"An exploration of the way Shakespeare presents Katerina in the play".
" An exploration of the way Shakespeare presents Katerina in the play" Katerina is the female protagonist of the play and to me the second most interesting character in it, next only to abominable Petruchio. The way Shakespeare presents her is very complex, entertaining and open to interpretation. She had been given many roles in the play; daughter to Baptista, sister to Bianca, fiancée and wife to Petruchio, suitor's worst nightmare, mistress to servants and of course the town Shrew.Kate is a complex character because Shakespeare had presented her so differently from other females of the period he lived in. Namely the time where a woman's highest virtues are her abilities to be obedient, placid, meek, uncomplaining, and discreet, plus their abilities in the homemaking process and those mundane things, like playing the pianoforte, painting and sewing. But Kate, as numerous others of Shakespeare's female protagonists, won't stand these stereotypical assumptions. She is of no 'gentler or milder mould' and is considered very 'froward' and compared to the 'devil' himself. She flaunts convention and isn't averse to quick thinking, wit, physical violence and strong language. Kate is a very determined character who taunts and mocks those people around her when she doesn't get her way. Shakespeare presents Kate's relationship and interaction with her family in a very steroetypical
Is it possible to stage Katherina's final speech as a suitable closure and/or does it open up further problems for the audience /actor / director?
Is it possible to stage Katherina's final speech as a suitable closure and/or does it open up further problems for the audience /actor / director? William Shakespeare's comedy, The Taming of the Shrew, centres around the marriage of two sisters: Bianca, considered the epitome of beauty and obedience, and Katherina, the 'shrew' for whom the play is named. Bianca, the younger sister, cannot marry until a husband is found for Katherina. Of course, Katherina's reputation as ' Kate the cursed' makes this rather difficult. Bianca's suitors (Lucentio and Hortensio) find someone to 'tame' Katherina -Petruchio. This sets the stage for many different interpretations of the play for the audience, including the role of Katherina and the impact of her final speech. Unlike Petruchio's character, which was dwelt on when the play was first written, Katherina's character has only recently attracted much critical attention, particularly with the development of feminism. Many modern critics might therefore concentrate on the aspects of gender and class throughout the play, especially those made in Katherina's final speech. Earlier audiences, however, may have had different views, for example many may have commented on how the scene between Christopher Sly and his attendants was not resolved or the issue of Petruchio and his wife-taming tricks towards Bianca. It is therefore advisable to take
10 things I hate about Stereotypical Femininity
0 things I hate about Stereotypical Femininity An all time favourite film is also another compliance of traditional concepts of gender. Femininity. When one hears this word what would generally spring to mind are the commonly assumed images of the classic female beauty - pretty, smiling, stereotypically beautiful and probably covered in pink. For my first and most important of 10 things I hate about stereotypical femininity - Films of today are often positioning viewers to agree to stereotypical constructions of gender, which occurs in the film 10 things I hate about you. Clichéd femininity in this film has been both adhered to and challenged through different characters in the film. My item on the list is that Bianca's character fits the mould of a traditional teenage girl beautifully. She is pretty and adored by all her peers, she is perceived to be almost untouchable as she is described by Michael, a boy at her school of lower social stance as part of the "don't even think about it" group. She is shown to be into the assumed "girly" things as she explains the difference for her love for her Prada backpack, and the like for her sketchers. The character is sweetly spoken. She never uses vile language and still refers to her father cheerfully as "daddy". My number three is that throughout the movie Bianca's attire is always suited to the occasion, and carefully put
How does each composer's use of this story reflect the time in which each was composed?
How does each composer's use of this story reflect the time in which each was composed? The story of The Taming of the Shrew is one that raises important issues both in the Shakespearean text and in the modern appropriation 10 Things I Hate About You. In both composers' use of the story, it can be seen how it reflects the time in which each was composed. In Shakespeare's time, people would go to the theatre for entertainment whereas nowadays, in a society where popular culture dominates, in order to appeal to a wider audience, The Taming of the Shrew originally an onstage play has been appropriated into the teen flick 10 Things I Hate About You. This is because when Shakespeare wrote his play the only form of entertainment to a live audience was through theatre, while 10 Things I Hate About You was composed in the 21st century when theatre was not as popular as back then. This is due to the fact society's interests and values have altered and as people often go to the cinema for escapism, The Taming of the Shrew had to be appropriated into a romantic comedy to accommodate for the audience's needs. Hence, the plot, language and social values too were changed to appeal and relate more to the modern audience. The style of language used in both texts is notably different. The Taming of the Shrew is written in 16th century English whilst 10 Things I Hate About You uses modern
Taming of the Shrew - How effective is Act 1 scene 1 in establishing the main theme and characters in the plot.
How effective is Act 1 scene 1 in establishing the main theme and characters in the plot. Shakespeare's Taming of the shrew Act 1 contains two parts, including the induction. None of Shakespeare's other plays begins with this, in which a full five-act play is performed within another play. The induction is a separate story, but shows relevance in introducing the main themes that Shakespeare uses in the rest of the play. The style of the structure is to give the reader an insight to the rest of the story, by creating a context. The induction provides themes of relationships, transformation, deception, manipulation and comedy establishing them for the rest of the play. The theme of relationship is shown through Sly and the Hostess, the Lord and Sly and the Lord and the Huntsmen. Sly and the Hostess show a relationship of conflict through power. The Hostess is wealthier but Sly feels he's higher power because he is the male. He tries to emphasise this by his language, he uses loud, aggressive, arrogant language, "The Sly's are no rouges", "Y'are a baggage..." We know he is poorly educated as he uses colloquial language and makes mistakes in his arguments, "We came in with Richard Conqueror" and "Therefore paucas pallabris, let the world slide. Sessa"! Paucas pallabris is corruption of the Spanish pocas Palabras, and Sly mixes William the Conqueror with Richard Coeur-de-lion.
Did the play had the same ending for us that it had for Shakespeare?
Did the play had the same ending for us that it had for Shakespeare? William Shakespeare was borne in the Renaissance times during Queen Elizabeth reign. During this period the concept of equality between sexes was foreign for most people and the idea of a women being the equal of a man was totally unaccepted. In "The taming of the shrew" this topic is clearly reflected in the storming relationship between Kate and Petrucio. Kate intends to be dominant and strong, but this was considered unnatural by most of the renaissance society. Nowadays, this play is read in a different way. Even though the characters are the same, the times have changed and the way that we look at things has also. Kate's struggling may seem totally natural to us and we may even get to understand her, even though her extreme methods. This play was written as a comedy, and as such, it should have a happy ending. When we get to the last words we imagine that Kate was being totally ironical in her monologue and we feel comfortable with that "happy ending", but, did Shakespeare really meant that when he wrote the play? From the first act Kate is presented to us as a "Shrew". We get to know her by her vocabulary and mostly because of the way she treats the other people, specially her sister and her father. We also know about her from what the other character comment , and the first impression we get is that
What does Shakespeare have to say about the role of women in 'The Taming Of The Shrew' and how does he present these ideas.
WHAT DOES SHAKESPEARE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN 'THE TAMING OF THE SHREW' AND HOW DOES HE PRESENT THESE IDEAS. Shakespeare's depiction of the role of women in The Taming of the Shrew, seems to seek to question the contemporary view of their position as, "I am your wife in obedience", (Induction 2, line 103) by showing that marriage can be a more evenly balanced pact. The Taming of the Shrew is complex as it is a play within a play and both are filled with deception. Shakespeare's ideas about the role of women can be viewed in a number of ways, for whilst he demonstrates that women have a less important role in society - they are seen to be there to serve men - he has made some of the female characters complex, indicating perhaps his own regard towards women, and his appreciation that they can be just as intelligent and quick-witted as men. There are five female characters in the play all of whom, to a greater or lesser degree, contribute to Shakespeare's portrayal of women in society. This is borne out by the action and the language of the first eleven lines of the play, in which the Hostess, keeper of an alehouse is called "a baggage" (Induction 1, line 3) and is treated in a derisory fashion by a tinker, a man of lower social position. Despite her standing, her only remedy to his drunken insults and the damage he has caused is to find "the thirdborough"
At the time Shakespeare wrote The Taming of the Shrew the idealistics and attitudes to not only marriage, but also women were of a whole different nature.
