The roles of women are immanently transcending as society continues to alter their perception of the female race. Since the misogynistic Elizabethan era, women exceed the expectations of encompassing subservient and docile characteristics to becoming respectable individuals capable of embracing their own beliefs rather than a man’s. However, equality for women’s rights only began with the recognition of society’s unequal treatment towards women. The Taming of the Shrew in its own sense stands as small step of recognition towards the early fight for the rights of women. Shakespeare uses this piece of literature to essentially reveal and criticize the manner in which male-dominated societies treat women as animals that are to be tamed. This play consists of numerous displays of sexism, but its’ intended purpose is to depict the injustices women face universally. Although comedic, Shakespeare’s …show more content…
Kate and Bianca’s father, Baptista, is a respectable man in pursuit of suitors for his daughters. However like most men, Baptista prefers Bianca’s compliance over Kate’s defiance. During a fight between the sisters, Baptista sympathizes with Bianca to which Kate responds “Nay, now I see she is your treasure” (2.1.31-32). In this society, Shakespeare continues on to portray how Baptista views his daughters as properties that have to be sold off to their next owners, their husbands. Similarly in Act two of The Taming of the Shrew, it can be compared that Bianca’s suitors are bidding for her as though an item up for auction. This in modern times is degrading, but in Shakespearean time this was commonplace for such a mentality. Shakespeare places a lot of emphasis on this event by taking it to an extreme level it compels one to believe he is objecting to this practice, disguising his objections with elements of comedy
10 Things Comparison Essay “I guess in this society, being a male and an a**hole makes you worthy of our time.” , Kat Stratford said in 10 Things I Hate About You. When comparing the original play The Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things there are many differences. Some differences include the era in which each was produced, the love story portrayed are each a bit unique, and how the role of women are portrayed.
In the tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare depicts the role of women, through the ladies of the Capulet household and their suppressed role compared to that of a man which consequently, results in the women being slandered, objectified and being forced to comply with decisions they don’t
From Sexism to Social Reformation Many actions and ideologies of the characters in The Taming of the Shrew create an overarching conflict between comedy and sexism for most readers. Specifically, the relationships between the men and women introduce controversial topics such as obedience and love which must be questioned thoroughly. The conditions of Petruchio and Katherine’s marriage was more “traditional” in the sense that it was primarily patriarchal, and that Kate was expected to be subservient and obedient. While this is sexist, on the surface, this was not the intended meaning behind the works.
Ever wonder about gender roles in Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew? In Taming of the Shrew, the gender roles affect the characters in a rather negative way, and when they surface in the play, it’s rather shocking. This essay will discuss how gender roles affect the characters in what I believe is a negative way, and how they surface in the play. In this play, the men appear to have a particular idea on how all women should behave.
Throughout history, women have always been considered inferior to men. Women are typically supposed to stay home and care for the children, quieter than men, do not need an education, and are supposed to listen and do what they are told. The men are the ones in charge. They are “always at the top”, expected to work to provide for their family, and tell their wives what to do. When reading “Taming of the Shrew” by Shakespeare and watching “10 Things I hate About You” directed by Gil Junger, the stereotypes and gender role of Katherine (Kat) and the sisterly relationship between Katherine (Kat) and Bianca come across.
It’s no surprise, that Shakespeare’s Macbeth was clearly constructed as a rebellion against femininity roles of the time. During the Elizabethan era, women were raised to believe they were inferior to men since men obtained desired masculine qualities such as strength, and loyalty, whereas women were viewed as figures of hospitality (1; 6; 28-31). Obviously, not being tempted by the luxury of subservient women, William Shakespeare rebuked this twisted belief, applying that women deserve more respect than their kitchen tables.
10 Things I Hate About You has adapted the setting of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew from the city of Padua, Italy to Padua High School; an American high school, to suit a more modern audience. Although the settings for The Taming of the Shrew and the modern adaptation are different, they still portray and parallel themes of individualism and social class. Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew of the Elizabethan era expressed a division of society at which the social status of women depended almost entirely on marriage.
