Bringing to you yet another analysis of a Shakespearean play! This time: The Taming of the Shrew. Enjoy!
At a glance, The Taming
of the Shrew may seem like a misogynistic play, but deeper in, one can see that
the play is far from being sexist. When you look into the theme of the story,
you can see that what people may mistake as being insulting was simply a
difference in the beliefs of today and the 1500s. You can also see that
Petruchio didn’t want blind obedience, but love.
To start with, Petruchio
did not “tame” Kate because she was a woman and his wife; he “tamed” her
because of her irritable personality. Kate was not an easy person to live with.
One might even say she was crazy, even going as far as binding Bianca’s hands. “His
only intention was to try and change her hostile traits.” says Eric Minton, a
play critic. Eventually, Petruchio taming Kate had a very positive effect on everyone
who was close to Kate, and in the end, Petruchio and Kate’s relationship turn
into a healthy marriage, with Petruchio smiling and saying, “Why, there’s a
wench! Come on and kiss me, Kate.” (Shakespeare 248)
To pursue this further, I
believe The Taming of the Shrew is not sexist, but that there is simply a
cultural difference. The concept of women having rights was unheard of during
the 16th century and it was a commonly accepted fact for women to be
obedient to their husbands. Surface level, it may seem terribly insulting, but
we must take into consideration that it was written in a completely different
time period.
Although there are many
who believe Taming of the Shrew to be degrading towards women, if analyzed
carefully, it is far from being misogynistic. One of the most controversial
scenes of the play is when the husbands place a bet to see which of their wives
is the most obedient. Many may believe that it is derogatory, but it can
actually be thought of as a portrayal of how much Petruchio trusts Kate. The
only reason he openly placed a bet was because he knew that Kate and himself
had grown to trust each other enough that Kate would come when he called for
her.
Therefore, I believe one
of the main points of this play was not to state that men should control women,
but that a brave, determined man can open the eyes of a woman like Kate and
show her how to love.
