Tots Essay
George Bernard Shaw described the ‘Taming of the Shrew as ‘altogether disgusting to modern sensibility’ how far do you agree with this?
To a large extent I agree with George Bernard Shaw’s point of view that the play is “altogether disgusting to modern sensibility”. This is because the play seems to be a celebration of patriarchal views, female submission and marriage as an economic institution. I will also be looking at the alternative views of how ‘The Taming of The Shrew’ is just a comedy and as such should not be taken too seriously.
‘The Taming of the Shrew’ lets the audience view the play literally as a brutal taming or ironically as a subversive manifesto. But it can be seen that Shakespeare intended the play to present marriage to be full of mutual love where neither male nor female dominate but compliment each other thriving together in a loved filled relationship. The portrayal of a deep understanding, which exists in an analogical relationship and the gentle transformation, which occurs in marriage, clearly outlines marriage in the play to be a celebration of a mutual love relationship within the patriarchal foundations of society through the importance of transformation in a relationship in order for it to be of mutual love where both the male and female transform each other for the better. In the play, Petruchio takes this role but he doesn’t brutally tame Katherina, but rather tenderly teaches her in order to liberate her from her shrewish mindset. Petruchio begins teaching Katherina immediately on her wedding day where he proudly walks in late for his own wedding dressed ‘why Petruchio is coming in a new hat and an old jerkin, a pair of old breeches thrice turned, a pair of boots that have been candle cases, one buckled, another laced; an old rusty sword ta'en out of the town armory, with a broken hilt and chapeless; with two broken points; his horse hipped, with an old mothy saddle and stirrups of no kindred, besides possessed with the
To a large extent I agree with George Bernard Shaw’s point of view that the play is “altogether disgusting to modern sensibility”. This is because the play seems to be a celebration of patriarchal views, female submission and marriage as an economic institution. I will also be looking at the alternative views of how ‘The Taming of The Shrew’ is just a comedy and as such should not be taken too seriously.
‘The Taming of the Shrew’ lets the audience view the play literally as a brutal taming or ironically as a subversive manifesto. But it can be seen that Shakespeare intended the play to present marriage to be full of mutual love where neither male nor female dominate but compliment each other thriving together in a loved filled relationship. The portrayal of a deep understanding, which exists in an analogical relationship and the gentle transformation, which occurs in marriage, clearly outlines marriage in the play to be a celebration of a mutual love relationship within the patriarchal foundations of society through the importance of transformation in a relationship in order for it to be of mutual love where both the male and female transform each other for the better. In the play, Petruchio takes this role but he doesn’t brutally tame Katherina, but rather tenderly teaches her in order to liberate her from her shrewish mindset. Petruchio begins teaching Katherina immediately on her wedding day where he proudly walks in late for his own wedding dressed ‘why Petruchio is coming in a new hat and an old jerkin, a pair of old breeches thrice turned, a pair of boots that have been candle cases, one buckled, another laced; an old rusty sword ta'en out of the town armory, with a broken hilt and chapeless; with two broken points; his horse hipped, with an old mothy saddle and stirrups of no kindred, besides possessed with the