Sexism in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew

In essence, all Petruchio did was teach Kate not to be so brash and rebellious. He showed her how awful her actions looked, and on her own, she made the decision to change her demeanor. She could have remained bitter and feisty, but it would have been in vain, and I believe that she realized that her actions had been no worse than the vanity and shallowness she witnessed in the people of Padua.

“What, in the midst of the street? / … / No, sir God forbid, be ashamed to kiss.” (v, ii, line 148, 149, page 205). Again, she is threatened with having to return home instead of joining in the festivities, and Kate gives Petruchio a kiss. This obedient kiss may indicate Petruchio’s power over her, but it was clear to Kate that if she did not give him the kiss he asked for, she would not have been allowed to proceed to the wedding feast. Kate is smart and cunning and she manipulated his yearn for her tameness in order to do everything that she wants to while making him happy and pleased.

Throughout the Elizabethan era, men had more advantages than women. William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew has characters such as Petruchio, Baptista, Katherine, and Bianca that show how men overpowered women. During the Elizabethan era, there was heavy sexism. Women were discriminated. Through Shakespeare’s language, men could speak to and about women in a disrespectful and derogatory manner. Women were voiceless and deprived of their right to speak. Women were inferior to men. During the Elizabethan era, through Shakespeare’s language, and in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, it is proven that men had more advantages than women.

Some critics and other readers of Shakespeare's plays argue that he treats women with disrespect. However, he actually treats them with a great amount of respect. Shakespeare has been criticized by many modern writers for his portrayal of women.

Kate is equal to Petruchio linguistically which also displays an aspect of her character, that she feels that she is easily the equal of any man. During their first exchange, Petruchio immediately sets about Kate, that he will, 'woo her with some spirit when she comes,' and that he will describe her as the opposite of everything she is in order to confuse her and break her down. In Petruchio's first exchange with Kate, it is clearly he who comes off better, immediately setting about her with short witty lines, and puns, 'for dainties are all Kates.' This gives the effect if making Petruchio seem very confident and sure of himself, if he begins his taming with such good humour and interest.

The Taming Of The Shrew by William Shakespeare is an introduction in the everpresent battle of women to be loving and caring wives, while at the same time holding on to our independence. Its plot is derived from the popular 'war of the sexes' theme in which males and females are pitted against one another for dominance in marriage. The play begins with an induction in which a drunkard, Christopher Sly, is fooled into believing he is a king and has a play performed for him. The play he watches is what constitutes the main body of The Taming OfThe Shrew.

As mentioned above, Katherine was the elderly daughter of a wealthy merchant, who was known throughout the city of Padua for her scolding tongue and her fiery tempered attitude. Most men had excluded her when suggestions arrived in terms of marriage. Due to this situation, Katherine had set her mind to not getting married at all. “Good, Morning Kate, said Petruchio, as the haughty lady swept in. ‘my name is Katherine’, she pouted. ‘No is isn’t, you are called plain Kate and Bonny Kate and sometimes Kate the wild cat . . . . But I think you are the prettiest Kate in Christendom- gentle, beautiful, modest and kind. Yes I’ve heard all about you, and I’ve come to ask you to be my wife’. She slapped his face” (page 3) .This quote gives details in how arrogant Kate is towards Petruchio. It is known to be very disrespectful manners to answer back to an opposite gender, but slapping someone who has come to ask for your hand is revolting. But poor Katherine doesn’t remain in this high position throughout the novel. As soon as she and Petruchio are wedded she experiences many changes within her and around her.” All her life she had had everything she wanted. Now,

The dehumanization of women should not be shown in a play because it is against the common morals of today’s society. In The Taming of the Shrew, the objectification of women is shown

Throughout the play, Petruchio’s behavior illustrates his chauvinistic mindset to force Katharina into obedience. After the wedding ceremony, Petruchio wants to head home with Kate while she disagrees and he says “I will be master of what is mine own:/She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house,/My household stuff, my field, my barn,/My horse, my ox, my ass, my any thing;” (Shakespeare 52). Instead of treating her like a human being, he speaks of her as if she is an object that he owns and controls. Also, when the newly married couple prepare to leave for Baptista’s house, Petruchio claims that the time is different from what it actually is and when Kate argues, he states, “Look, what I speak, or do, or think to do,/You are still crossing it. Sirs, let ’t alone:/I will not go to-day; and ere I do,/It shall be what o’clock I say it is” (Shakespeare 69). Petruchio is basically saying that the only opinion

“How would a modern audience view this play in a different way to an audience in Shakespeare’s time, particularly in relation to the role and status of women and attitudes to marriage and courtship?

As the play continues, we learn even more about Kate. For example, when Kate and Petruchio go back to Baptista’s, Kate begins to see how Petruchio operates. She learns that if she does what Petruchio says, even if she knows it is not true, she will get something she wants out of it, like going back to her father’s house. Petruchio test Kate when they meet the real Vincentio on the road and he asks Kate if she has ever seen a finer young women. Knowing what he is up to, Kate shows her amazing wit and decides to play his game. She has figured out that Petruchio has a method to his madness and if she plays her cards right, their relationship can be a partnership with a series of actions and rewards.

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

Battle of the Sexes would have been another appropriate title for this play because the entire play is women verses men, men verses women. This battle of the sexes shows no boundaries between the rich and poor, young or old, man or women. The basis of all the rivalry stems from the fact that the men in this play look at the women as if they were objects, instead of human beings with feelings. This theory that women are merely objects creates an environment that the women have to adapt to and survive in and the environment of a person will depict what he or she will become, resulting in a battle between the sexes.

In The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare reveals the flaws in gender and class roles by pointing out the flaws in when women always listen to men. For everyone that has strict parents or been in a relationship you understand these examples, the man(dad) is the boss, the women obey the man, and class roles are determined by society. Shakespeare challenges through many situations, the class and gender roles that are determined by society.

During the play Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare, Petruchio is a very intriguing character. One of the more notable things he does in the play is ‘tame’ Katerina. However while the play is called “taming” of the shrew, I believe his intentions are to have a loving relationship with his spouse. However I don't believe that was the case the whole time! Petruchio originally did not have feelings for Kate because he claims during the beginning of the play that he travelled to Pertua to marry a woman with a rich father. Whilst attempting to tame her he claims he is enjoying doing so, I believe that he is enjoying because he is getting to spend time with her, while falling in love with her and not even realizing it. After Petruchio has starved her and deprived her of sleep as well as other things, he makes a real attempt to be nice to Katherine and I believe that's what really tamed her. Overall I believe Petruchio’s original intentions were to use Katherine and marry her for her wealth. But over time he began to fall deeply in love with her. We see this by Petruchio putting a great amount of effort into his attempt at taming Katherine. We see this during his thoughts and speech about marriage and happiness. And lastly, we see this through his flirty and affectionate gesture towards Kate. Through these things I believe that Petruchio as well as the audience learn a valuable lesson about love, you cannot force it.