Katharina in Taming of the Shrew Essay

“The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare, is a very notorious play that has been rewritten and turned into multiple Hollywood films. One very popular version of the famous play is the movie directed by Mr. Franco Zeffirelli. Although most think that this version is the most accurate representation of the original play, there are still many distinct differences.

The Katherina that gives the final speech in The Taming of the Shrew is quite a departure from the Katherina we were introduced to in Act I. This new Kate is modest, quiet and obedient. All of these qualities were not present until Act V. Such a profound personality change prompts the questions how this happened and what purpose do her changes serve?

Comparing Shakespeare’s Katharina, of The Taming of the Shrew and Beatrice, of Much Ado About Nothing

Katherina may be a shrew, but Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew does not truly show a study of how a selfish, spoilt individual is made to conform to society’s expectations, or be tamed into a ‘proper’ woman. At the end of the play, Katherina is not, necessarily, tamed - she just realizes what she must to do in order to get the things she wants. Two main examples of her submitting to Petruchio in order to achieve her desires are in Act 4, scene 5, (the sun versus moon scene) as well as Act 5, scene 2 (the kiss me kate scene and her final monologue).

The historical and cultural contexts of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew (TTS) and the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You (10TIH) differ exceptionally, resulting in the film’s expression of values unlike those expressed in Shakespeare’s original text. Shakespeare’s play was written during the Elizabethan era, during which the belief that men were superior to women was prevalent. This concept is centralised in TTS, through incorporation of a disputably misogynistic tone and the dominance of men consequently forcing Katherina into marriage and submission. In contrast, 10TIH, a modern film appropriation of TTS, largely challenges the values of Shakespeare’s play. It presents to

The Taming of the Shrew, written by William Shakespeare, is historical proof that flirting and temptation, relating to the opposite sex, has been around since the earliest of times. Because males and females continue to interact, the complications in this play remain as relevant and humorous today as they did to Elizabethan audiences. This is a very fun play, full of comedy and sexual remarks. It's lasting impression imprints itself into the minds of its readers, for it is an unforgettable story of sex, flirting, and happiness. The Taming of the Shrew remains as relevant today because of its relation to the age-old story of the battle of the sexes and dynamics of marriage, as well as the woman's struggle with both of these.

The rhetoric appeal of ethos appears here as Katharina calls out the other wives on their rudeness and attitude; “Come, come, you forward and unable worms! My mind hath been has big as one of yours, my heart as great, my reason haply more,” (5.2.34-36) Katharina is explaining that she was once just like Bianca and the widow, but is no more. She has changed into a woman who respects and obeys her husband’s every command, as she realizes that in this metaphor, “But now I see our lances are but straw” (5.2.38) that no matter what she complains about, it would be pointless. Her anger is as strong as a straw compared to her gracious and loving lord who cares for her every wish. She understands that Petruchio is the one in charge.

In the play Taming of the Shrew, written by William Shakespeare, many characters are reshaped and given new personality traits. Petruchio is known as being a cocky man who intends to help tame a shrewish young lady named Kate. There are many critics that believe Petruchio is solely obnoxious and a bully but through out his interactions with Kate it is shown that he truly cares about the well being of others. Of course at the beginning of Petruchio’s plan to tame a young lady he is acting off of his confidence and trying to impress those around him but this soon changes once he begins to interact with Kate. Petruchio proves that his ways have changed and he is only taming Kate to make her feel better about herself, “Petruchio uses psychological methods, not aggressive or barbaric ones, to tame Kate, which alls her to still be witty and intellectual, but also happily married, at the end of the play”(Natale,98). Petruchio truly believes that by taming Kate he is preforming a good deed and helping her accept herself in this process.

