Gender Roles In The Taming Of The Shrew
Is Kate Truly tamed?
During Shakespearean times, gender roles were quite different from today’s roles. At that time, women were not allowed to choose their future husbands, they were expected to stay at home at all times; pleasing, making dinner for their husbands. If women did not meet these expectations, they would be tamed. In the play, The taming of the shrew, Kate does not meet these expectations and thus had to get tamed by someone, in this case it was Petruchio. But, does she really get tamed ? Through the unpacking of Kate’s final speech, the exaggeration of Kate’s loyalty to Petruchio, and the fact that she still fights back, one might argue that Kate is not truly tamed.
First, as one further analyzes Kate’s final speech, one …show more content…
When Petruchio claims that it was the moon even though it was the sun. Naturally, Kate argues that it was the sun. Petruchio was preparing to cancel his trip and go back when Hortensio tells Kate to play along with him and she did. “Forward, I pray, since we have come this far / And be it moon or sun or what you please”.(4.5.12-13). Kate finally learns and understands Petruchio and how to play along with him. By agreeing to Petruchio that it was the moon from the trouble she would have gotten through even though they she knows it is the sun. This idea is proven again when Kate compliments an old man (Vincentio) as a beautiful soft woman as suggested by Petruchio. “Young, budding, virgin, and fresh and sweet”(4.5.36) When Petruchio and Kate were on their way to Padua they meet an old man and Petruchio Compliments him as a soft woman even though he knows that he he is an old man, then he orders Kate to compliment him and she does because she already learned his game. All she has to do is to agree with him and everything goes well. After she compliments him(as a beautiful woman), Petruchio, on purpose, tries to trick her again and says that he is an old man, but she is already smart enough to know that it is a tick and says, “Pardon, old father, my mistaking eyes.” (4.5.45) Kate clearly exaggerates her actions to avoid any punishments from Petruchio, however she sometimes …show more content…
Through, how Kate is exaggerating loyalty, the way she talks in her final speech , and when she fights back, shakespeare shows us gender roles at his time, how the women were treated and how they should behave , and what happens when a woman rebel at men. In conclusion, after reading the taming of the shrew , one can argue that women at shakespearean times were tamed if they do not meet the exceptions. However, in the taming of the shrew Kate has not been
During Shakespearean times, gender roles were quite different from today’s roles. At that time, women were not allowed to choose their future husbands, they were expected to stay at home at all times; pleasing, making dinner for their husbands. If women did not meet these expectations, they would be tamed. In the play, The taming of the shrew, Kate does not meet these expectations and thus had to get tamed by someone, in this case it was Petruchio. But, does she really get tamed ? Through the unpacking of Kate’s final speech, the exaggeration of Kate’s loyalty to Petruchio, and the fact that she still fights back, one might argue that Kate is not truly tamed.
First, as one further analyzes Kate’s final speech, one …show more content…
When Petruchio claims that it was the moon even though it was the sun. Naturally, Kate argues that it was the sun. Petruchio was preparing to cancel his trip and go back when Hortensio tells Kate to play along with him and she did. “Forward, I pray, since we have come this far / And be it moon or sun or what you please”.(4.5.12-13). Kate finally learns and understands Petruchio and how to play along with him. By agreeing to Petruchio that it was the moon from the trouble she would have gotten through even though they she knows it is the sun. This idea is proven again when Kate compliments an old man (Vincentio) as a beautiful soft woman as suggested by Petruchio. “Young, budding, virgin, and fresh and sweet”(4.5.36) When Petruchio and Kate were on their way to Padua they meet an old man and Petruchio Compliments him as a soft woman even though he knows that he he is an old man, then he orders Kate to compliment him and she does because she already learned his game. All she has to do is to agree with him and everything goes well. After she compliments him(as a beautiful woman), Petruchio, on purpose, tries to trick her again and says that he is an old man, but she is already smart enough to know that it is a tick and says, “Pardon, old father, my mistaking eyes.” (4.5.45) Kate clearly exaggerates her actions to avoid any punishments from Petruchio, however she sometimes …show more content…
Through, how Kate is exaggerating loyalty, the way she talks in her final speech , and when she fights back, shakespeare shows us gender roles at his time, how the women were treated and how they should behave , and what happens when a woman rebel at men. In conclusion, after reading the taming of the shrew , one can argue that women at shakespearean times were tamed if they do not meet the exceptions. However, in the taming of the shrew Kate has not been