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ii., 164). This could be taken literally and superficially as a direct commentary on the place of women in marriage and in society, or it could be that Katherine is simply going along wt things for now, either as a part of a plan with Petrcuhio (the couple wins quite a lot of money for her obedience), of for her own motives. Like Sly, she sees no reason to disturb things when all is generally well, but is likely in far more control than it may appear.
This interpretation is, of course, only one possibility, and it is not the one that Franco Zeffirelli went with when he directed Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in a famous film version of the Taming of the Shrew. In the "wooing" scene, for instance, though Katherine (Taylor) delivers nearly as good as she gets throughout, she is quite obviously made the weaker of the two characters, as her frantic feeling marks her clearly as the prey. Pertuchio's calm perseverance in pursuing her stands in a sharp contrast to...
This is especially noticeable when he uses a rope to swing across to a high loft where Katehrine has fled for safety; she shrieks and reacts in surprise as he calmly climbs the rope and sings across the open space, crashing into a railing without so much as a grunt while she screams and runs down the hall (Zeffirelli). Though Pertuchio must end up with the upper hand in this scene -- that is the way it's scripted -- there was a definite choice made here to make Katherine seem weaker, and a different interpretation of the script would lead to very different action.
In her essay "The London Scene: The City and the Court," Anne Barton reflects that Shakespeare's plays demonstrated a "lack of social detail" and biting edge when compared to other playwrights of his time (Barton 127). While this might be true, it might also be possible that we must simply look deeper at his works to find his subtle social commentaries. Though his views on women as they are expressed in this play are by no means certain, or even necessarily reflective of his views on women overall, the potential for various interpretations certainly exists. This is part of what continues to make Shakespeare and the Taming of the Shrew so popular.
Works Cited
Barton, Anne. "The London Scene: The City and the Court." The Cambridge
Companion to Shakespeare. New York: Cambridge University Press 2001.
Evans, G. Blakemore and M. Tobin, eds. The Riverside Shakespeare. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. In the Riverside Shakespeare.
Works Cited
Barton, Anne. "The London Scene: The City and the Court." The Cambridge
Companion to Shakespeare. New York: Cambridge University Press 2001.
Evans, G. Blakemore and M. Tobin, eds. The Riverside Shakespeare. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. In the Riverside Shakespeare.
Taming Comedy is a vehicle for satire, and satire is a means by which to convey social commentary. In The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare uses the medium of comedy to transmit potent yet socially subversive ideas related to gender roles and norms. Cloaked in the ascription to patriarchy, The Taming of the Shrew instead describes the ridiculousness of gender inequity. Shakespeare's commitment to farce and satire are evident in the
Taming of the shrew is one of the most memorable and prominent Shakespearean comedies. It revolves around patriarchic themes such as taming of wild woman, a man's domineering character, female subjugation etc. But while many critics feel that the play chronicles the domination process in a marriage where Petruchio, the male lead finally overpowers his wild and aggressive wife, Katherine Minola, closer analysis of the play reveals that this is
" (Act II, Scene I, Lines 339-340). He tells them: "Tis deeds must win the prize; and he of both That can assure my daughter greatest dower Shall have my Bianca's love." (Act II, Scene I, Lines 356-358) Gremmie and Tranio (Lucentio) proclaim their wealth and Gremmie is "…out-vied." (Act II, Scene I, Line 398). Baptist accepts Tranio's (Lucenio's) offer provided his father, Vincentio, can assure that if he dies before his father Bianca
Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare. Specifically, it will show how the play demonstrates the comedic aspect of thematic concern with love and beauty. In Shakespearean Comedy, a shallow, often narcissistic type of love at the start is not only grounded too heavily in "beauty" of the conventional sort, but also leads to a mistaken notion of what beauty really is. LOVE AND BEAUTY IN "TAMING OF THE SHREW" Taming
Pretending to do her will in everything and to seek only her absolute contentment, Petruchio exercises Kate's patience by letting her famish and by depriving her of sleep, under the pretense that the food is not good enough for her and the bed not well made. He then calls the tailor over, offering her beautiful and costly attires with which he again finds fault and consequently refuses to buy
Shakespeare's play's Taming of the Shrew female lead, Katherine by answering the question that whether she was eventually tamed or not. The Works Cited four sources in MLA format. Character Analysis of Katherine Taming The Shrew by William Shakespeare is a comedy play tactfully and purposely divided into five entertaining acts (Plot Structure). The induction highlights the possible reasons for the play's existence followed by an introduction all the characters playing