The status of women and gender roles during the place and time of these plays affected the characterizations of these characters. Women were treated like objects, looks determined whether or not someone was desirable and males were portrayed as more dominant. During this time, women…
Eric Minton’s thesis is accurate in his essay “Who is the Misogynist Monster: Petruchio, Shakespeare, or You?” because it mentions Taming of the Shrew as not being misogynist, and Petruchio and Kate having a stable relationship. Minton indicates that the play is not misogynist because of how Kate is able to be assertive and insulting. In Taming of the Shrew, Katherine says, “If I be waspish, best beware my sting” (II.i.208). Katherine is insulting Petruchio in this scene and shows how Shakespeare did not play her as a damsel in distress but as a strong, independent woman.…
The Taming of the Shrew, a movie based on the play by William Shakespeare, is the story of Katherine, the eldest daughter of Señior Baptista. It is the story of her change in character when she met Petruchio, who would later marry her. Katherine, in the beginning of the story, was a shrew, or an unpleasant, bad tempered woman. She was angry because her father only wanted to get her married so that he could marry Bianca, the calmer of the two. Her conflicting emotions on whether to get married because she wanted to or not to get married to prove a point caused her to become angry and bitter, making many people want to avoid her rather than tame her.…
Women’s roles have changed throughout time. In Shakespearean time women were supposed to stay at home, care for the house and their husbands, while today women have free will and can choose who they want to be. This concept is seen in Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You through the character change in Katherine. In Taming of the Shrew, Katherine is defiant and refuses to obey anyone’s orders in the beginning. It is not until she is tortured that she becomes the “perfect” woman.…
In The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare is mocking and questioning society; this can be seen through the actions of Petruchio, Bianca’s transition and Katherina’s taming. First off, the idea that Shakespeare is questioning societal norms in The Taming of the Shrew is illustrated through Petruchio’s actions. Gremio and Hortensio have just been informed that in order to marry…
In this The Taming of the Shrew passage I will be focussing on how the style contributes to the dramatic effect of the play, how the passage impacts the play and its audience, and how it contributes to the larger themes within the play. The purpose of scene 2 as a whole is to introduce Petruchio and put in motion Petruchio’s pursual of Katherine. In this passage we see Gremio and Grumio supporting but also questioning Petruchio’s decision in pursuing Kate. And the audience can foresee that this pursual will most likely result in conflict, as Katherine is considered an anti-social shrewish character.…
Treatment of Women in “Othello” and “Trifles” Throughout history the handling of women has evolved. From the Victorian Era to the latter half of the nineteenth century many authors have championed the unfair treatment of women in books, poetry, short stories, and plays; however two authors have penned works worthy of comparison. In “Othello,” a maiden marries for love; however she is ultimately the fatal victim of her love. On the other hand, in the play “Trifles,” the downtrodden Minnie murders her abusive husband. Both Shakespeare’s “Othello” and Glaspell’s “Trifles” present the theme of patriarchal dominance through female characters who exemplify submission, victimization, and veiled strengths.…
Women are supposed to take on a nurturing role. They are expected to care for the children and household. Often when a gender tries to step out of their given box they are criticized for this. These gender roles are commonly referred to today. The Taming of the Shrew speaks of these gender roles that are…
Feminism in Fifth Business and Hamlet The current society has various perspectives of women both negative and positive. Moreover, literature exemplifies the different role of women comparing the roles of ancient and modern women. These comparisons have one thing in common, and that is the multifaceted roles of women in the ancient and modern society. This comparison is evident in two works of literature centuries apart; Fifth Business by Robert Davies and Hamlet by William Shakespeare.…
In Taming of the Shrew, William Shakespeare explores the themes of dominance and power through Petruchio and Katherine’s relationship. Katherine’s fiery personality and lack of patience causes many conflicts to occur between her and other characters; when Petruchio and Kate first meet, Katherine’s insults don’t faze him and he actually accepts the verbal duel. The wordplay of this passage contains a hidden sense of power and control which establishes Petruchio with the upper hand by his manipulation of Kate’s sharp-tongue insults into sexual innuendo. The animal imagery provides insight into Petruchio’s intention to tame Katherine and foreshadows her submission. Moreover, the physical threat made by Petruchio is an act of superiority.…
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare is about a woman named Katherine, who is dubbed a shrew. Katherine has a sister named Bianca and everyone wants to marry her, but Katherine has to get married first before she can. Petruchio, a greedy and self-centered man, volunteered to tame Katherine's turbulent personality and marry her. Katherine, throughout her relationship with Petruchio, is truly tamed. Katherine’s father, Baptista, gave Petruchio permission to marry her.…
Imagine a society where the only purpose of women is to be wives and bear progenies. That’s primeval Athens, where females are seen as the property of men. However, the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, projects the opposite notion, which is uncommon because the play was written in the 16th century. In the play, a young Athenian woman, Hermia, disagrees to marry Demetrius, the man of her father’s choice. Hermia is depicted as having dominance through her bold actions that go against her father’s authority.…
129-31) Kate is the first one to come showing her submission to Petruchio. A wife who is a shrew will over power the man which is looked down upon in the age of renaissance. Petruchio essentially tortures his wife to create a calm loving wife. This way he will have all the power without a boisterous women fighting him making her position more powerful. Torvald’s pet nicknames demonstrates that his view of his wife is a diminutive and powerless figure; what he sees as a good wife, one who is serving him.…
Comedic Devices in The Taming of the Shrew The Taming of the Shrew is a romantic comedy that takes place in Padua, Italy, which was a prominent city-state during the Renaissance. The story revolves around two characters named Katherine and Petruchio who get married in a week’s time. In the play, The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare, plot development relies upon the use of comedic devices as the characters all do crazy things, like pretending to be tutors in order to woo a lover, or being absurdly unreasonable in order to tam a hot-tempered wife. The induction shows the beginning of the play where a drunk named Sly fell asleep and was found by a rich lord named Lord.…
Euripides 's Medea is an overly dramatized anti-feminist play that borders on portraying prejudices against women as outlandish comedy. To modern readers like the ones in our Gender and Sexuality class at Lick, Medea can come across as comic, but this reaction does not mean that our society is “post-sexist”; there are definitely still many people who agree with the prejudices the play presents. But although Medea can come across as stereotypical in that Medea is the overly-emotional woman and Jason is the overly-logical man, the ancient play still exposes gender roles in a way that is recognizable today; we laugh at the ridiculousness because we are still familiar with such absurd sexism in modern society. Medea’s responses to Jason’s actions…