Play Analysis ~ The Taming of the Shrew

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 16^th 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.