In "Other Men Are Thorn," Mahadeviyakka 's perception of men are scarred by her experience with her abusive ex-husband; this poem clearly demonstrates her distrust and resentment of men. In Taming of the Shrew, Katherina Minola is married to Petruchio, a manipulative fortune-hungry man. Throughout their marriage, Petruchio uses methods of torture (sleep deprivation, starvation,etc.) on Katherina in an attempt to make her submissive and adopts the behaviour similar to an abusive lover.This interaction causes Katherina to change herself and her perception of men to be more aligned with the poet. By comparing Katherina’s experience to Mahadeviyakka’s experience, we are able to see the underlying theme of abuse towards women to gain control and
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This idea can be exemplified by Petruchio. Without even meeting Katherine, her reputation as a shrew attracted Petruchio, claiming that he “hear[s] no harm”(182) and takes on the challenge of marrying her as one of his many quests. He has heard “lions roar”(195) and “heard the sea… with winds, rage like an angry boar chafed with sweat,”(197) therefore isn’t threatened by some woman. In this scene, his use of animal imagery indicates his intention to tame her with forceful measures as someone might tame a lion or any other wild animal. At their wedding, he uses a scare tactic by loudly proclaiming her as his property in front of her family to isolate her and by not allowing her to eat or sleep, he introduces begging into Katherina’s life. In other words, humiliation is used to 'tame’ Kate. Simultaneously, he uses love as an excuse to cause harm and force her into being the ideal wife he wants (worshipping him). Likewise, he beats his servants in front of Kate over the smallest mistakes as a way to show his violent spirit causing Kate to become more sympathetic towards the servant and frightened by her husband; he showcases his strength as a warning of his dominance to Kate. These characteristics are in line with the abusive husband archetype. At the same time, she is slowly coming to realization that Petruchio is trying to make a "puppet of" (106) her, thus becoming more wary of him. However, she still expresses her disdain of her lack of choices and is outspoken against his attempts to control her at this
This idea can be exemplified by Petruchio. Without even meeting Katherine, her reputation as a shrew attracted Petruchio, claiming that he “hear[s] no harm”(182) and takes on the challenge of marrying her as one of his many quests. He has heard “lions roar”(195) and “heard the sea… with winds, rage like an angry boar chafed with sweat,”(197) therefore isn’t threatened by some woman. In this scene, his use of animal imagery indicates his intention to tame her with forceful measures as someone might tame a lion or any other wild animal. At their wedding, he uses a scare tactic by loudly proclaiming her as his property in front of her family to isolate her and by not allowing her to eat or sleep, he introduces begging into Katherina’s life. In other words, humiliation is used to 'tame’ Kate. Simultaneously, he uses love as an excuse to cause harm and force her into being the ideal wife he wants (worshipping him). Likewise, he beats his servants in front of Kate over the smallest mistakes as a way to show his violent spirit causing Kate to become more sympathetic towards the servant and frightened by her husband; he showcases his strength as a warning of his dominance to Kate. These characteristics are in line with the abusive husband archetype. At the same time, she is slowly coming to realization that Petruchio is trying to make a "puppet of" (106) her, thus becoming more wary of him. However, she still expresses her disdain of her lack of choices and is outspoken against his attempts to control her at this