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Essay / Women and Power in the Shakespearean Drama Taming of the Shrew
Kate's difficult personality and behavior are not entirely due to the lack of love she receives. In fact, Kate's problematic personality is caused by her self-centeredness. For the first time in Kate's life, when she leaves with Petruchio, she sees other people being verbally abused by someone other than her, as Petruchio apparently comes off as an even worse shrew than her. She. At this point in the play we begin to see the transformation of Kate's character. As Kate first witnesses the abuse Petruchio inflicts on his servants when they bring out the "burnt" meat, she begins to feel compassion and sorrow for the servants. Despite Petruchio's adamant reprimands of meat, Kate insists there's nothing wrong with saying, "Please, husband, don't be so worried." Indeed, because of his harsh words towards the cook, Kate tries to reason with him. On the one hand, Kate is starving at this point and will say anything to fill her stomach, but on the other hand, she is not referring to her own selfish need for hunger but rather defending the fallacy of to cook. Once again, when Petruchio lowers the suit, Kate expresses the same emotion. This willingness to step outside of his own selfishness to defend someone reflects his ability to emphasize, something we have never seen from his character until now.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay As she continues to become less selfish and more aware of others, her ability to show love grows as well. As Petruchio and Kate return to her father's house for the first time, Petruchio beckons her to kiss him. When Kate first refuses, Petruchio asks, "What, are you ashamed of me?" (5.2.137). She replies: “No, sir, God forbid, but I am ashamed to kiss” (5.2.138). This conveys to the reader that Kate is not opposed to kissing Petruchio, but rather it is her feelings towards public displays of affection during this time that prevent her from kissing Petruchio initially. Furthermore, this resistance could also be related to the fact that Kate does not know how to show or use her affection due to the lack of love she previously felt from Bianca and especially from her father. Kate's response to the question of Kate's embarrassment towards Petruchio is significant in itself because it also expresses her sincerity towards Petruchio as a husband. She uses the phrase "God forbid" which highlights her objection to the statement that she is ashamed of him. Throughout this scene and the progression of the play, the audience begins to see that Kate has truly fallen in love with Petruchio. In the next line, she proves her love for him again: she puts Petruchio above the shame of public affection when she kisses him, proving Kate's desire to make Petruchio happy. In fact, Kate's will is more than just a desire to stay with her father; his choice of words proves it. She calls Petruchio “love” before kissing him. Her use of affectionate language and willingness to show affection in public, which was considered extremely inappropriate at the time, meant that she fell in love with Petruchio. With her new understanding, Kate's actions and words begin to change, but not her personality. . Although she may have stopped her tantrums and her meanness towards others, she is still full of spirit. When Petruchio and Kate go to Kate's father's house, Petruchio tries to make her understand that sheshould be subject to him because he calls the sun the moon and the moon the sun. Kate, confused at first, begins to recognize his quarrelsomeness as a game, and she reacts with her own complex, parallel outburst. She addresses his absurdity by saying, "But the sun isn't there when you say it isn't, / And the moon changes even if you change your mind." It is important to note here that if she had been completely broken by his "taming", she would have simply accepted without hesitation, but instead she showed her absurdity. This interesting scene shows the playfulness between the two and the exchanges developed in their relationship. If that's not proof enough, you see her always argumentative and playful nature when she says, "And it will always be the same for Katherine." By not accepting the nickname Petruchio gave her, she proves that she is still independent of him. She is capable of being a submissive wife, but still herself and fiery. His playfulness and enthusiasm become more apparent as they approach Lucentio's father. She says nothing when Petruchio ridiculously claims that the principal is actually a woman; instead, she toys with Petruchio by calling the man a "young, budding virgin, fair, fresh and sweet." The fact that she is so willing to play along with Petruchio's crazy remarks proves that she has not lost her courage. Kate's final speech at the end of the play is the "final test" of Petruchio's school of taming. Much like the particular use of the word "love", Kate's word choices in the final speech of the play are the ultimate proof that she is truly in love with Petruchio and sincere in what she says to both women. In her climactic speech, as she describes a husband to Bianca and the widow, she states: “Thy husband is thy lord, thy life they keep, / Thy head, thy sovereign; the one who takes care of you.” The first part of this important line reflects society's views on marriage at the time of this play; however, the last part of this description shows Kate's sincerity. The description, "the one who takes care of you", indicates that she recognizes, despite Petruchio's crazy antics, that he truly cares for her. We know it's not sarcastic, because if she had meant it to be sarcastic, this admission of being taken care of would have seemed out of place and wrong. Furthermore, not only did her awareness of her love for Petruchio blossom, but her capacity for empathy developed. also continued to progress throughout the play. In the last scene, as she gives her speech to Bianca and the widow, this budding compassion is revealed once again. During the speech, Kate begins to reprimand Bianca and the Widow's behavior towards their husbands by explaining their behavior through their husband's eyes. Kate acknowledges that her husband works hard to take care of her. This admission goes further than simply acknowledging a husband's willingness to work hard and provide for his wife, as she also claims that his willingness to be submissive and loving is "too little payment for such a great debt. This scene also serves a different purpose for Kate. For Kate, Bianca is always said to be the most desirable sister, this scene is her moment to shine on her sister. It becomes apparent throughout the play, especially towards the end, that Bianca is not as submissive as previously believed. When Lucentio calls Bianca, she refuses to come, but Kate comes immediately when her husband calls. Through Bianca's refusal to come when called, Shakespeare suggests that this marriage will be hard on Lucentio. Bianca could prove to be as stubborn in her role as a wife as she is gentle in.