Shakespearean Drama - Essay Example

? Topic:  Shakespearean Drama Instructions: Written Assignment 1. Women of the upper knew how to play music, learn the sciences and to do needlepoint. They were still considered property of their husbands as a dowry was exchanged as a contract to guarantee their safety and protection from the outside world. The women were often young children by our standards: 12-14 years of age. The play is a question of the ridiculous power struggle of the concept of contracts. Katharina was expected to take Petruchio without any say of the matter. Upon hearing about the marriage, she responds, "I'll see thee hang'd on Sunday first". If she truly disagreed in getting married, Shakespeare would have written something to the effect of "thee shall be hang'd on Sunday first". As she could not openly state her opinion, and she never says anything nice, it can be assumed that she actually agrees to the marriage by saying she will be at the hanging. Wealthy young girls were never at public events. In Scene One of Act II, Katharina goes after her sister after being taunted that she likes Hortensio. She ties her sister up in order to make her confess in telling her who all her suitors are. Bianca resists. What is interesting here is that Baptista protects Bianca and tells her to "go ply thy needle". It is the first and only time Bianca is to do an activity of "ideal womanhood". Katherina responds expressing jealousy, fear, loneliness, humiliation…. "What will you not suffer me! Nay, now I see She is your treasure, she must have a husband; I must dance bare-foot on her wedding day; And for your love to her lead apes in hell. Talk not to me: I will go sit and weep Till I can find occasion of revenge." Bianca seems the perfect bride to be, but she shames the family. Her tutors are her suitors in disguise. Luciento changes places with Tranio. They make up such a sham that Bianca signs the marriage contract with Tranio. Luciento goes to Baptista and tells him, he is now married with his daughter. Shakespeare is criticizing the conflict of arranged marriages and love marriage. He is also questioning what is the ideal of womanhood. Though Bianca is outwardly the more peaceful of the two; and she is her father's favorite, there is a transformation that questions who has the happier marriage. Their father comments in Act V. (Baptista) "Another dowry to another daughter, For she is changed, as she had never been." Katherina also changes. The techniques are to shock the audience. In reality, Shakespeare is questioning the arranged marriage; the chattel contracts; the fact that a wife is a little bit higher than a man's horse. Women in the upper classes got married when they were 12 to 14 years old. What could they do without any life's experience. In the play, we see an inn keeper, servants, and the widow with the two girls. Either they got married young or they went to Convents. Katherina is more honest in nature than Bianca. She has been left to her own vices too long. She is lonely, highly intelligent, jealous of her sister and angry. Shakespeare writes the play from the male point of view. He is showing how men treat women in society. Shakespeare tries to add the women's side as well. When Petruchio negotiates the dowry with Baptista, he says "….where two raging fires meet together they do consume the thing that feeds their fury, though little fire grows great with little wind, yet extreme gusts will blow out fire and all: So I to her and so she yields to me; For I am rough and woo not like a babe." He is essentially saying that he is not afraid of her emotions nor character and that they will meet equal grounds. He is also saying that he is pleased with what he sees. He will teach her to control the fire in her and he will learn to control his fear. Baptista agrees if Petruchia gets his daughter's love, they can get married. Petruchio enjoys the first encounter with Katrina. She lets him know that she is still young and cannot bear. "Not such jade as you, if me you mean" (Act II) Fine, I will wait. They both are enjoying the banter. She finds he can hold his own ground, he is intelligent and he will respect her character provided she respects him as her husband. If husbands were first father figures, then they were respected. "I'll not budge an inch." (Sly, Induction, i) which came from the Induction of the Play when Sly was in the Tavern, expresses how Petruchio felt towards his attitudes of the behavior of women towards men. 2. "I come to wive it wealthily in Padua." (Petruchio, I, ii) He came to Padua to find himself a wealthy fiancee. Though it was against the time, Shakespeare showed that a man could marry as well as have a wife who showed mutual love and respect. He showed that a wife could be more than property and she had a mind and spirit. He started with Katharina being treated as though she was a horse and then slowly transforming into a loving (erotic) wife. Though Petruchio would be called a control freak, he also wanted a relationship where he was always wanting to give pleasure to his wife. Shakespeare created a love-hate relationship with his audience. How could anyone live with such a livid shrew as Katharina. The male audience would want to have the power Petruchio displayed but he had to gain it. In the beginning, he had no effect of Katherina. His techniques were not conventional and shocking for the first performance. Yes he was macho but he gave in return. To receive you had to give. There are constant power struggles. To break a horse you had to use your machismo powers. He decided from the start that he was going to have a bride with whom he could live. He would be the trainer. This is the 16th century. What did women have. Life was short and precious for men and women. Shakespeare was also acting a social psychologist for marriages that weren't working. The techniques, Petruchio used were to destabilize Kate to appreciate what potential she had. (Scene II) Petruchio comes late for the marriage. He is controlling the situation. When he finally shows up, he is dressed inappropriately. (Petruchio)"Sufficeth I am come to keep my word….Where is Kate?" She is not marrying my clothes, she is marrying me. One of the first steps in machoism is humiliation. First, he is late then he is dressed in old clothes. When the reception starts, he refuses to stay (Kate Act III) "I will be angry: what hast though to do?""Gentlemen, I see a woman may be made a fool, if she had not a spirit to resist." (Petruchio Act IV) "Obey my bride, you that attend on her, go to the feast, but you must remain at my side…." Each time Petruchio works to tame Kate, he gives her a power towards others. Katharina was treated with verbal kindness though she was psychologically manipulated. In the opening argument that was stated above, Petruchio says that the fire in Katherina will be kept alive by his fire. He does keep it alive. He brakes her accordingly only to give her more power in the outside world. (Katharina Act V) " …..I am so ashamed that women are so simple to offer war where they should kneel for peace;…….."