In this respect, the play is a typical romantic comedy. However, unlike other Shakespearean comedies, The Taming of the Shrew does not conclude its examination of love and marriage with the wedding. Rather, it offers a significant glimpse into the future lives of married couples, one that serves to round out its exploration of the social dimension of love. Unlike in Romeo and Juliet, inner emotional desire plays only a secondary role in The Taming of the Shrew’s exploration of love. Instead, The Taming of the Shrew emphasizes the economic aspects of marriage; specifically, how economic considerations determine who marries whom. The play tends to explore romantic relationships from a social perspective, addressing the institutions of courtship and marriage rather than the inner passions of lovers. Moreover, the play focuses on how courtship affects not just the lovers themselves, but also their parents, their servants, and their

The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's most famous plays, and has weathered well into our modern era. For all the praises it has garnered throughout the centuries, it is curious to note that many have considered it to be one of his most controversial in his treatment of women. The "taming" of Katherine has been contended as being excessively cruel by many writers and critics of the modern era. George Bernard Shaw himself pressed for its banning during the 19th century. The subservience of Katherine has been labeled as barbaric, antiquated, and generally demeaning. The play centers on her and her lack of suitors. It establishes in the first act her shrewish demeanor and its repercussions on her family. It is only with the introduction of the witty Petruchio as her suitor, that one begins to see an evolution in her character. Through an elaborate charade of humiliating behavior, Petruchio humbles her and by the end

Since the beginning of time, the representations of identities have been controlled by the powerful and influential people of the era. From the late 1500s and early 1600s to the eclectic 21st century, female identity has been subtly morphed in order to conform to the expectations of men. Consequently, the two differing texts, The Taming of the Shrew, by the esteemed writer William Shakespeare, and Wesley Enoch’s contemporary, Australian indigenous play, The Story of the Miracles at Cookie’s Table, both powerfully portray this reality through character development and context of the texts. A play within a play, the complex plot of The Taming of the Shrew follows the sharp-tongued Katherina and the hot-tempered Petruchio and their battle of wits, as he attempts to tame Katherina’s shrewish ways and mould her to become a submissive, obedient wife. Comparatively, centring around the symbolic family heirloom, Cookie’s table, The Story of the Miracles at Cookie’s

The reason why I think too much tameness can hurt people is because people can think you don’t want them over. For example, the quote up above, you can tell that Zoe wanted to leave. I think it was because Henry was so tame it seem like he didn’t even want Zoe over. Too much tameness can’t hurt animals mentally, and physically. For example, if Zoe had been tame towards the cat, the cat would have never accepted her into her life. Zoe wasn’t tame and was wild towards the cat and never gave up. If you were tame the first time you begged the cat, you would’ve gave up. Animals need someone to take care of them. If it wasn’t Zoe’s wildness the cat could’ve died. Therefore, too much tameness can hurt people, and

Also, Katherine herself apprehended the error of her ways, making the women feel sheltered and making the men feel self-assured about their dominant position in society. The audience presumably went home contented, because such a shrew was tamed, and could be tamed so well. Katherine’s soliloquy reinforced the moral values of the Elizabethan era, making the conclusion of the play more enjoyable and entertaining. The final scene of The Taming of the Shrew shows ”the triumph of the unconventional over the conventional”, it shows that Katherina and Petruchio’s marriage, which has started rather unconventionally, seems to have better chances of being a happy. Shakespeare speaks out in clearly favors of the unconventional concept of love present in the relationship between Petruchio and

What is a shrew? How would you tame one? A shrew is a nasty and unmannerly woman, and if you need to tame one just look at Petruchio. He tamed a shrew that he just married so he could get even richer than he already was. He tamed her by starving her, depriving her of sleep, and making her agree with crazy things. You can’t just tame someone that like if you have the feelings of a normal human being. In a play called Taming of the Shrew Petruchio tamed Kate by doing three things being rude, speaking his mind, and being tough.

In The Little Prince written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry the term “taming” simply means creating friendships between you and someone else, choosing someone to be there by your side out of a group of others. First off, a scene that supports this claim is when the fox asks the little prince to tame him and explains that in taming, people do not understand how “one day is different from the other days” (61). This leads to the conclusion that taming means creating a bond with someone, and you will realize that someone is different from others. Another scene in the book that leads to the conclusion of what taming means is when the little prince says “there's a flower… I think she's tamed me” (59). This helps understand the meaning of taming because