Does the taming of the shrew show an abuse of women where Kate has been brainwashed or does Shakespeare show the audience something different?
Feminism: the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of equality of sexes. A message that must be one the key factors in the taming of the shrew.
Shakespeare introduces us to two very different characters, Bianca, the gentle 'mild mould' of the perfect woman. And on the other hand Kate, the vicious shrew who thinks of no one but herself. We are lead to believe by Shakespeare that Kate is all that is wrong with women. 'And make her bear the penance of her tongue' This gives us the impression that women are not allowed to speak there mind, and should be more like Bianca who talks, when told to and obeys to men's rules. Women were portrayed to follow and obey, so Shakespeare's introduction of Kate makes her a strong character even more so along side Bianca. Who is seen as a perfect role model of what women are meant to be. Shakespeare adds these two strong characters into the play as it allows the audience to see the message Shakespeare is giving out, a lot stronger than if he used two characters with the same personality. However, why is man the one to say what is right and wrong? After all we all have the right to speak and voice our opinion, and Kate does that. 'From all such devils, good lord deliver us!' Tranio here is saying how much of a problem Kate would be and that she is some sort of devil, all this as she voices her opinion. But who is to say Bianca doesn't have the same thoughts as Kate, just because Bianca fails to voice her thoughts does not make her perfect. 'But in the others silence do I see maids mild behaviour and sobriety' this is lucentio talking about how much more subtle Bianca is and how more peaceful his life would be with a women who will bow to his every word. Therefore his view backs the fact that a man in the 16th century would total dominate women. And the most attractive feature about women that a man finds attractive is silence. One thing to take into account is how you look at Kate, when written back in 1590s Shakespeare portrays women as how they were meant to be viewed upon then. However we base her character on how women act today. So does that actually make her a shrew?
Feminism: the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of equality of sexes. A message that must be one the key factors in the taming of the shrew.
Shakespeare introduces us to two very different characters, Bianca, the gentle 'mild mould' of the perfect woman. And on the other hand Kate, the vicious shrew who thinks of no one but herself. We are lead to believe by Shakespeare that Kate is all that is wrong with women. 'And make her bear the penance of her tongue' This gives us the impression that women are not allowed to speak there mind, and should be more like Bianca who talks, when told to and obeys to men's rules. Women were portrayed to follow and obey, so Shakespeare's introduction of Kate makes her a strong character even more so along side Bianca. Who is seen as a perfect role model of what women are meant to be. Shakespeare adds these two strong characters into the play as it allows the audience to see the message Shakespeare is giving out, a lot stronger than if he used two characters with the same personality. However, why is man the one to say what is right and wrong? After all we all have the right to speak and voice our opinion, and Kate does that. 'From all such devils, good lord deliver us!' Tranio here is saying how much of a problem Kate would be and that she is some sort of devil, all this as she voices her opinion. But who is to say Bianca doesn't have the same thoughts as Kate, just because Bianca fails to voice her thoughts does not make her perfect. 'But in the others silence do I see maids mild behaviour and sobriety' this is lucentio talking about how much more subtle Bianca is and how more peaceful his life would be with a women who will bow to his every word. Therefore his view backs the fact that a man in the 16th century would total dominate women. And the most attractive feature about women that a man finds attractive is silence. One thing to take into account is how you look at Kate, when written back in 1590s Shakespeare portrays women as how they were meant to be viewed upon then. However we base her character on how women act today. So does that actually make her a shrew?
