The Taming of the Shrew

4 Pages 1013 Words

:|: “Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee”

In the Renaissance period it was believed that woman should be silent, obedient

and chaste. Today we believe that times have changed. If you try taking a closer look,

have they really changed too much at all? The play The Taming of the Shrew, by William

Shakespeare, talks about the notion that women should very well be silent, obedient and

chaste. Katherine, the shrew of the play, goes against these beliefs. After marriage she

starts to obey her husband, Petrucio, but her submission is all an act because of Petrucio’s

taming with her.

:|: “Rebellion is the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry”

Katherine is the shrew of her town. She is getting much older and soon enough

will have to marry. Because of her rebellious attitude, nobody wants to marry her. They

would not want to put up with her. Hortensio proves this when saying,

“…No mates for you, unless you of gentler, milder mold.”

Katherine believes that marriage is like prostitution. Her father, Baptista Minola, does as

every father would when giving away his daughter for marriage. He auctions off his

daughter to the highest bidder. The man pays the father and is promised a dowry.

Katherine speaks out about this.

“I pray you, sir, is it your will to make a stale of me amongst these mates?”

The comment in itself is being rebellious. It is going against being silent. Her father is

talking to two of her sister’s, Bianca, suitors, and Katherine simply speaks out. Talking

out of your place was absolutely prohibited. The only man that would be willing to put up

with such an unruly lady would be Petrucio. He is a stern and harsh man looking to get

married with a rich girl. Katherine looked like the best victim. He has very little remorse

and would not be afraid to go to all extremes to...