...Katherina – Shrew or Not So Shrew? According to Merriam-Webster (n.d.), a shrew can be defined as an unpleasant, bad-tempered woman. From the moment we are introduced to Katherina in Act I, Scene I, we see that she lives up to her reputation as a shrew through her exchange of words with her father when two suitors, Gremio and Hortensio, come to call upon Bianca for their wife. Baptista tells the two gentlemen not to look at his youngest daughter, before he has a husband for his elder daughter. He asks the gentlemen if either of them love Katherina. Gremio states “To cart her rather. She’s too rough for me.” (Shakespeare, trans. 2009, 1.1.55-56). Katherina sharply responds to her father: “I pray you, sir, it is your will to make a stale of me amongst these mates?” (Shakespeare, trans. 2009, 1.1.57-58). Hortensio responds by stating; “Mates, maid? How mean you that? No mates for you unless you were of gentler, milder mold.” (Shakespeare, trans. 2009, 1.1.59-60). Kate quickly responds to his harsh criticism by stating “I’faith sir, you shall never need to fear; iwis it is not halfway to her heart. But if it were, doubt not her care should be to comb your noddle with a three-legged stool and paint your face, and use you like a fool.” (Shakespeare, trans. 2009, 1.1.60-65), and in the movie throws a stool down at him. This is our first indication that Katherina is not the usual woman of this time period. As the play and movie progresses, we see that Katherina is a very...
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...Marriages in “Taming of the Shrew” Charles Clay English 142 In the movie “The Taming of the Shrew” there were two main relationships. One is similar of today’s marriage and the other represented the marriage back in Queen Elizabeth’s time. The “shrew” was named Katharina (also known as Kate) played by Elizabeth Taylor, was a woman that was angry about anything. She was jealous of her sister because she found love and it seemed that she will never. Her sister, Bianca, played by Natasha Payne, was a kind quiet woman. She didn’t have as much anger in her as her sister had. Bianca and Lucentio, played by Michael York, were not in the film as much as Kate and Petuchio, played by Richard Burton. The main couple, Kate and Petuchio, showed what that time was about. Even though Bainca and Lucentio were hardly seen in the play I knew that their marriage was more related to this day and age. Petruchio and Kate had an arranged marriage. Kate did not want to get married. Petruchio made a deal with Kate’s father. In exchange he would receive gold as a payment to get married to Kate. No one even Kate’s father believed a man would marry her. She wasn’t obedient and she would gladly tell you how she feels. She seemed violent as well. Kate was first introduced in the play hating her sister and beating her. She was upset that her sister found love and she hasn’t even came close to love. Petruchio saw an opportunity when he walked into their home. He made a deal with the father. Once...
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...Smith is agreeable because of the reason that when authors are writing their novels they always have a deeper and more significant meaning added to it to provide a lasting thought or idea that could be impactful to someones life in the future. Two works of literature that support this quote by Logan Pearsall Smith is The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker. Both works of literature use the literary element of theme in their stories that help support the quote by Smith. In the play The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, he uses the literary element of theme to help support the quote. One theme in particular that Shakespeare uses in his play is the transformation of characters throughout the story. For example, the quote from act five, scene two, “Now, fair befal thee, good Petruchio! The wager thou hast won; and I will add Unto their losses twenty thousand crowns; Another dowry to another daughter, For she is changed, as she had never been” by Babtista clearly illustrates how the theme of disguises is being used by the playwriter. Baptista describes Kate's outward transformation from shrew to ideal wife as though the change in his daughter's behavior is so dramatic that she is unrecognizable. We are reminded of the fact that Baptista never really knew his daughter, which doesn’t place him in a position to judge her change of attitude and personality. His inability to look beyond appearances leaves him open...
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...The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy play that was written by William Shakespeare in the fifteen hundreds. The play was written by a man’s perspective in a stereotypical way that would make any women that spoke their mind seem immoral. Katherine Mineola is the main character in the play, and she is a shrew because of her sharp words. Katherine is intelligent and is not afraid to express her thoughts and feelings. Although, Katherine is seen as a shrew in the play it also shows Kate’s perspective of men and she demonstrates to be very intelligent. Katherine does not fit the role status of an upper middle class women in the fifteenth century that is husband pleasing. Unlike, her sister Bianca she proves to stand up for what she feels is wrong...
