Katherina Speech in The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare - Essay Example

 Katherina Speech in The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare Introduction This essay will examine two essential aspects relating to the monologue spoken by the character, Katherina, in Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”. The language choices made by the writer will form the first part of the writing; a proposed approach when staging this scene will follow as the second section. The text referred to is a prelude to Petrucio’s closing of the play, and indicates Katherine’s apparent changes – she is now advising Phylema and Emilia to obey and not rebel against their husbands. This is on the face of it a complete change for Katherina – she has become subservient to her husband, and is suggesting that two other women also become so to their husbands. Her earlier independence and the resistance she displayed toward the control of her husband seem to have disappeared. Comments on language usage Shakespeare’s use of language in the words Katherina speaks in this performance reveals much of the meaning of the speech, while the possible staging of this scene (and particularly this speech) could be open to creative staging for any modern director, depending on an individual interpretation. Despite the suggestions that Shakespeare was reasonably forward-thinking about the institution of marriage for a man of his time, the language he has used in this text does reveal a particularly negative view of the position of women in marriage, particularly to a modern audience. There are positive aspects of how women are portrayed in marriage: “love, fair looks” (line 18) according to Thompson (1985: 28). They are also bound by rules similar to those of a subject and the ruler – “Such duty as the subject owes the prince, / even such a woman oweth to her husband.” (lines 20, 21) and hence not without rights in the marriage. Despite this, many aspects of the language do suggest a very conservative view of the status of women, especially by the standards of today’s gender relations. The accepted hierarchies of life attributed to the Elizabethan era do influence the meaning of this passage. The position of women as inferior and even subservient to men is clear from instances of language usage in this passage. The Divine Right of Kings – with the monarch being appointed by the Christian God, and having rights over the life and death of subjects – is clearly emphasized in line 3. Husbands are referred to as “…thy lord, thy king, thy governor,” and the repetition of the structure of the phrases (possessive pronoun followed by noun) strengthens the feeling that women must be completely subject to men on each level, and must follow the rules made by their husbands. Placing even more emphasis on this notion is the fact that the iambic pentameter forces the three-syllable structure of the word “governor” at the end of line 3 to be highlighted. Thus the word is emphasized by its position at the end of the line, its three-syllable use in the iambic pentameter (it also straddles two iambuses) and the fact that, additionally, it forms an imperfect rhyme with “brow” (line 1) (Fowler, 1926: 615). Another technique Shakespeare has used is to very clearly contrast and balance statements with identical grammatical structure with each other so that the women on the stage whom Katherina is addressing (and the audience) are persuaded that women should welcome their subservience. For example, women should not be striving for “rule, supremacy and sway” but rather should “serve, love and obey” (lines 28, 29). Additionally in this example, rhyme is used to emphasize the opposite meanings of the words sway and obey – indeed women should be satisfied to obey men, rather than seek to have influence, according to the character and Shakespeare. Rhetorical questioning, a standard and accepted persuasive technique, can also be seen extensively in this passage. It is implied that the answer to such questions are evident to all – they need not even be answered. A woman who does not obey her husband is questioned: “What is she but a foul contending rebel/ And graceless traitor to her loving lord?” (lines 24, 25). A similar technique is used in lines 30 to 33: “Why are our bodies … agree with our external parts?” The imagery joined to such rhetorical questions, and throughout the speech, serves to further the overall theme that women should be the husband’s inferiors. Disobedience in women – scornful looks at their husbands – is compared to something which could “blot thy beauty as frosts do bite the meads” (line 4). This simile implies that there is no beauty in a woman who is not respectful of her husband – she becomes a representative of winter, cold and destruction, rather than fruitfulness and growth. A similar image is used when women are compared to water – polluted by a negative attitude to a husband (see lines 7-10), and eventually becoming unacceptable to everyone. Women are further shown as weak and ineffective when compared to men, for example in the metaphor, “… our lances are but straws,” (line 38). Men, conversely, are compared to lords, kings and governors, who can endure anything for the love of their wives. Husbands “… commit” their bodies to “labour” and to the protection of their wives at all times and in all places (see lines 13-17). It is only in the closing lines of the speech when perhaps some irony can be seen. Shakespeare elects to rhyme the words “boot’ and “foot” (lines 41, 42). Katherina advises the two women on the stage to “… vail your stomachs” (or: swallow your pride; calm your emotions) for it is no boot” (or: has no purpose or effect), in order to “… place your hands below your husband’s foot.” The rhyming of these two words, and the associated meanings – your boot would normally go on your foot – seem to suggest that perhaps this is not the serious speech it seems at first to be. Perhaps Katherina and her husband have come to an agreement which requires her publicly to be subservient