I personally don’t think that this play is offensive. It is only comically portraying the role of women in Elizabethan society. Not trying to say that that is how they should be now.
I think that this play is fairly relevant to modern day society in the sense that you can see how far our country has developed in the past 400 years, and sexist everything was. Where as these days men and women have equal rights.
For us to get where we are today we needed to start somewhere. Someone's tongue was so bold as to make such strong remarks to bring about women’s independence. Kate was one of them.
At the beginning of the play Kate is known to be a ‘Curst Shrew.’ First impressions are very important. The first time someone mentions anything about what Kate is like is when Gremio says to Baptista “She’s too rough for me.” Therefore the first impressions we get of Kate, is that she’s quite rough. She them meets that impression by saying; “I pray you, Sir, is it you will to make a stale of me amongst these mates?” Even these days a young woman would not turn to her father and say, “Do you want to make me look like a laughing stock or prostitute in front of your crude friends?” This just shows that she always has something to say, or some remark or comment to make. However it means that she wouldn’t just stand there while people call her names. She had courage to do that because in those days most women wouldn’t dare to say anything in response to that.
She creates a reputation for herself right at the beginning that you learn later in the play she has had most of her life. She seems unwilling to let anything spoil her reputation; it is quite astounding how she manages to keep this up all the way through the production until act 4 scene 5 where Petruchio’s scheme to tame Kate begins to work.
Up until then everyone has seen Kate as a ‘Wicked Witch’ but not of the wrinkly kind. Just a Curst froward woman who cannot hold a conversation without making some nasty remark. All the way through the play various people say what they think of her. Hortensio refers to her as a ‘Devil’ and Tranio - “Stark Mad Wrench.”
From this it is clear to see she is not really a well liked person. To make it seem worse her sister, Bianca, is what seems to be the most perfect woman ever. She started off with 3 suitors Gremio, Hortensio and Luchentio: Who thought she was fair, virtuous, beautiful and modest. It seems impossible that any woman can be so perfect. However in Elizabethan times it was expected that women were to behave like that. Behaving like a sweet innocent girl is what made Bianca seem so attractive, Idyllic Elizabethan young woman. There are many references in the play to suggest that Bianca is what every man wants. Gremio refers to her as “Sweeter than perfume itself.” Which is just another thing to add to her list of perfections.
Once suitors had been chosen, in this case it was Luchentio and Bianca, Katherina and Petruchio, they were married soon after. Katherina and Petruchio were married within a week of knowing each other.
Form what the play is putting across; it appears that once women are married they belong to their husbands. They do as they say and agree with everything. As it is said in the marriage vows “Love, Honour, and Obey.” This
is demonstrated really well by Katherina in the final speech after she has been
tamed by Petruchio’s schemes.
If I were the directed of this play for the final speech I would have Kate walking around near Bianca and the Widow and looking at them, with them looking uneasy. Kate would also look at Petruchio admirably in the areas on the speech where she is referring to him.
There is some irony in Kate’s speech. For example where she says “A wife can be Froward, Peevish, Sullen and Sour.” These are all the things that Kate used to be. To me her speech sounds sincere. It seemed like she is trying to apologise, as well as trying to get her own back on her sister Bianca and everyone who has called her a Shrew over the years. Her reputation that we had found out about in the beginning of the play has changed. However I think that some people don’t believe that she has changed. In this speech she is proving to everyone that. She is no longer
a shrewish woman but an obedient gentle woman, who is willing to do anything for
her husband. She demonstrates this by saying;
“And place you hand below your Husbands foot.
In token of which duty, if he please,
My hand it ready, may it do him ease.”
She even refers to her husband as “Lord, life, Keeper, Head and Sovereign.” This is also what is says in the bible in Ephesians 5:24. Also she says “A woman oweth great debt to her husband.” That means that all married women owe their husbands all their love honour and obedience, because while they work hard all day in dangerous conditions, women stay warm and safe at home.
I thing that this entire speech is completely sincere. There appears to be nothing to suggest that she is making a hoax of it all. The only thing that gives you any feeling of doubt as if she is lying is that the miraculous change from a curst shrew to an idyllic Elizabethan woman is too good to be true.
I think overall that Kate is tamed. The final speech and her obedience in act 5 scene 2 proves that Petruchio’s Scheme actually worked, and that
“...Thou really hast tamed a curst shrew!”
