Money or Love?
Economic considerations are high for all characters involved in the play “The Taming of the Shrew”. Lucentio is only allowed to marry bianca after he proposes his father can provide a larger dowry than Hortensio’s father. When Hortensio jokes that he knows a rich shrew, Petruchio jumps at the given opportunity to woo Katherine. Petruccio swears to only marry woman with a large dowry. In what ways is money and status more important than true love? Marrying for power, land and money was of concern for most of society during this period. This era was classified the Elizabethan era. The man generally asked a woman's father for permission to court his daughter,woman possessed very little right in choosing her husband. The matrimony was arranged in order for the benefits of both sides of the family. Marriage was a simple transaction involving the transfer of money. After falling for Lucentio’s heart, Bianca is restricted permission to marry him, till Lucentio is able to convince Baptista that he is fabulously rich. Have Hortensio offered more money, Bianca would have had no choice but to marry him regardless her love for Lucentio. Many laws of this time and era disallowed woman to have the same opportunities as men. Women belonged to their fathers, and then to their husbands. If a woman came from wealth, often were allowed to marry from the starting age of 12. A reason Queen Elizabeth never married was so she wouldn't lose her power to man. Women were
All women had to have a male guardian. When she was a girl, she was under the protection and care of her father. Around the ages of fourteen or fifteen, her father would arrange for her to be married, often to man twice her age. She would then be in the custody of her husband. She was referred to as a bride until she had her first child. Then she was considered a woman. Family law was always handled by the woman’s male guardian.
Murderers, thieves, and all types of criminals - these are all unlawful and corrupt people. But what is the driving force that causes them to murder, steal, and go against the law? Some criminals are motivated to do illegal things because of their greed for money or wealth. Others do it out of revenge. Even some people are driven to do bad things because of their conceit; they just like to ‘win’ against the government. In William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio is defined and driven by many unfavourable attributes. Greediness, arrogance, and deceit, are the most prevalent negative aspects of Petruchio seen through his actions and words.
In Elizabethan Society during the time in which William Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice, many marriages were arranged by the parents of the betrothed couple to ensure the transfer of wealth as opposed to assuring true love. Once married, the woman was expected to be subservient to her husband and not control any matters of the estate. Although not necessarily written as a stance on women’s position in society, it is from this perspective that Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice laying down an underlying theme of marriage for wealth within the play. Love in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is bartered like a tradable commodity in order to gain money, status, and resources.
Marriage is presented in Shakespeare?s play The Taming of the Shrew, in a complex manner allowing readers to view the play literally as a brutal taming or ironically as a subversive manifesto. Yet, Shakespeare intends to present marriage to be full of mutual love where neither male nor female dominate but compliment each other thriving together in a loved filled relationship. The portrayal of a deep understanding, which exists in an analogical relationship and the gentle transformation, which occurs in marriage, clearly outlines marriage in the play to be a celebration of a mutual love relationship within the patriarchal foundations of society.
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
In the Middle Ages from 476 CE- 14th century almost all of the power of women was determined by biblical references. The average woman in a rural area had the duty of making clothes from wool, cleaning, cooking, and taking care of children. The women in town often were tasked in purchasing and trading goods and the normal housekeeping. In extreme cases women were known as witches. Other women became nuns and got involved in spiritual matters. In the year 1000 traditional marriage that involved getting married for financial reasons became less common. Although the parents still assisted in choosing the spouse it was becoming freer to choose who to marry. The woman was essentially owned by a male guardian almost like a child. However, if a rich widowed woman decided she did not want or have another guardian available, she was able to have her own name. During the Middle Ages many rich women were able to participate in things such as art, music or writing. It was rare for a woman not that well off to be able to purchase the tools or have the education to do art, music, or writing. All the rules developed depended on how
During the time period of the 1800s in England, not only was the economic situation different but the social norms were differently. Jane Austen depicts this greatly in her novel pride and prejudice, not only was the social classes a big deal, but the marriage between families was a bigger deal. Throughout the novel many of the characters encounter this problem of, love in marriage or money in marriage, and many of the families and females within this time period choice money in marriage. The author Jane Austen feels that the idea of marring for money rather than love is preposterous and expresses this through the character Elizabeth
Women did not have many rights at the turn of the century. What few rights and freedoms they did have were dominated by social standards. They were expected to cater to their husbands' wishes and commands. I think their society oppressed them more often than their own husbands did. A good
Under this strict system, Renaissance marriage became a "system of fair market exchange" (Matchinske 156). The husband was expected to provide economically for his wife. In turn, the wife was obligated to render herself, her chastity, her silence, and her obedience unto her husband. Because of this system of exchange, "marriages of interest became the target of severe censure at the beginning of the century as a form of legalized prostitution" (Massai 71). Fathers exchanged their daughter's virginity for family connections, sons promised security in order to win a wife, and women were transferred from one lord to another.
The relationships between servants and masters closely reflect the gender relationships in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Lucentio and Tranio's relationship as master and servant is an ideal of the Renaissance era according to "An Homily on the State of Matrimony." Tranio risks taking the place of his master because of his love for him and Lucentio always treats him with kindness and respect, almost like an equal. Though they are not involved romantically, Lucentio and Tranio fulfill these ideals better than any marriage in The Taming of the Shrew. Lucentio's relationship with Bianca reflects his role with Tranio: Bianca shows respect for Lucentio as he
William Shakespeare's comedy, The Taming of the Shrew illistrates the difficulty of trying to tame a headstrong, stubborn, and a high-spirited woman so that she will make a docile wife. The one attempting to tame Kate, the shrew, is Petruchio. They contend with each other with tremendous vitality and have a forced relationship. In contrast, there is another romantically linked couple who seemingly possess an ideal relationship. These young lovers, Bianca and Lucentio, share a love that is not grounded in reality, but in fantasy. These two sub-plot characters are stock characters and Shakespeare creates the irony of the play through the differences between the two couples. It
Marriage in William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew At the time Shakespeare wrote The Taming of the Shrew the idealistics
He states that he wants a shrewish and curst woman for a wife, but does not mention before his marriage with Katherine his eventual taming of her shrewdness. This is the cause of two things: duty and pride. It is an obvious assumption that one finds it hard to live a desired life with a mate as wild as Katherine, so in taming her, if he does so succeed, she will be like a trained dog. If you whip a ferocious dog enough, refuse it the basic necessities of living, the dog will learn to respect you out of fear and need. Petruccio has ultimate control once they return to his home. Katherine is fed, clothed, and protected by Petruccio, and he is in control of her fate, happiness, and her life. Thus, his fortune and comfort are assured.
When a woman married in the Victorian age, she did not have an independent legal status. Women also had no right to any money, including the money that she earned and worked for. She could not make a will or buy property, she had no claim to her children, and she had to move with her spouse wherever he went. If the husband died, he could name his wife as the guardian of the children, but he did not have to if he did not wish to.
With regards to The Taming of the Shrew, it can be determined that the relationship between Baptista and his daughters is built on the boundaries put in place by gender roles. This becomes apparent when, at the beginning of the play, Hortensio and Gremio confront Baptista about his intentions regarding Bianca's courtship: