| The Shrew Essay, Research Paper
The Taming Of The Shrew by William Shakespeare
is probably one of Shakespeare’s earliest comedies. 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 Of The Shrew. In it, a wealthy
land owner, Baptista Minola, attempts to have his two daughters married.
One is very shrewish, Katherine, while the other is the beautiful and gentle
Bianca. In order to ensure Katherine is married, Baptista disallows Bianca
to be espoused until Katherine is wed, forcing the many suitors to Bianca
to find a mate for Katherine in order for them to vie for Bianca’s love.
Many critics of the play condemn it for the blatant sexist attitude it
has toward women but closer examination of the play and the intricacies
of its structure reveal that it is not merely a story of how men should
‘put women in their place’. The play is, in fact, a comedy about an assertive
woman coping with how she is expected to act in the society of the late
sixteenth century and of how one must obey the unwritten rules of a society
to be accepted in it. Although the play ends with her outwardly conforming
to the norms of society, this is in action only, not in mind. Although
she assumes the role of the obedient wife, inwardly she still retains her
assertiveness. Most of the play’s humour comes from the way in which characters
create false realities by disguising themselves as other people, a device
first introduced in the induction. Initially this is accomplished by having
Christopher Sly believe he is someone he is not and then by having the
main play performed for him. By putting The Taming Of The Shrew in a ‘play
within a play’ structure, Shakespeare immediately lets the audience know
that the play is not real thus making all events in the play false realities.
Almost all characters in the play take on identities other than their own
at some point of time during the play. Sly as a king, Tranio as Lucentio,
Lucentio as Cambio, Hortensio as Litio and the pedant as Vicentio are all
examples of this. Another example of this is Katherine as an obedient wife.
In The Taming Of The Shrew, courtship and
marriage are not so much the result of love but rather an institution of
society that people are expected to take part in. As a result of the removal
of romance from marriage, suitors are judged, not by their love for a woman,
but by how well they can provide for her. All suitors compare the dowry
each can bring to the marriage and the one with the most to offer ‘wins’
the woman’s hand in marriage. This competition for marriage is like a game
to the characters of the play. While discussing the courtship of Bianca
with Gremio, Hortensio says “He that runs fastest gets\ The ring” (Act
I, scene i, l. 140-141) likening receiving permission to wed Bianca to
winning a race. In the game, however, women are treated like objects that
can be bought and sold rather than as human beings. This is expected since
the society is a patriarchal one. For example, Lucentio, Tranio and Petruchio
are all defined with reference to their fathers and all the elderly authority
figures, like Baptista and Vicentio, are men. The taming of Katherine is
not a women’s shrewishness being cured as much as it is a woman being taught
the rules of the ‘patriarchal game’. Katherine has learned how to be assertive
and with this knowledge is able to control men, and a woman controlling
a man is considered ‘against the rules’ of the game. The play ends with
Katherine proving that she is truly cured of her ’shrewishness’ and is
the most obedient of the three newlywed wives at the end of the play.
This is demonstrated in her soliloquy when
she lectures the other wives on the proper way in which a woman should
behave: I am ashamed that women are so simple To offer war where they should
kneel for peace, Or seek rule, supremacy, and sway, When they are bound
to serve, love, and obey. (Act V, scene ii, l. 161 – 164) Although most
critics interpret the play as being that of a woman finally acting the
way in which she is supposed to act, it is difficult to believe that a
character as vibrant and strong-willed as Katherine is changed so easily.
Following with the device of false realities that Shakespeare set in place
so early in the play, it would seem more logical that Katherine would simply
be acting the part of ‘the obedient wife’ in order to be accepted in the
society in which she lives. Katherine can ‘play a part’ very well and can
even enjoy doing it. This is shown on the road to Padua from Petruchio’s
house when Kate is forced to address Vincentio as a woman and says, “Young
budding virgin, fair and fresh and sweet” (Act IV, scene v, l. 37).
The Taming Of The Shrew is a light-hearted
comedy that is better seen than read. This is especially true since a lot
of the humour in it is physical or ’slapstick’ humour which is possible
only on stage. The complexity of the play is refreshing, as many of the
modern plays of today are quite linear and do little to keep a reader’s
attention. Another favourable aspect of it is the subplot involving Lucentio
and Bianca which lends itself as the basis for many humourous moments,
most notably between Lucentio, Hortensio and Bianca. The obvious sexist
attitude of the play does not hinder it because of the reasons stated above.
One must also take into account the attitudes of sixteenth century England
and the fact that the play is a comedy and is not meant to be taken seriously.
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