Taming Of The Shrew Gender Essay

Gender is a social construct, as in what is considered normal for each gender is determined by society, not nature. Thus, it is not strange to say that it is performed by both men and women. The performative nature of gender becomes very literal when considering that all actors, or players, during Shakespeare’s time were men, with female roles typically assigned to boys and younger men. This is also emphasized in The Taming of the Shrew, with the inclusion of an acting troupe in the outer plot of the play that is involved with tricking Sly. The Lord has a player act as Sly’s wife: “Enter the PAGE as a lady, with attendants” (Induction.1.84.1). The player’s performance is quite convincing to the point where Sly confesses that he is sexually
aroused: “Ay, it stands so that I may hardly tarry so long. But / I would be loath to fall into my dreams again. I will / therefore tarry in despite of the flesh and the blood” (Induction.2.108-10). The page’s acting, or performance, as a woman proves that gender is simply a set of requirements decided by society, or a character that is performable. And by blurring gender roles, hierarchy is equally subverted, suggesting that anyone can act the part, whether it be a social role or a gender role.
Another great performance is Kate during her final speech at the end of the play. This scene is intended to be a victory for not just Petruchio, but for all men, in his conquering of the untamable shrew. When all the other wives do not answer to their respective husband’s summons, only Kate arrives at Petruchio’s demand. Evidently, Petruchio has successfully tamed Kate against all odds and now she surprises everyone by proving to be a very compliant wife. He demands, “Katherine, I charge thee, tell these headstrong women / What duty they do owe their lords and husbands (5.2.139-40). Ironically, while he commands her to set an example for the other wives with a speech, there are several aspects of her speech that suggest she is still not tamed, rather than that Petruchio is successful. For one, her speech is quite lengthy, which is especially strange for a comedy because it slows down the pacing, but at the same time, in doing so, it emphasizes her presence and demands attention. She fills up the stage with her words, demonstrating that she has control over the scene. Her loquaciousness signifies her complete control over herself through her control over her words. If she is truly tamed as Petruchio claims, her speech would be more minimal because a woman should be of few words, if none at all.
Along with the duration of the speech, its contents are just as interesting and important. Kate declares that women should be subservient to their husbands because they “[commit their bodies] to painful labor” while their wives are warm and safe at home (5.2.157-8). But Petruchio, her own husband, does not labor or work hard, which allows for her words to sound sarcastic. Additionally, throughout the speech, Kate compares a husband to a lord, a king, and even a sovereign; this reflects the idea that the household is a microcosm of a commonwealth, where the husband is equivalent to a monarch. However, because so many characters in the play disregard the chain of being, her speech sounds satirical. With sarcasm and satire, Kate’s speech turns into a ramble of empty words concocted simply to fulfill Petruchio’s demand and provide his satisfaction. In fact, there is an exaggerated air around Kate’s speech that is reminiscent of Bianca’s deception, hinting that she is only pretending to be tamed. Whether or not Petruchio is aware of this does not matter because it is a win-win situation for both of them; Petruchio gets the money and Kate gets a husband. The Taming of the Shrew is Shakespeare’s way of mocking and undermining early modern notions of gender, how it is a performed role that is not permanent and can be easily altered, rather than an innate and natural progression.
Returning to the festival culture model of interpreting The Taming of the Shrew, it proposes that the occurrences of the play occur in an alternate reality, or a fictional universe, where such events and characters are plausible. In other words, what happens in the play, stays in the play. Also, at the end of the play, Shakespeare seems to restore order by having all the characters paired off into marriage, Kate married and seemingly tamed, and Sly returning to his true status. It could be argued that Shakespeare does this in order to appease his contemporary audience who may have been upset over his subverting traditional roles. Because his thinking was too anachronistic for his contemporaries, it is understandable for Shakespeare find a need to please his audience in order to avoid controversy and have them return for his other plays. And that is exactly what it is; while Shakespeare restoring order is simply a means of placating his audience, it does not prove that he agreed with his audience. In fact, it could be seen as the playwright apologizing for being
unapologetic