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...comedy flows from an old society to the green world in response to a recognizable central conflict created by the power holding characters of the play. Once in the green world, there is a lack of societal rules and the conflict can resolve leading to the formation of a new society, indicated by some kind of party or festival (Frye 163). Frye further explains that this structural component of comedy is the origin of comedic form. At first William Shakespeare’s play, The Taming of the Shrew seems to have a clear message that the green world theory does not define the structure of the play and that Petruchio tames Katherine. While this could be an interpretation of the play, I find it unlikely that this is the case. The analysis of the film, 10 Things I Hate About You, opens the door visually to see the green world theory in action, which allows the reader to appreciate The Taming of the Shrew as a comedy as well as reinterpret its conclusion. The green world theory is the structural backbone of The Taming of the Shrew, and commands that Katherine and Petruchio change over the course of the play and ultimately both are tamed. The green world theory can be seen in 10 Things by analyzing Frye’s key elements of comedy, such as form, character type, and repetition. The movie opens in an old society where Kat and Bianca’s father, who plays the role of the senex (as Frye suggests, a character in charge of the plays society) and strictly controls the environment in a way that is not fitting...
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...BBC adaptation of ‘Taming of the Shrew’ Sally Wainwright’s updated adaptation of this classic Shakespeare play was ingeniously done from beginning to end, reflecting the significant social change brought about by a new surge of feminism. Although it has been significantly modernised to assimilate the modern audience of the twenty-first century, it still keeps the authenticity of the original play so Shakespeare lovers are able to enjoy it as well as a new, younger generation. When adapting classic plays to appeal to a modern audience, things can quite often go wrong and come across as clichéd, however in the ‘Taming of the Shrew’ it was expertly done. Wainwright managed to capture the true spirit of Shakespeare’s original play effortlessly, including plenty of dramatic scenes throughout leaving the audience feeling sufficiently satisfied. One scene in particular which stood out for me was the honeymoon scene where Kate is stranded with Petruchio in a secluded villa right out in the countryside. The mix of sexual tension between Kate and Petruchio plus the frustration and anger creates a very heated atmosphere as well as a strong and powerful scene as the audience sees Kate’s façade beginning to falter as her truer feelings towards Petruchio start to show. The dark lighting and orange and red tones help aid this scene, enhancing the passion between the two and enabling the audience to feel the sexual desire. Widely loved actress Shirley Henderson, known to many as Moaning...
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...The main character of the play's name is kathrine. Katherine is said to the the ‘shrew’ in the title of the play ‘The Taming of the Shrew’. Shakespeare defines a shrew as a woman who is very outspoken, and in that time period women were not allowed to be outspoken. When relating to a woman being called a shrew is viewed as negative. If you were called a shrew people looked down upon you. ‘Shrews’ were usually extremely open and public when expressing what or how they felt, they said anything they wanted to. It was almost unheard of for a woman to be outspoken especially in this time era. Renaissance society highly disapproved of women who were like that. During that time only men were allowed to express what they felt, to say anything they wanted, to be expressive. In ‘The Taming of the Shrew’, the main character Katherine, is an especially terrible shrew. The words she used were harsh and degrading, and her actions were violent. Katherine was a highly abusive woman. Nobody liked her. No one approved of her being a woman and being outspoken and rude. The problem of the play was finding someone to ‘tame’ her, except nobody wanted to. Nobody wanted to go near her or deal with her that is until...
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...history depending on when it is written and leafing through pages of even a fictional story gives us ripe and supple knowledge of how maybe life would be at that given time. William Shakespeare, an author most high schoolers dread and professors squeal upon, allows us a glimpse of what life would be like in his time through his numerous plays. In a specific comedy, The Taming of the Shrew, he paints out a portrait of what love, marriage and the treatment of women were like in the Elizabethan period. There have been thousands of readings of this play, reproductions, analyzations and even controversy...
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...Kayla Malone K. Hamilton AP Language 3 November 2014 Roles in a Marriage among Different Cultures Why would Lucentio want to marry a woman he has only seen? Why would Petruchio want to marry a shrew? What would old Gremio want to do with the young Bianca? When reading the Taming of the Shrew, it is fundamental to consider the time period and culture in which the play is written. In modern society, in contrast to Shakespeare’s time, marriage comes about when two individuals become attracted to each other and decide for themselves that they will wed, start a family, build a home, ECT. During the Elizabethan Era, marriage was prepared as a business agreement, first determined by a person’s social standing, second by the arrangement and agreement between the parents, including the dowry that would be presented, and third by courtship, or the actual development of the relationship....
