Relationships and marriage are examined in The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. The heroine of Their Eyes Were Watching God, and the shrew of The Taming of the Shrew deal with gender differences in marriage. The works express similar and dissimilar ideas about marriage.
In Shakespeare’s time marriage was often arranged by the parents to benefit each family with wealth or prestige. The woman would bring a dowry and become subservient to her husband because it was unheard of for a woman to provide for herself. In The Taming of the Shrew Petruchio comes to Padua to “wive and Thrive”(Shakespeare I.1.57). When Katerina’s father tells Petruchio the dowry he will offer Petruchio says,“And, …show more content…
Joe thinks, “She’s uh woman and her place is de home.”(Hurston,43) He prevents her from making speeches and interacting with the other townspeople. He strangles her individuality by asserting that, “Her hair was NOT going to show in the store.”(Hurston,55) Janie’s hair is the most important symbol of her individuality, it is her most admired feature, and it sets her apart as a mixed race woman. Petruchio threatens Katharina by saying, “It shall be moon, or star, or what I list, /Or ere I journey to your father 's house. /Go on and fetch our horses back again.”(Shakespeare,IV.5.9-11) If Katharina does not accept that the sun is the moon and anything else he says Petruchio will not take her to the wedding. By doing this he prevents her from expressing her opinions, and tries to control her as his subordinate similar to how Joe keeps Janie from expressing …show more content…
Her relationship with Tea Cake mirrors the relationships in The Taming of the Shrew where the husband protects and provides, and the wife serves and obeys. Tea Cake assures Janie that, “From now on, you gointuh eat whutever mah money can buy yuh and wear de same. When Ah ain’t got nothin’ you don’t git nothin’”(Hurston,128) Tea Cake will provide for Janie even though she has enough money to provide for herself. He fits Katerina’s description of the husband as,“Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee,/And for thy maintenance commits his body”(Shakespeare,V.2.163-164). Tea Cake beats Janie once in order to dispel his jealousy and Janie let him because she is loyal and obedient to him. Tea Cake explains to his friend that, “Janie is wherever Ah wants her to be. Dat’s de kind uh wife she is and Ah love her for it.”(Hurston,148) After having to shoot a rabies crazed Tea Cake,“Janie held his head tightly to her breast and wept and thanked him wordlessly for giving her the chance for loving service.”(Hurston,184) Janie is happy to serve Tea Cake because she loves him and wants to give as much to him as he gives to her. Janie obeys her husband for drastically different reasons than Katharina. While going to Katharina’s sister’s wedding Petruchio refuses to go unless Katharina accept everything he says no matter how untrue.Hortensio advices Katherina to,“Say as he says, or we shall never
In Shakespeare’s time marriage was often arranged by the parents to benefit each family with wealth or prestige. The woman would bring a dowry and become subservient to her husband because it was unheard of for a woman to provide for herself. In The Taming of the Shrew Petruchio comes to Padua to “wive and Thrive”(Shakespeare I.1.57). When Katerina’s father tells Petruchio the dowry he will offer Petruchio says,“And, …show more content…
Joe thinks, “She’s uh woman and her place is de home.”(Hurston,43) He prevents her from making speeches and interacting with the other townspeople. He strangles her individuality by asserting that, “Her hair was NOT going to show in the store.”(Hurston,55) Janie’s hair is the most important symbol of her individuality, it is her most admired feature, and it sets her apart as a mixed race woman. Petruchio threatens Katharina by saying, “It shall be moon, or star, or what I list, /Or ere I journey to your father 's house. /Go on and fetch our horses back again.”(Shakespeare,IV.5.9-11) If Katharina does not accept that the sun is the moon and anything else he says Petruchio will not take her to the wedding. By doing this he prevents her from expressing her opinions, and tries to control her as his subordinate similar to how Joe keeps Janie from expressing …show more content…
Her relationship with Tea Cake mirrors the relationships in The Taming of the Shrew where the husband protects and provides, and the wife serves and obeys. Tea Cake assures Janie that, “From now on, you gointuh eat whutever mah money can buy yuh and wear de same. When Ah ain’t got nothin’ you don’t git nothin’”(Hurston,128) Tea Cake will provide for Janie even though she has enough money to provide for herself. He fits Katerina’s description of the husband as,“Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee,/And for thy maintenance commits his body”(Shakespeare,V.2.163-164). Tea Cake beats Janie once in order to dispel his jealousy and Janie let him because she is loyal and obedient to him. Tea Cake explains to his friend that, “Janie is wherever Ah wants her to be. Dat’s de kind uh wife she is and Ah love her for it.”(Hurston,148) After having to shoot a rabies crazed Tea Cake,“Janie held his head tightly to her breast and wept and thanked him wordlessly for giving her the chance for loving service.”(Hurston,184) Janie is happy to serve Tea Cake because she loves him and wants to give as much to him as he gives to her. Janie obeys her husband for drastically different reasons than Katharina. While going to Katharina’s sister’s wedding Petruchio refuses to go unless Katharina accept everything he says no matter how untrue.Hortensio advices Katherina to,“Say as he says, or we shall never