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Women In The Taming Of The Shrew

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Taming of the Shrew Essay
In the Elizabethan Era, a shrew meant a woman who was ill-tempered, assertive, unpleasant, and was generally far from the ideal woman. Katherine Minola in William Shakespeare’s play, The Taming of the Shrew, is a headstrong, outspoken woman who is condemned for being a shrew by the residents of Padua. In Shakespeare’s time, the ideal woman was to be submissive, obedient, and silent - unlike Katherine whose fiery temper makes her seem undesirable, despite the fact that she is beautiful and wealthy. Bianca, Katherine’s younger sister, however, seems to fit the criteria for the perfect woman, and is sweet-tempered and innocent, thus, adored by all. Katherine and Bianca seem to be complete opposites, but Bianca is …show more content…

When Baptista tells Hortensio and Gremio that they can marry Katherine if they want, Hortensio remarks that no one, especially not him, will marry her. As a result, Katherine is offended and insults Hortensio instead of ignoring the comment. She states “... 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.” (I.i.64-66). In response to Hortensio’s rude comment, Katherine states that that the only thing related to him that she would care for is to hit him on the head with a stool and humiliate him. This causes Hortensio to call her a devil because she is rude and violent, defying the set social standards for women. Unlike Katherine, Bianca is silent and submissive. She obeys her father’s every command and does not speak unless she is directly spoken to. When Katherine insults Bianca after Baptista tells Bianca she should go inside, and he will always love her no matter what, Bianca tries to calm Katherine down and obeys her father without objection. Bianca states, “Sister, content you in my discontent.-/ Sir, to your pleasure humbly I subscribe”(I.i.81-82). Though Katherine has insulted her, Bianca does not try to respond back harshly and instead …show more content…

For instance, in Act I, Bianca submits to her father and says that she will do as he says, using her books, instruments, and studies to be comforted. However, in Act III, Bianca seems to disregard what she had earlier told her father, and instead of being educated by her tutors, and telling Lucentio that she does not want to deceive her father by associating with him like this, she tells him that although she does not trust him, he should not give up in his plan to woo her. When she tells Lucentio,“ In time I may believe, yet I mistrust,”(III.i.54) she is indicating that she is wary of him, but given more time, she may return Lucentio’s love for her. Furthermore, in Act IV, Scene ii, Bianca and Lucentio are flirting and they share a kiss that Hortensio sees, causing him to view Bianca as unworthy and shrewish. As a result of what he sees, he tells Tranio disguised as Lucentio, “Here is my hand and I firmly vow/Never to woo her more, but do forswear her/As one unworthy of all the former favors/That I have fondly flattered [her] withal ”(IV.ii.28-31). Hortensio sees how Bianca continues to deceive her father and love a man who he presumes is of the lower class under the guise of studying, something that a woman of her social class should not do. As a

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