What do you consider to be the main reasons for Kate’s shrewish behaviour at the beginning of the play, and how far do you believe Kate’s position in the family and in her society to be responsible?
The Taming Of The Shrew Assignment What do you consider to be the main reasons for Kate's shrewish behaviour at the beginning of the play, and how far do you believe Kate's position in the family and in her society to be responsible? 'The Taming of the Shrew' is principally about the power of men over women in Elizabethan society, Kate is a prime example of this. Kate is born of a wealthy family; Baptista her father is a successful merchant. As with most well-off families Kate is totally dependant on her father. As Kate's father Baptista also has the legal power to dispose of his daughter how he wishes. This means Baptista has the legal authority to dictate who Kate might marry without taking any of her own opinions into consideration. Although this may appear harsh, there is little Kate can do about it; she is trapped. Kate cannot withdraw from her father's will as she will have no one to depend on. Kate's only way of escaping dependency on her father is to marry; her dependency will then be on her husband. According to Baptista's legal rights it is then perfectly acceptable for him to decree that Kate must be married as was conventional before Bianca. This way it gets Kate off his hands and out of the house. Secondly it is more likely that those looking to marry Bianca will work to find a partner for Kate. From an Elizabethan view this was quite acceptable to expect
What aspects of 'The Taming of the Shrew' identify the play as a comedy?
What aspects of 'The Taming of the Shrew' identify the play as a comedy? Shakespeare's plays are divided into four main sections: the Histories, the Tragedies, the Comedies, and the Romances. 'The Taming of the Shrew' falls under the category of Comedy, for it consists of mistaken identity, slapstick characters, drunken behaviour, and ends with (multiple) marriages, a staple of his comedies. His work has been produced since the Renaissance in all artistic mediums from the original theatre to opera, symphony, film, and ballet. Shakespeare is well-known for his melodramatic plays about marriage and life during the 16th and 17th centuries, and there are many parallels between his plays and Italian scenarios, e.g. 'Romeo and Juliet' is a portrayal of the relationship and marriage of Anthony and Cleopatra. This is common of Shakespeare to adapt real-life marriages and present them in a different perspective in his plays. There are many parallels between his plays and Italian scenarios. As an Elizabethan play writer, commenting on feminist issues of this period, his play 'The Taming of the Shrew' portrayed the life of feminist women in the late 16th, early 17th century, and their cynical and dismissive views concerning marriage. In this romantic comedy, the play's protagonist, and antagonist, Katherina, is presented as a staunch feminist who opposes the moral elements of marriage,
Explore Shakespeare's presentation of Katherina and Petruchio's wedding and the preparations for it. What do these scenes reveal about the Elizabethan society?
Explore Shakespeare's presentation of Katherina and Petruchio's wedding and the preparations for it. What do these scenes reveal about the Elizabethan society? 'woo this wildcat?' (1) Nobody in their right minds at the beginning of the play would ever consider wooing Katherina 'the cursed' (1); she is outspoken, quick-tempered and violent; she despises men and threatens them, unlike any other woman in the Elizabethan period. This ghastly 'shrew' (1) is tamed by her husband who is considered more vulgar then Katherina herself, and is determined to put this 'simple' (1) woman back in her place, to become how all women should be-nothing more than 'goods' (1). The anticipation builds up in act 2 scene 1 where the hostile pair meet and entertain their audience with quick-witted sexual innuendo. However the plot climaxes in act 3 scene 2, where the embarrassment of the wedding takes place, and poor 'bonny Kate' (1) is thrown into this whirlpool of humiliation and despair. These dramatic and eccentric scenes show us the values and customs of Elizabethan marriages and society's impact on their lives. Furthermore Shakespeare has cleverly placed these scenes in the centre of the plot so that he can show us not only the characters before marriage, but after, allowing us to experience how an unstable marriage survives in an era which a modern audience would find very interesting.