to him, while a more equal arrangement between them exists at home. Comments on the staging of the scene It is well-known that Shakespeare’s plays were during his lifetime performed at the Globe Theatre, for the most part (Brown, 1982:3). The specific staging possibilities enabled by the physical construction of this theatre, and the stage then, may have influenced future directors to a lesser or greater degree, but the staging and interpretation of this play specifically, have been more widely varied and even experimental (Thompson, 1985: 30). A modern audience may find it more difficult than an Elizabethan audience would have to accept Katherina’s evident realization that she should be, justifiably, inferior and subservient to her husband. The casting of this character should be particularly considered: she has to be a physically imposing actor, noticeably taller than the character playing her husband, and preferably the other male actors, too; she should be conventionally beautiful – obviously dependent on the place that the play is being performed this convention of beauty may change; and there should be no doubt in the minds of the audience that she is a competent, strong and sexually attractive woman. The other female actors – for this scene Phylema and Emilia – must also be clearly physically dominant over the male actors, and similarly physically attractive. The play should be performed on a conventional stage, even one with a proscenium arch, but with an semi-circular extension into the audience, lower than the main stage, but raised enough above the audience for the female actors, especially Katherina, to look taller even than they are. A screen onto which stills and film clips can be projected must form the backdrop of the stage. As the scene opens, a projection of a large office, expensive-looking and important will fill the backdrop. Just a few lines into Katherina’s speech, images and film clips will replace the office scene. Projections of powerful from politics, entertainment or world affairs, women such as Indira Ghandi, Margaret Thatcher, even celebrity women such as Oprah Winfrey or Madonna should continue to play throughout the rest of the scene, ending only as Katherina speaks “But now I see our lances …” (line 38) and returning to the corporate office backdrop. Costuming should reflect the era in which the performance will be set: the modern era in any major western world city (the dates do not have to be specifically identifiable, but the audience has to accept that the action is taking place currently, among wealthy, economically and socially powerful people). The characters’ should represent the economic affluence and extravagance of this era, as well as the emerging power of women in business, politics and public life. Thus the characters will wear business clothing – the male characters conventionally dark suits; the women similarly formal and tailored business-wear. It is important, however, that the women do not appear masculine, so the obvious differences in the physical shapes of women can be exploited – the actors playing the female characters should have long hair, and wear expensive-appearing jewelry, and be slightly sexually provocative in their appearance. Throughout the scene, in fact the whole play, women should dominate the stage, at the expense of the male characters. While Katherina is delivering her speech, she should be moving on the stage extension, almost among the audience, and addressing the women in the audience – with direct eye-contact and with gestures. It should appear, even, that she is not speaking to the other characters. Her tone and expressions should be ironic and sarcastic – see lines such as “… Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper …” (lines 11, 12) – these should be delivered almost with bitterness, but certainly so that the audience is able to perceive the disdain with which the character utters them. By the time she completes the speech, her gesture should be a clenched fist to accompany the words: “My hand is ready, may it do him ease.” (line 43) The remaining characters: Petrucio should remain on the main stage, only to emerge onto the extension to speak his final words after Katherina has finished. He should then timidly address his closing lines, reciting them as a child would, to the audience and the characters – males on the main stage, females on the extension, among the audience and surrounding Petrucio. The women on stage should begin the scene close to the entrance where they have been brought in, and gradually move, in positions of more confidence and security, out onto the extension of the stage, to follow Katherina’s words with concentration. Without gestures or interaction, they should stare at her throughout, almost as if worshiping her. Despite Shakespeare’s probable intent to communicate that women and men are able to come to an understanding of equality and cooperation within a marriage, the staging here would communicate the claim that women are the inherently dominant gender, and that it is only because they choose to, and publicly may appear to, be subordinate to men, that men continue to believe that they dominate. The words that Katherina speaks in this extract should ring hollow; the expressions and gestures she uses should communicate that she is dominant in the relationship, a strong woman who continues to be independent of her husband, and that she is merely giving lip-service to the expectations of society. It must remain with the audience that women only allow men to believe that they have the right to dominate them. Works Cited Note that line references used in the text are relevant to the given extract only, and have been numbered from 1. Brown, J.R. (1982) “Shakespeare and His Theatre” Kestrel Books: Harmondsworth Fowler, H.W. (1926) “A Dictionary of Modern English Usage” Oxford at Clarendon Press: Humphrey Milford: London (1930 Edition) Thompson, A. (Ed) (1985) “The Taming of the Shrew” from the series The New Cambridge Shakespeare Cambridge University Press: Cambridge Read More