Essay on The Taming of the Shrew; Is Kate Tamed - 755 Words

Katherina may be a shrew, but Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew does not truly show a study of how a selfish, spoilt individual is made to conform to society’s expectations, or be tamed into a ‘proper’ woman. At the end of the play, Katherina is not, necessarily, tamed - she just realizes what she must to do in order to get the things she wants. Two main examples of her submitting to Petruchio in order to achieve her desires are in Act 4, scene 5, (the sun versus moon scene) as well as Act 5, scene 2 (the kiss me kate scene and her final monologue). In Act 4, scene 5, the audience is shown a major part of Petruchio’s ‘taming’ process. Petruchio exclaims: â€Å"Good Lord, how bright and goodly shines the moon!† (iv, v, line 3, page 185).†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"What, in the midst of the street? / †¦ / No, sir God forbid, be ashamed to kiss.† (v, ii, line 148, 149, page 205). Again, she is threatened with having to return home instead of joining in the festivities, and Kate gives Petruchio a kiss. This obedient kiss may indicate Petruchio’s power over her, but it was clear to Kate that if she did not give him the kiss he asked for, she would not have been allowed to proceed to the wedding feast. Kate is smart and cunning and she manipulated his yearn for her tameness in order to do everything that she wants to while making him happy and pleased. In addition, Kate’s final monologue, also in Act 5, scene 2, tells the audience a lot; about the play itself, as well as the society in Shakespeare’s era. On face value, Kate’s final monologue seems to be a long lecture about serving your husband, no questions asked. â€Å"Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot, / And place your hands below your husband’s foot† (v, ii, lines 92-3, page 221). However, Shakespeare gave Kate the last word in the play, a sign of her consistent power and control. As w ell, her monologue can be perceived as quite ironic. Kate is aware of the beliefs about how women in the household should act and, as clearly portrayed throughout the entire play, the role Petruchio has been trying to get her to fill. By playing along fullheartedly with society’s expectations, in front of the large audience of guests, Kate becomes â€Å"truly tamed† - or just incrediblyShow MoreRelatedThe Different Ways to Tame a Shrew in Kiss Me Kate and The Taming of the Shrew 1192 Words   |  5 PagesThere is not only one method to tame a shrew and the movies Kiss Me Kate and The Taming of the Shrew prove that this is true. The question is, which method is more effective, and which method truly succeeds in taming the shrew. To decide which method is the better of the two, the audience has to look deeper into the methods of Fred and Petruchio. They must study the approach of each of the tamers by deciding whether their approach is physical or psychological, honest or deceitful. They must alsoRead MoreTaming Of The Shrew By William Shakespeare1671 Words   |  7 PagesKatherina from Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew displays the distinct characteristics which allow her to be placed among the sinners in the Inferno. Kate’s tragic flaw of being the shrew in the play means she personifies anger. Her anger is clearly seen at the beginning of the play, but appears to lessen during the remaining acts. On the surface it can be easy to conclude that Kate is a shrew no more and her marriage has tamed her. Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew contains clues which can concludeRead MoreShakespeares Presentation of the Female Character in the Taming of the Shrew1503 Words   |  7 PagesShakespeares Presentation of the Female Character in the Taming of the Shrew Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew explores the role of women in Elizabethan times. Shakespeare uses many themes and imagery in the play and this essay intends to explore how Shakespeare presents the female character in the Taming of the Shrew. The Elizabethans believed that a peaceful and tamed house wife was a good wife. This view is supported by The goodie and the Baddie an ElizabethanRead MoreThemes in Taming of the Shrew1433 Words   |  6 PagesThe Taming of the Shrew is a comedy written in the early 1590’s by William Shakespeare. This play within a play starts when a powerful lord plays a prank on a poor, drunken man named Christopher Sly. The lord convinces the poor man that he is actually a lord himself and that the troop of actors that have arrived are there to perform a play for him. This play that the troop of actors performs is the story of Petruchio, who wants to marry for money, and Katherina, the shrew. The two actually marryRead MoreSexism in Shakespeares The Taming of the Shrew 726 Words   |  3 Pages How would you feel if you were thought as incompetent towards the other sex? The play, â€Å"The Taming of the Shrew,† by William Shakespeare leans towards a sexist viewpoint. It was written in the 1500’s, a time where women were seen as property to men. Many other Shakespearean plays were also considered sex ist, because Shakespeare writes all of his plays around the central story of a man, and a woman’s relationship. It was rare that anyone during this time period was not sexist because thisRead MoreAnalysis Of Katherina In The Taming Of The Shrew801 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Taming of the Shrew†, has without a doubt concentrated on the taming of the plays fundamental character, Katherina. With the Renaissance move towards logic and reason, civilizing citizens is a noteworthy concern in Shakespeares play. Katherinas human advancement along these lines comes to fill in as a model not just for the other ladies of the play, but also the audience (Detmer, 275). The play turns into a model for investigating Renaissance changes in the society concerning sexual orientationRead MoreGender Essentialism : Katherine s Transformation1735 Words   |  7 PagesEssentialism: Katherine s Transformation in William Shakespeare s Taming Of The Shrew Feminist and cultural historians have convincingly demonstrated that rebellious women were a concern for englishmen during the late sixteenth centuries (Detmer 273). The idea of â€Å"taming† a women is one that men can find useful, though women can also benefit from. Katherine cynically conforms to expectation, and in doing so displays how The Taming of the Shrew is a critique on gender essentialism. The Oxford EnglishRead MoreScolding Brides And Bridling Scolds : Taming The Woman s Unruly Member920 Words   |  4 PagesIn Scolding Brides and Bridling Scolds: Taming the Woman s Unruly Member, Lynda Boose explains that when Kate puts her hand under Petruchio s boot it is part of the ceremonial custom when a bride was offered a share of property by her intended husband, but also a physical representation of the marriage vow to love, honor, and obey (182-183). Brides were increasingly indisposed to perform this part of the ceremony is apparent from all kinds of invented fumbli ng at the altar, for example droppingRead MoreThe Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare1321 Words   |  5 Pageswill go to great lengths to achieve another’s love. From youth we have been showered with tales of true love’s kiss and of Prince Charming breaking the Evil Queen’s curse. Time and again, we are made to see the power of love. In the play, â€Å"The Taming of the Shrew† by William Shakespeare, the renowned playwright takes love deeper than just passion. Shakespeare goes under the surface of love, all the way to its core. The story truly begins as Baptista Minola’s two daughters are readied for marriage: BiancaRead MoreWilliam Shakespeares Taming of the Shrew William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, The Taming of1100 Words   |  5 Pages William Shakespeares Taming of the Shrew William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, The Taming of the Shrew, is an embodiment of the context in which the text was shaped, the Renaissance. The Renaissance period was a time of progression, primarily in the areas of art, science, humanism, religion and self-awareness. The Renaissance focused on taking elements of the past including religion, art and science and adapting them to make them better. Humanists advocated for the freedom of the individuals