The Taming ofthe Shrew
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW Can the shrew of Act 1, credibly be tamed into the loyal wife of Act 5? How does Shakespeare make the transformation of Katherina believable? How could language and staging be used to convey this? The Taming of the Shrew is a play that is written by William Shakespeare and that is set in the 16th century. At the beginning of the play is an Induction where we get told how wives should act with their husband. We get told that wives should carry out anything their husband commands and they should obey them. They should be dutiful, humble and faithful to their husbands. Katherina does not display any of these traits. She is rude, disobedient, temperamental and shrewish. Throughout the play, many of the characters know of her as this but they wonder whether it is because she wants to be like this or whether there is a reason behind it. It does not seem believable that a person could change from being so shrewish to such a tamed woman and so we wonder whether she had merely been looking for a way out. Many of the characters know of her as shrewish and classify her as being shrewish and she gets called many things. Some of the things she gets called are a "fiend of horror", a "curst" and a "wildcat." These things show her nature clearly. We are also told that she has an "impatient devilish spirit" and that she has a "scolding tongue." The
How is the character of Petruchio presented by Shakespeare in The Taming of the Shrew?
How is the character of Petruchio presented by Shakespeare in The Taming of the Shrew? In addition to being the title of one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies, The Taming of the Shrew was also the self appointed role and paramount purpose of one of it's main characters, Petruchio. Shakespeare presents this central character in a variety of ways and care must be taken so that early unfavourable impressions of Petruchio may not be misleading. What did Shakespeare want his audience to think about this 'apparent' fortune hunter? Is this man from Verona a heartless tyrant or just a strongly masculine figure, confident but perceptive, who has met his equal in the feisty Katherina? The plot has been revealed in Scene 1 for Bianca's would-be suitors to find a husband for Katherina. Petruchio is introduced in Act 1 Scene 2, in a humorous way. Upon arriving at the house of his friend Hortensio, he orders his servant Grumio to knock the door. His servant makes great jest using a pun on the word 'knock' (which also means to hit someone), deliberately misinterpreting his master. This angers Petruchio who becomes impatient and wrings his ears causing Hortensio to intervene to calm the situation. Shakespeare gives an immediate impression of Petruchio as someone who is impatient and doesn't suffer fools gladly. He will not hold back but strikes out when riled. Petruchio
How does Katherina in 'The Taming Of The Shrew' change and develop as the play progresses?
Ryan Pow How does Katherina in 'The Taming Of The Shrew' change and develop as the play progresses? In this essay I am going to be studying the character of Katherina from William Shakespeare's play 'The Taming Of The Shrew'. Katherina is a fiery, bad-tempered, violent 'shrew' that nobody likes. Men are petrified of her! Her sister Bianca has a great number of suitors and all the male attention. This includes her father who clearly favours Bianca. We first meet Kate in Act one, Scene one, L.50-54. Her father states that no one shall marry his youngest daughter (Bianca) until he finds a husband for Kate. 'To cart her rather! She's too rough for me.' Says Gremio, L.55, in response to Baptista's suggestion about finding a suitor for Kate, L.48-54. This obviously shows he doesn't like her much if he feels she should be treated like a prostitute, Hortensio then says, L.59-60, 'No mates for you unless you were of a gentler milder mould.' Obviously Gremio isn't the only one who believes she is too 'rough'. Katherina then speaks and we begin to understand why these men aren't too fond of her temper. '...to comb your noddle with a three-legg'd stool and paint your face and use you like a fool.' (L.64-65) She says she is going to hit him on the head with a stool and paint his face with blood. She is living up to her reputation! It seems first impressions aren't in Kate's
Examine the ways in which Shakespeare presents issues of marriage and relationships, with particular reference to Katherina and Petruchio in
Examine the ways in which Shakespeare presents issues of marriage and relationships, with particular reference to Katherina and Petruchio in "The Taming of the Shrew" What did marriage mean to people in Shakespeare's time and how does it contrast with marriage today? Getting married in modern times is not something which is viewed as necessary. There are many couples that are together, but do not want to marry, because they do not feel they have to. Couples that do, can have a marriage almost anywhere they choose. Couples can marry in houses, shopping centres and even petrol stations. Anywhere you can get a marriage licence and a vicar, is seen as a place fit to hold a wedding these days. In "The Taming of the Shrew" however, marriage was seen as something of a necessity. It was a very important stage in life, but a stage in which love was not seen as a key or important ingredient. Women were sold off to the highest bidder and became the husband's property to do with as he saw fit. This is shown in "The Taming of the Shrew" when Petruchio says: "I will be master of what is mine own. She is my goods, my chattels, she is my house, my household stuff, my field, my barn, my horse, my everything." This proves that women were seen as nothing but pieces of meat. Marriage was almost compulsory and if a lady were not married by the time she reached the right age, she would be seen
What aspects of 'The Taming of the Shrew' identify the play as a comedy?
