For this MOR, I have teamed up with Olivia to read The Taming of the Shrew by the man himself, William Shakespeare! I’ve typically enjoyed the works of Shakespeare that I’ve previously read, so I’m excited to read this one. Interestingly enough, this play seems to be written as a play within a play. It begins by introducing a lord who wants to play a prank on a drunken guy, making him believe that he’s actually a lord himself and has been suffering from some kind of delusion or insanity for the last fifteen years. The lord even goes so far as to force a pageboy to dress up as a woman and act as the beggar’s wife. Part of this prank involves a theater group, who begins to perform for the “lord” and his “wife.” It seems like the play that they perform will be the actual story of The Taming of the Shrew. Why did Shakespeare decide to format this play the way he did? It reminds me a bit of Hamlet, where there is another occurrence of a play within a play, but in Hamlet it was much shorter and served a much clearer purpose. I’ll be interested to see if any of the characters, ideas, or themes explored in this brief introduction reappear later in the play—I hope they do, because otherwise this seems like an unnecessary few pages to have read. I’m wondering specifically if there could be anything about gender roles revealed here. From the little knowledge I have about this play, it seems like gender, especially the role of women and men’s responsibility to “tame” or control them, might be a major theme. Even in this introduction, we see Sly, believing himself to be a lord, demand that his wife come sleep with him, saying “Servants, leave me and her alone. Madam, undress you and come now to bed” (Induction.II.112-113). Only moments prior Sly had been denying his lordship, refusing to believe that he had been insane for a decade and a half. However, the second he learns that he has a wife who he has supposedly gone fifteen years without sleeping with, he no longer cares about his identity—he just wants sexual gratification. Do you think maybe this is introducing some theme or idea about marriage or gender roles? Or do you see any other possible purposes for Shakespeare starting this play the way he did?
Comments
Okay, so now getting out of the introduction I was slightly confused because none of the characters seemed to carry over from the introduction, but the "shrew" of the play was immediately introduced. In the beginning Katherine, the daughter of Baptisa Minola, is introduced and she is described as "too rough" (I.i.55). So, with the opening of the actual play like this it seems like Shakespeare did mean to write the introduction the way he did to only continue to paint the women in a bad light. Even Tanio, a manservant, had the guts to say "That wench is stark mad" (I.i.69) based off her actions he observed once. Shakespeare illustrates through Katherine, the shrew, that she lacks the behavior of an ideal wife so men still have the superiority trait as an advantage because they can do no wrong. Do you think Katherine will actually turn out to be a better person than it seems like in the first few lines? Do you think she will be tamed? Do you think the roll of the "shrew" will actually turn out to be someone else?
“if thou know
One rich enough to be Petruchio’s wife,
As wealth is burden of my wooing dance,
Be she as foul as was Florentius’ love,
As old as Sybil and as curst and shrewd
As Socrates’ Xanthippe, or a worse,
She moves me not, or not removes at least
Affection’s edge in me, were she as rough
As are the swelling Adriatic seas.
I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;
If wealthily, then happily in Padua.” (1.2.63-73)
Basically, to Petruchio, marriage is all about the money involved, and he could not care less how horrible of a person he’ll be spending the rest of his life with. This seems to fit with the brief storyline introduced with Sly, in which he too seems to only care about one aspect of a marriage relationship (though for Sly it is the sexual gratification he seeks, rather than money). Can you see any sort of meaning or message being revealed in the way women, gender, and marriage are treated or discussed in this play? Or do you think it’s more of a commentary on the norms of the time?
Now, to answer your question I think you hit it right on the money when you described Petruchio and Katherine's "relationship" and how is it only about the money. But, truthfully I think Shakespeare was just displaying through words their norms about marriage. So far there has been no part of this play that has made me think that marriage was about love between two people. You mentioned a piece of Petruchio and Hortensio's conversation and to build of this to help confirm our thoughts about how a "money" marriage was just the norm at the time here is a quote that follows between the two. Hortensio says to Petruchio,
"I can, Petruchio, help thee to a wife
With wealth enough, and young and beauteous,
Brought up as best becomes a gentlewoman" (I.ii.78-80).