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...in order to strengthen their values. In Taming of the Shrew Shakespeare uses dark satire to point out flaws in the system. Katarina’s suffering may not seem funny, but it certainly begged to be thought about. In Shakespearean times, women lacked a true voice; especially in the matter of marriage. Unions were forged based on dowries and social class rather than free will. Most marriages were not for love at all, but a political move. It has been done for ages, marrying off daughters to unite kingdoms and restore alliances. Petruchio, a parody of himself, left a lasting impression, “I have thrust myself into this maze, Haply to wive and thrive as best I may”. Petruchio doesn’t bother to hide his ambitions, he is ready to tell anyone and everyone what he thinks. His loud opinion does not comfort Katarina, she knows at once what he is trying to do and puts up a fight. In the beginning she is portrayed as callous, rude, and...
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...Equality can be defined as the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. There is much in literature, film, and in reality that tells us equality is not an easy opportunity to be given to someone or something. Katharina, the protagonist in the play The Taming of The Shrew, was not treated fairly and was controlled by her husband Petruchio. Even back in the days, when slavery was a thing, slaves were denied access to freedom, did not have much opportunities, and did not have their own rights. My personal experience is yet another example of not being treated fairly. I was picked on based upon my race and skin colour. Despite best efforts, equality can be difficult to achieve. In the Shakespearean play, ‘The Taming of The...
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...Taming of The Shrew is still very popular in today's world in many different theatres all over. This is a Shakespeare play that many people enjoy in the theatre. In a lot of ways people can connect with characters from Taming of the Shrew. They can put themselves in their shoes because of experiences that they have had in their lives. It is also very popular because it shows all of the typical stereotypes of men and women and the play is a comedy that is supposed to make you laugh. One reason that the play is so popular around the globe is because of the relations audiences can make with the characters. People in the audience can look back in their lives and see if the ever did some of the things that Bianca, Petruchio, or any other characters...
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...The Biggest Shrew of All Little did people know, William Shakespeare was a mastermind of his time. A man that has created countless works of literature that are still being read, but not given nearly enough credit they deserve. Shakespeare’s plays have gone down in history along side him. We recognize Shakespeare’s work and appreciate it for something not only educational but inspiring. One of Shakespeare’s plays that has been reenacted on multiple occasions, and is amazing to read in the comedy sense: The Taming of the Shrew. “The Shrew,” being the whole purpose of the play. A shrew is a simple yet strong term that in this play, describes three foolish people: Katherina, Bianca, and Petruchio. Katherina, daughter of Baptista Minola, is...
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...What is a shrew? A shrew is a bad tempered or aggressively assertive woman. An example of a shrew is Kate, from William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. This intriguing play leans towards the idea that men should control and overpower their wives. Petruchio expressed his like for her and his desire to meet her by saying “Now, by the world, it is a lusty wench. I love her ten times more than e’er I did. Oh, how I long to have some chat with her” (Shakespeare 88). However, when women are taught to obey men, it restricts them. Men controlling their wives often leads to marital problems and complications. If you were to control everybody, you would most likely feel like you have the upperhand, and you’d abuse the power you have, which is what...
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...A real depiction of life is what William Shakespeare dimonstartated in the Taming of the Shrew. This book shows a women with her guard up and the fight a guy has to go through to truly become one with her. To gain access to a barricaded heart there are many methods tried some normal and many questionable. Life isn’t perfect and there will be ups and downs, it's all about finding the balance between independence and influence. Independence is good for a person to a point. The point in which it doesn’t become such a positive thing is when emotions are blocked thus preventing people from being able to grow close. This is the point that Kate has reached “Of all thy suitors, here I charge thee, tell whom thou lovest best: see thou dissemble not.” (Shakespeare 28). Kate was upset with the fact that her sister was the center of attention. Living in the shadow of her younger sister had taken a toll on her self-esteem but this shows that she isn’t totally blocked up. She wants to keep her sister out of trouble and help her but it still pains her. A life of small but tragic events caused her walls to be build, a wall put up as protection are tough to break down for anyone....
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