Patrick Johnson, 11KO What aspects of 'The Taming of the Shrew' identify the play as a comedy? 'The Taming of the Shrew', written by William Shakespeare between 1589 and 1594, is a romantic comedy set in the Italian city of Padua. Since the play was written, the audience's idea of comedy has changed quite dramatically. In the fifteen hundreds, an audience would have enjoyed obvious, visual aspects of comedy such as we would see in a modern-day pantomime, whereas an audience watching the play today would also enjoy less obvious aspects such as sarcasm, irony and dry humour. Shakespeare, although aware of Queen Elizabeth's position as a strong and independent woman, also had to fulfil the expectations of the time. This is why the 'feminist' of the play comes out 'Tamed' at the end. Women were expected to be obedient to men, whether husband, father or elder, in the same way as commoners were subservient to the King and aristocracy, a model of society often referred to as the Great Chain of Being. This hierarchy supported belief in the Divine Right of Kings and, similarly, in man's superiority to woman. The fact that the play is set in Italy further strengthens the link with the Italian tradition of Commedia dell'Arte, one of the major influences on modern pantomime. The subject of 'The Taming of the Shrew' - who shall have sovereignty in marriage - is also part of a long and
“Women’s Roles Have Changed So Much Since Shakespheare Wrote ‘the Taming of the Shrew’ That It Is No Longer Dramatically Interesting To a Modern Audience.”
Women's roles have changed these past four hundred or so years - it's a fact. Women can now vote in an election; own their own land; marry whomever they wish (depending on religion); eat, drink and sleep when they wish; go out when they wish; they can be educated in the same subjects as boys; they can wear what they like, and even have sex with who they like (again - depending on religion). In Elizabethan times, when Shakespeare put pen to paper to write The Taming of the Shrew, women were forbidden to do most, if not all these things. From birth, they didn't have a 'father' so much, but an 'owner', and when it was time for the 'father' to marry off his daughter, she then became the 'property' of the husband. The woman forfeited all dowries unto her husband, and she would never have been allowed to own anything. Although we in modern society like to imagine equality in life, there is always the hidden truth. There are many critics who say that life is not equal amongst the sexes, but more of an inequality now - against the men. There is the ever-so repeated story of the males being deprived of their rights when, for example women seem to get priority in court during divorce cases when it comes to custody. Although granted the majority of child killers and paedophiles are male, this does not mean that all men are guilty. A more recent example of this is with Millie (Amanda)
"Katherina and Petruchio's marriage is stronger and more exciting than any other in the play. Though the shrew may be tamed, she is certainly not defeated". Do you agree with this viewof the play?
"Katherina and Petruchio's marriage is stronger and more exciting than any other in the play. Though the shrew may be tamed, she is certainly not defeated". Do you agree with this view of the play? In 'Taming of the Shrew', Shakespeare is stressing whether marriages that have been arranged by parents are deemed to fall apart or make a marriage stronger as time goes on. Shakespeare also contends with the flaws in the dealings of marriage. Shakespeare puts an emphasis on the errors in the marriages set up by parents, which are often set up for their personal gain. Relationships in Shakespeare's time differed from ours today. In Shakespeare's time weddings were arranged by the parents, and often occurred when a reasonable amount of money was offered for a woman, also known as dowry as well of this a good parenthood and family name was important. The father's views on a suitor were also very important but not the feelings of the women that were being given away. This issue that this play covers is what brings the play into modern day terms, in some countries in the world this is still the way that marriage is arranged. Islamic views on marriage are consistent with the views of the characters in 'Taming of the Shrew'. This view can bring up the views and rights of women in all countries. 'Taming of the Shrew' offers a look into different relationships. This is accomplished through