Of course the first thing that was mentioned when listing the characteristics of a wife was wealth. Once again proving that nothing else matters to the men.
Okay, I covered that first question to the best of my ability but I also want to touch on you question about another meaning or message that may also be revealed later on in the play. Something occurred to me while I was reading and that is what if Shakespeare's goal of this play was to show that women will FOREVER be a pawn to men. I mean I may struggle a little bit with getting my point across but through Katherine and Bianca this is illustrated perfectly. Hortensio is so desperate to marry Bianca that he will do whatever it takes for Katherine to get wifed up. So I guess what I am trying to say that the women in this play and women STILL TODAY are constantly being manipulated and used to the advantage of the man so they get whatever they desire.
"Then God be blessed, it is the blessed sun,
But sun it is not when you say it is not,
And the moon changes even as your mind.
What you will have it named, even that it is,
And so it shall be still for Katherine." (IV.vi.19-23).
She forces herself to agree with him and give into his lies because of her current state that she is in. To me, that is the final tie from Shakespeare ultimately making it known that men are going to be superior in every situation no matter what it takes. He has almost fully tamed her and made her act exactly how he wants her to.
Now, to answer your question honestly I don't think it would be a work of Shakespeare without some crazy twist, so yes I think there could be some potential revelation or scandal with how Petruchio treats Katherine but I guess I will have to wait till the end. OOOO do you think Katherine is playing him and in the end she will twist it around and be playing him this whole time. Making him think that he has "tamed" her but in reality she is taming him?
Also, last thing I haven't been really as focused on the reatlionship between Hortensio and Bianca so I am kinda unable to answer your question about them but if I were the betting man, I feel like I could put some big bills on the fact that they won't end up together.
Katherine talking to the audience says, “Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,
Thy head, thy sovereign, on that cares for thee,
And for thy maintenance commits his body
to painful labour both by sea and land,
to watch the night in storms, the day in cod,
Whilst thou lies warm at home, secure and safe (V.ii.140-147).
My first though when I read this was literally how could she even say that. She was completely being tamed and brainwashed by her husband who was supposed to “care” for her while “challenging” her, but it becomes very apparent that he is just manipulating her and using his powers as a man to make her his shrew. It is also made known to the reader that she truly believes that the women are supposed to respect and OBEY the man, like she isn't capable of doing anything on her own and quite honestly that infuriates me. I am disappointed in the ending only because i truly thought she was going to receive the justice she deserved.
She even goes on the state that women’s bodies are soft and that on the inside they should meet the mans desires. I don't know about you Halle but that honestly makes me sad that this type of relationship was the standard back then and I will say that over and over again. She also tells Bianca and the widow that, “My mind hath been as big as one of yours, My heart as great” implying that her old though process was of strength and her own, but towards the end of the book you can clearly see that her mindset has completely changed and she will defend her husband for whatever. She completely latches on to her shrew title with the way she acts which is sad.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book with Halle and she made it really enjoyable to learn about and diver deeper into the meaning of the book:)))
BAPTISTA: Now, in good sadness, son Petruchio,
I think thou hast the veriest shrew of all.
PETRUCHIO: Well, I say no. And therefore, for assurance,
Let’s each one send unto his wife;
And he whose wife is most obedient
To come at first when he doth send for her,
Shall win the wager which we will propose. (5.2.64-70)
It is abundantly clear here that these men do not view the women as human beings worthy of respect. To them, it is amusing and bewildering that Petruchio has managed to “tame” his wife, making her obedient, reinforcing this idea that women exist solely to prop men up and make them more successful, giving them an ego boost. While I wish that Katherine could have had a happier ending, Shakespeare definitely makes the themes of this play clear by reminding his audience that in the end, marriage was (at least in this time) never about love or happiness—it was about money, egos, and pride. Although I was ultimately disappointed in the way this play ended, I did enjoy digging into it with you, Olivia! Thanks :)