Would it not grieve a woman to be overmastered with a piece of valiant dust? To make an account of her life to a clod of wayward marl? No, uncle, I’ll none. Adam’s sons are my brethren, and truly I hold it a sin to match in my kindred.” (Shakespeare, “Much Ado” Act 2, Scene 1).
A Modern View of Feminist Criticism William Shakespeare 's "Othello” can be analyzed from a feminist perspective. This criticism focuses on relationships between genders, like the patterns of thoughts, behavior, values, enfranchisement, and power in relations between and within sexes. A feminist examination of the play enables us to judge the distinctive social esteems and status of women and proposes that the male-female power connections that become an integral factor in scenes of Othello impact its comprehension. I believe that the critical lens that provides modern society with the most compelling view of literature is Feminist Criticism because it analyzes distrust and disloyalty among relationships, women being treated as possessions
Not only did men see women as unintelligent, they also saw them as weak and compliant. What made this worse was that women of higher status would have a lot of free time since they had servants to do everything. They would spend their time strolling around or doing ‘feminine hobbies’; this affirmed mens’ notion that that women were idle and did not do much, so they treated them this way. To see how dire their situation was, one must must only have to read A Midsummer Night’s Dream. While fictitious, this story does show one bit of truth, the way women were being treated during this era.
Introduction Women in the Middle ages were treated as the second class members within their social class. They were taught to be obedient to their husbands and were expected to run the household and raise children. Their role in the society, however, was much more complex, while some medieval women achieved a high level of equality with men. In the Middle Ages women had a secondary role, coming second after men.
For Shakespeare’s plays to contain enduring ideas, it must illustrate concepts that still remain relevant today, in modern society. Shakespeare utilises his tragic play Othello, to make an important social commentary on the common gender stereotypes. During early modern England, Shakespeare had to comply to the strict social expectations where women were viewed as tools, platonic and mellow, and where men were displayed as masculine, powerful, tempered, violent and manipulative. As distinct as this context is to the 21st century, the play exposes how women were victimised by the men who hold primary power in the community in which they compelled women to conform to the ideal world of a perfect wife or confront an appalling destiny for challenging the system. Moreover, Shakespeare utilises the main antagonist, Iago, to portray how men are desperate to achieve what they want and to indirectly fulfil the stereotype of masculinity and power through manipulation.
Today, men and women have equal rights, but that does not mean life has always been simple for both genders. When Shakespeare writes A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there are roles, behaviors, and expectations for the dominant men and submissive women. This literature portrays the major changes in the lives of both sexes throughout the years, which shows the advances women gain with time. The gender issue of men being dominant and women being submissive used in the drama, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, shows the differences in the roles, behaviors, and expectations appropriate for each gender and is an example of an outdated stereotype.
It is given in today's society that “First comes love, then comes marriage”, but this wasn't always how things were done earlier in history. The idea that marriage is based on love, rather than wealth, is a fairly new concept. A play that's main idea revolves around the characters marital status more than the characters themselves called Taming of the Shrew which takes place during the renaissance time period shows us that Marriage alone has been a concept that has rapidly changed in time. In the late fifteen hundreds marriages were arranged frequently for money, power, or land disregarding the love that two people did or did not share.
Conversing with her father, Baptista, and Tranio pretending to be Lucentio, Katherine expresses her frustrations about marrying Petruchio before their wedding: “No shame but mine. I must, forsooth, be forced / To give my hand, opposed against my heart, / Unto a mad-brain rudesby, full of spleen, / Who wooed in haste and means to wed at leisure” (Taming of the Shrew, III, ii, 8-11). Revealing the injustices of society, Katherine implies that men have total control over who/how they marry and that women are expected to comply with their will. Furthermore, Katherine’s description of Petruchio as “a mad-brain rudesby, full of spleen” demonstrates the norm of men being able to be unrefined and sloppy, but if a woman were to have those qualities, they would be heavily rebuked for their lack of “lady-like” qualities like being submissive and modest.