Master/Servant Relationship in Taming of the Shrew

This misunderstanding leads Petruchio to wring Grumio by the ears causing Grumio to plead for someone to save him. Hortensio hears the commotion in front of his door, but doesn’t mention it to either Petruchio or Grumio. Instead, he tells Petruchio of a young lady within Padua, Katherine, who Petruchio should consider courting for marriage. This behavior from Hortensio is so terrible because he is well aware of abuse Petruchio is capable of but he still sets him up with Katherine, knowing that Petruchio is likely to abuse her too. The second behavioral warning sign Petruchio shows is when arrives late to his own wedding, causing Katherine to believe she is being stood up on her wedding day. When he does finally arrive, he is dressed in ridiculous clothing with his horse lame in its hips. He is quite the spectacle to behold, much to the disappointment of Tranio and Baptista, who implore him to change into more suitable clothing. He refuses their requests and states “to me she’s married, not unto my clothes” (III.ii.119). This is the first behavioral warning sign presented by Petruchio to Baptista, showing a less charming version of him. This sharp change in

In The Taming of the Shrew, the concept of love is a means of emotional manipulation, and manipulation is nothing more than a means of control between men and women. William Shakespeare critiques the patriarchal social structure by ironically employing the manipulative stance Petruchio takes towards winning Katherine as his wife by charming her with words and manipulating her psychologically, and then taming her after their marriage through legal, physical, financial, and psychological control and manipulation. Though Petruchio may think he yields power over his wife, Katherine uses obedience as a tool of manipulation and has the control of the household, as can be seen

In the beginning, Petruchio is very honest with the audience and shares his thoughts out loud without caring what others may think. He admits that he loves money more than anything else in his life “Hortensio, peace. Thou know’st not gold’s effect./ Tell me her father’s name, and ’tis enough;/ For I will board her, though she chide as loud”(1.2.71-76.) This is why Petruchio is motivated to marry Kate which shows his selfish

“When love speaks the voice of all the gods makes heaven drowsy with the harmony,” Taming of the Shrew, Act IV, scene II.

In addition, Shakespeare intermingles the play with the idea of appearance versus reality, highlighting how truelove can exist within even the curst and is absent amongst even the most attractive. As the play progresses, we see how true this is, as Bianca and Katherina contrast one another on the interior as well, yet Katherina?s true love underneath, allows her to dwell in an effective relationship. As we know, Petruchio?s love is obvious yet Katherina?s shrewish nature masks her true love for Petruchio - proving the deceptiveness of appearances. On the other hand, even though Bianca has many desperate suitors we see how shrewish she really is as she questions, ?Am I your bird? (5.1)?. Bianca?s rhetorical question and indignant tone towards Petruchio highlights her lack of respect and her internal shrewish personality. Moreover, Bianca?s interior personality

Examine the different ways in which Shakespeare presents the attitude towards marriage in the play, ‘The Taming of the Shrew.’

The text states “...It’s cheap and nasty...Now, your gown...A sleeve? It’s like a cannon...Ah well, my Kate. We’ll go to your father’s house dressed as we are, in simple but honest clothes. Our purses shall be rich, our garments poor.” (Act 4, Scene 3, Pgs. 4-8). This illustrates Petruchio forcing Kate to wear rags to Bianca’s wedding night, humiliating her. The text states “It’s a disgrace to a man of your social position and an insult to this solemn ceremony.” (Act 3, Scene 2, Pg. 5). This illustrates that Petruchio is late to his own wedding, and is unprepared which is a disgrace to his nobleship. The quotes illustrate that Petruchio humiliates Kate purposely, in which mentally abuses Kate by breaking her shrew-like

In Act II, scene I, two marriage proposals occur that are economic. The […] emotional connect between the women and their love interest contracts made by their father” (Women and Power par.1). Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, comes searching for his fortune. His friend Hortensio tells him that he knows the right woman, but the obstacle is that she is the worst shrew. However, Petruchio does not care. He is sure that he can handle the situation, as long as she has a large dowry. Petruchio’s […] attraction for Kate and Baptista’s requirement that he woo his daughter change the nature of their relationship from a business proposal to one of attraction and, possibly, affection the relationship” (Women and Power par.1). Similarly, Baptista asserts that whoever can "assure my daughter greatest dowery / Shall have my Bianca’s love” (2.1.364-365). The oddly possessive “my Bianca’s love” highlights the patriarchal

When Shakespeare indicates how other classes react towards each other, he is not only providing something that most viewers/readers can connect with in physical situations, but he is also making the audience question themselves and their choices regarding the presented issue. The viewers have created their own interpretation on what Shakespeare is trying to communicate, thus achieving Shakespeare’s goal in writing. Creating a work that forces readers to analyze themselves also makes them think about their personalities, and in The Taming of the Shrew, many different personalities can be found. In the play we see an extremely harsh Katherine and an equally despotic Petruchio. Grumio, Petruchio’s servant, is the fool, Katherine’s sister Bianca is the beautiful mistress, and Lucentio is the man who wants to find love (The Taming of the Shrew).

Katharina is treated unkindly by many of the men in the play including Hortensio and Petruchio, but perhaps her father is the person who is most unkind to her. Baptista’s obvious lack of respect and compassion for his elder daughter becomes apparent early on in the play when, in Act 1, Scene 1, he shares with Gremio, Hortensio, Lucentio, and Tranio the fact that Katharina must have plans to marry before her younger sister Bianca can be seriously courted. In doing this, Baptista essentially offers his eldest daughter to the men, a display done with such detachment; it can only be seen as an exchange of property.

Equality can be defined as the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. In the famous play, ‘The Taming of The Shrew’, by William Shakespeare, women are not treated fairly or equally. Men have more power over them and are far more superior to them. However comparing the act to my personal experience and to historical events like slavery, one can realize that equality is not an easy opportunity to be given to someone or something. There will always be something in your way.

Petruchio, though rightfully attempting to stand as a master and man according to the homily, does not do so with his servant, Grumio, or wife, Katherine, with love and respect as it suggests. The scenes that introduce Petruchio and Lucentio begin by depicting their

A shrew is a woman who is unruly, unpleasant, and uncontrollable. In Act 1 of The Taming of the Shrew, a play by William Shakespeare, many men come to Padua seeking a wife and end up all falling for either Bianca or Katherine. Scene One opens up with Lucentio arriving in Padua to further his education and possibly find a wife with Tranio coming with him as his servant. While walking in the street, they encounter Baptista and his two daughters: Katherine and Bianca. Lucentio and Tranio eavesdrop on the conversation between Gremio, Hortensio, and Baptista.

One of the most notorious topics of interest in the works of Shakespeare is the role women receive in his plays. The way Shakespeare wrote his plays, women were very submissive to men and had no will and choice of their own. Women were extremely reliant upon the men in their lives, believing that they were inferior and thus following their desire for the women’s lives. This included that marriages were usually arranged by a powerful male, instead of giving the woman the opportunity of choosing marriage for love. It is not surprising that Shakespeare portrayed women in a way that was familiar to him and the time era in which he lived. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Taming of the Shrew, both focus on the development of love and not, with

Perhaps the theme that is most recurrent in William Shakespeare's plays is that of filial relationships, specifically the relationship between daughter and father. This particular dynamic has allowed Shakespeare to create complex female characters that come into conflict with their fathers over issues ranging from marriage to independence. At the same time, the dramatist exposes his audience to the struggles women face when attempting to assert themselves in a misogynistic world. Through the daughter-father dyads portrayed in The Taming of the Shrew and A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare highlights the effects that gender constraints have on female characters while simultaneously drawing attention to the sharp contrast between both relationships.