There is also the financial aspect to consider. This played an enormous part in choosing a partner. Shakespeare makes it clear that young men in his time were not so concerned with finding love, but instead were looking for wealth.
"I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;
If wealthily, then happily in Padua." (Act 1 Scene 1, lines 74-75)
They feel that happiness will follow if their wife is wealthy. Again, in today’s society young couples generally expect to make money of their own and do not receive a dowery. Leading up to the marriage, the husband-to-be has to negotiate with the father of the bride, which makes the marriage become more like a business transaction. This is shown clearly when Petruchio describes his financial position to Baptista.
"You knew my father well, and in him me,
Left solely heir to all his lands and goods,
Which I have bettered rather than decreased."
(Act 2 Scene 1, lines 117-119)
He goes on to ask what dowery he would receive if he married Katherina.
"Then tell me, if I get your daughter’s love,
What dowery shall I have with her to wife?"
(Lines 120-121)
Even though Lucentio wins Bianca’s heart to be able to marry her he must prove to Baptista that he is rich and had Hortensio been richer and been able to afford more money, Lucentio may have lost out. There is very little in the play at this stage about Bianca’s love for Lucentio. Shakespeare makes his audience much more aware of the importance of the correct procedure to be followed than the aspects of the relationship between Lucentio and Bianca.
There is a great deal of emphasis on social standing in relation to love and marriage and this extends into the relationship between men and women. Each has their own role to play regardless of their own feelings, emotions or preferences. This is why, when Katherina behaves badly, imposing her will on everybody around her it is vital that Petruchio "tames" her so that he can be seen in society as fulfilling the superior role.
The play covers many aspects across society but the relationship between the sexes is most interesting showing how Petruchio manages to gradually reform Katherina but also how she moves towards adapting to her new social role as a wife because she can see benefits for herself and feels that it will make her happier.
Shakespeare demonstrates the different aspects of breaking the rules of accepted society in a number of different ways. It starts with Katherina being out of line with how society expects a young woman to behave and goes on to show that changing clothes and pretending to be different characters will change attitudes between the sexes. This still happens today. Fashion is extremely popular among young people and their attitudes towards the opposite sex are changed to some degree by the way a modern suitor presents his or herself. This is in relation to their clothes (I.e. costume) and to their background (I.e. social position). In this respect a modern audience would be able to relate to the changing attitudes between the characters.
At the wedding Petruchio arrives late and dressed in an outrageous, shabby costume as a way of asserting his domination over Katherina.
"To me she is married, not unto my clothes"
(Act 3 Scene 2, line 117)
Katherina gives in and allows the marriage to take place. This is one of the first occasions that she allows him to have authority over her. Later when they are settling down to married life Petruchio continues to take her through methods used to tame a falcon. He starves her so she is dependant on him for food, and he denies her sleep, again asserting his authority over her.
In his view he is doing all of this in kindness, for her own good so she can see the benefits of behaving in a sociably acceptable manner.
A modern audience would now sympathise with Katherina because it is no longer sociably acceptable that a wife is dominated by her husband, has to depend on him and has to obey him. However, at the time the play was written attitudes were different and the audience would have fully understood why he needed to tame her in order for the marriage to work within their society.
In Act 4 Scene 3 there is an incident where Katherina needs some new clothes for Bianca’s wedding but Petruchio refuses to let her have what she wants, again exerting his authority over her and demonstrating how she is dependant on him. A modern audience (particularly the females) would strongly disagree with this treatment. The modern man would probably not attempt to do this but may enjoy the thought.
His dominance becomes more extreme when in Act 4 Scene 5 he pretends that the sun is the moon and when Katherina questions this he gets angry and tells her off for contradicting him. When she eventually does give in and agrees that it is the moon or whatever he would like to be, they continue their journey because she has let him have his way. A similar event takes place later in Scene 5 when they meet Vincentio when Katherina is forced to greet him as a woman. All these incidents would be viewed as bullying to a modern audience.
At the end of the play Katherina appears to be completely tamed. This is demonstrated in Act 5 Scene 2 when Petruchio, Lucentio, and Hortensio place a bet on whose wife will come when called. To everybody's amazement Petruchio commands Katherina to, "tell that these headstrong women what duty they do owe their lords and husbands." This is a very strong command and really puts the women in their place. This attitude is not in line with modern marriages. Katherina delivers a long speech to the women agreeing that their husbands rein over them like Lord's and that they should "serve, love, and obey" their husbands. At the end of the speech are the famous words spoken proudly by Petruchio, "come on, and kiss me, Kate."