(Petruchio Act V)"Come Kate, we'll to bed. We three are married, but you two are sped. 3. Being the youngest daughter, she is required to follow social etiquette accordingly to the Elizabethan time. (Baptista Act 1)"Gentlemen, importune me no farther, for how I firmly am resolved you know, that is, not bestow my youngest daughter before I have a husband for the elder." Having a tutor who was actually a vice for Bianca to marry Lucentio. (Tranio Act II)"…And free access and favour as the rest: and, toward the education of your daughters." He is Lucentio dressed as Tranio. In her social standing Lucentio actually would have been of the same social class as to have gotten the permission of her father to get married and did not need to lose social grace. There are two sets of schooling. The tutoring of Lucentio and Petruchio's Taming School. An important dialogue in act IV discusses the two. Hortensio is decided for the widow. and Tranio says "Faith he is gone unto the taming-school."(Bianca Act IV) The taming-school, what is there such a place?"(Tranio) "…To tame a shrew and charm her chattering tongue." One of the highest virtues was to be quiet. Bianco shows herself as being just as independent in her thinking as her sister and considered her education and her chattering to be her business. Katherina bore the brunt of being the eldest child. She doesn't seem to have a woman figure in the house to influence her upbringing. She seems to have been on her own and allowed to say what she wanted to whom she wanted. Shakespeare shows the powerful woman and how it is difficult to keep hidden behind doors; She did study, play music and do needle work. Everyone was afraid of her outbursts. (Tranio Act I) "Her eldest sister is so curst and shrewd that until her father rid his hands of her…", she will be locked up because she will not go out with suitors. Perhaps she is bored or she insults them. When she meets Petruchio for the first time, she is intrigued. For the first time, she does not answer back when they were alone (Petruchio Act II) " How much she loves me: O, the kindest Kate! she hung about my neck, and kiss on kiss she vied so fast, protesting oath on oath, that in a twink she won me to her love." He had lied but she said nothing. 4. All marriages are a question of give and take. The power lies in those who understand the simple principle. It is can be explicit or implicit. Katherina becomes the actor in the marriage and realizes that she benefits by the graces of having an active husband. She becomes powerful in the eyes of other women. The role of the "submissive wife" is a play on words or an act. She has said the sun is the moon and the moon is the sun. Petruchio finally has his way when she says the following to Vicentio. It doesn't matter if Katherina is acting. Perception is more important in power than the actual words. Young budding virgin, fair and fresh and sweet, Whither away, or where is thy abode? Happy the parents of so fair a child; Happier the man, whom favourable stars Allot thee for his lovely bed-fellow! (4.5.6) Perhaps it is also Shakespeare's statement on the institution of marriage as his son Lucentio did just the opposite. Vincentio is virgin to a new concept (eloping). Shakespeare agreed to marriage with women having the right to education and the right to speak. He also was for mutual respect. In her last entry in Act V, Katherina is commenting on the values of following and respecting ones' husbands. These women married at 14 and died by the time they were 35. Life was hard. Shakespeare was introducing humor "too little payment for so great a debt….my hand is ready may it do him ease." 5. Shakespeare's sense of humor during his time does not represent humor in the 21rst century. Induction Scene I Sly, being brought to a Lord's house in a drunken stupor, is awaken in Lord's clothing. He is presented with a play "Taming of the Shrew". He has a page dressed as a woman and he is told it is his wife. We are watching the play with Sly. There are three audiences: Sly and the people in his room, Shakespeare's audience and the person reading the play. As there are three female antagonist there are three types of male Sly as the Lord represents the Widow Petruchio represents Katherina Shakespeare represents Bianca. She shows everything that is wrong with the Elizabethan system of marriage and social structure. Act I The first Act of The Taming of the Shrew has begun. In the 16th century there was often a clown on scene who left and never came back but all of a sudden (Sly) Yes, by Saint Anne, do I, A Good matter, surely; comes there any more of it?" Act II The dialogue between Kate and Petruchio is funny with the metaphors and the innuendos (Katherina) If I be waspish best beware my sting. (Petruchio) My remedy is then, to pluck it out. (Katherina) Ay, if the fool could find it where it lies, (Petruchio) Who knows not where a wasp does wear his sting? In his tail (Katherina) In his tongue. (Petruchio) Whose tongue? The conversation continues. It is funny using the wasp as a metaphor for her type of language and his not being bothered in not having to remove the sting. Act III When Bianca explains that she already knows her scales and she recites the notes letting on that she knows that Hortensio is the Lute teacher. Act V There is a complete change of roles when (Hortensio)For Both our sakes, I would that word were true. (Pertruchio)Now, for my life, Hortensio fears his widow. Katherina goes on to ask what she means by saying that the world turns around her. The widow calls her a hypocrite saying that she as a shrew should be the best to understand. Hortensio did not succeed in the taming-school. The change of roles continues when the bet starts and each must send for their wifes. When Biondello goes to get Bianca and she is busy. (Petruchio) "Is that an answer" (Gremio) "Ay, and a kind one too: Pray God your wife send you not a worse. Read More