because of her beauty, many men fall in love with her at first sight. On the contrary, Katherine Minola is a fiery, quick tempered women who lashes out at any man who tries to woo her. Men dislike her personality and do not know how to handle such a shrew. The two protagonists did not have a strong
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 three social classes during the time of the Renaissance were comprised of people who lived very different lives. The wealthy class were the people with most control. Men would be abusive towards their servants, and wives, however the only reason they would act this way, was because they wanted to give off the appearance that they were the ones with the money, the power, and no one was allowed to tell them otherwise. The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare revolves around the wealthy, such as Petruchio, Petruchio was abusive towards his servants, and his wife Katherine, he also made it his priority to find a way to “tame” his wife, thus having control. The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare celebrates male dominance in marital and social hierarchies and encourages abusive behaviors towards people of a low status.