At the time Shakespeare wrote The Taming of the Shrew the idealistics and attitudes to not only marriage, but also women were of a whole different nature. A woman would have had to be married to someone with the same social status. The man would indeed have to be rich and offer a safe and secure future. Marriage was based around social standings, money, trade and a way to make an alliance. At the time queen Elizabeth was on the thrown and society saw that unless a man owned property he could not vote. This meant that the average man had no vote and a wife would only be another asset to his collection. Elizabethan society saw women not as a partner or friend or an equal on the contrary, a servant, a way of making money, someone to sleep with. An idealistic woman for Elizabethan times would be a woman who would honour obey serve and have dignity. A woman would not work or have a choice or opinion on finances or property or any important matters. At the time to have a wife who would not follow her husband's orders and commands was a disgrace, and an embarrassment, which is the reason Petrucio went so far to tame Kate and prove everyone wrong. A woman had to look after listen to and respect her husband. Women who were considered shrews or to have a scolding tongue, then she was considered to be the wrong material for a wife. Men would never want a woman who dared to undermine her
How does Shakespeare present relationships between men and women in 'The Taming of The Shrew'?
How does Shakespeare present relationships between men and women in 'The Taming of The Shrew'? Shakespeare uses the relationships in the play in order to express his own views of society and the roles of men and women in the Elizabethan era. Through his portrayal of the two genders in the 'the Taming of the Shrew', in particular Petruchio and Katherina, Shakespeare demonstrates the idea that men are too dominant over the female race, and that women should be given a more contributory, and equal role in society. He does not explicitly show this, because it would have been seen as too diverse for 16th Century literature, but he does show parity as an underlying opinion in the play. A common motif in the play is the idea of money and wealth. This was seen as an important factor in life decisions such as marriage, particularly for men characters because, in the Elizabethan era, they owned all of their wife's belongings, riches and earnings, if any. Consequently marrying into wealth had a key part to play in happiness. In 'the Taming of the Shrew', this is apparent through Petruchio, and his marriage to Katherina. In the play, he is challenged to 'tame' her, and agrees to it because she is 'rich enough'. Katherina is referred to as 'shrewd and froward' by the men, and is ridiculed by Hortensio who 'would not wed her for a mine of gold'; Petruchio replies 'thou know'st not
The play The Taming of the Shrew is essentially a comedy, and yet more serious questions about gender issues overshadow its comic features. Comment.
The play The Taming of the Shrew is essentially a comedy, and yet more serious questions about gender issues overshadow its comic features. Comment. In the Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare creates a troubling comedy that explores Elizabethan issues of gender. Although it is apparent that Shakespeare’s vast use of humour throughout the first 3 acts helps bring out several subtle concepts such as ‘things are not always as they seem’, multiple questions regarding gender come across more prominently and significantly as the main plot is derived from such gender issues such as what is the ideal behaviour of a woman through the theme of feminism; are females expected to subject to male dominance through the theme of patriarchy as well as which gender holds the most power in the ‘battle of the sexes’. To give a brief introduction on the comedy that Shakespeare has carefully woven through the use humour, it is important to take note as to how he employs various forms of humour such as verbal humour, slap-stick humour, witty banter as well as situational humour. The play begins with an induction in which a drunkard, Cristopher Sly, is fooled into believing he is a king as he laments “Upon my life, I am a lord indeed, And not a tinker; nor Christopher Sly” (Induction.2.70-71) and orders a play to be performed for him. Interestingly, the play he watches is what