How does Shakespeare present relationships Essays

How does Shakespeare present relationships Essays How does Shakespeare present relationships Essay How does Shakespeare present relationships Essay Essay Topic: The Taming Of the Shrew How does Shakespeare present relationships between men and women in The Taming of The Shrew? Shakespeare uses the relationships in the play in order to express his own views of society and the roles of men and women in the Elizabethan era. Through his portrayal of the two genders in the the Taming of the Shrew, in particular Petruchio and Katherina, Shakespeare demonstrates the idea that men are too dominant over the female race, and that women should be given a more contributory, and equal role in society. He does not explicitly show this, because it would have been seen as too diverse for 16th Century literature, but he does show parity as an underlying opinion in the play. A common motif in the play is the idea of money and wealth. This was seen as an important factor in life decisions such as marriage, particularly for men characters because, in the Elizabethan era, they owned all of their wifes belongings, riches and earnings, if any. Consequently marrying into wealth had a key part to play in happiness. In the Taming of the Shrew, this is apparent through Petruchio, and his marriage to Katherina. In the play, he is challenged to tame her, and agrees to it because she is rich enough. Katherina is referred to as shrewd and froward by the men, and is ridiculed by Hortensio who would not wed her for a mine of gold; Petruchio replies thou knowst not golds effect, suggesting that his determination to woo Katherina is not because of his love for her, but his lust of money. Shakespeare reinforces this when Petruchio is discussing his marriage agreement with Baptista, Katherinas father; he is keen to find out what dowry he shall have with her to wife? and by stressing his eagerness to find out, Shakespeare is showing a demonstration of Petruchios greedy character. The way in which Shakespeare has worded the phrase have with her to wife implies that Petruchio is seeing Katherina as a task he must complete and put up with in order to gain a prize. Hortensio is also used to strengthen this idea, as he is quick to give up his pursuit of Bianca for a wealthy widow. By doing this, Shakespeare is stating that men of his society did not value the relationships with their women and had little respect for their existence except for their bringing of wealth. This idea is furthered by Baptistas comment that is, her love, for that is all in all. On the surface he seems to be caring for his daughter and concerned with the fact that she falls in love with Petruchio, however, because he later adds well mayst thou woo, and happy be thy speed! suggests that he wants more for Katherina to be married quickly than to be happily in love, and perhaps Shakespeare may have used the first as a passing comment to appear interested in the well-being of his daughter, while ironically giving the impression that even fathers are uncaring and too concerned with themselves when it comes to relationships with their daughters as he wants to get them married quickly. Wealth imagery is used to present women also, as Bianca is referred to as a treasure, jewel and a prize, suggesting that women were seen as possessions that must be sold to merchants as assets. Baptista displays more of a fondness towards Bianca, the younger of his two daughters, and favours her over Katherina. For example, after breaking up an argument between the two, Baptista calls Katherina a devilish spirit which demonstrates his lack of care for her feelings, whereas Bianca is seen as a poor girl in his eyes as a result of the dispute. This favour is common in the sisters, as Bianca is described as meek and mild, an idyllic woman for men in Shakespeares time, and so people would have been more fond of this character. The contrast Baptista uses for his daughters could be seen as a high criticism of Shakespeares to his society in that they disregard the people, women in particular, that hold a fiery character or are unafraid to express their inner thoughts, but highlight those who comply with the social rules and fit in the boundaries set. He makes this clear toward the end of the play where it is Katherina, once rejected by the community, who is seen as the approving woman. Baptista still upholds his dominative role as a male by not letting Bianca marry until he has a husband for the elder. On the one hand, Baptista could be showing a concern to have both his daughters married because he wants them to both be happy, however, it could also be seen that he understood the importance of having his daughters marry, eldest first, for the sake of his own reputation, and also that it would create a motivation for someone to marry Katherina which looked unlikely otherwise. Shakespeare wants relationships in the play to be presented as important in terms of credibility and reputation, which perhaps is controversial to his own opinions. Shakespeare uses animal imagery, continuously throughout the play. These are mainly used in terms of portraying Katherina through mens eyes. She is viewed as intolerable curst by the people of her society and as a wildcat as Gremio says. In context of the Elizabethan era, women were expected to be polite and meek people who lived to play the role of a serving wife, and in view of Katherinas description, she clearly deviates herself from this norm. In describing her as a wildcat, Shakespeare enforces the idea of her undomesticated character that needs taming. Shakespeare constantly refers to Katherina in animal terms through Petruchio; he asks those who challenge him have I not in my time heard lions roar? This metaphor is used to compare Katherina to a lion, which is known for its danger, signifying again that she is the opposite of her expected role. While other men fear her, Petruchio is seeing her as a task for him to complete, which again implies the idea that men see women as a prize they must accomplish and win. Katherina is also referred to as a falcon, which is again is a fierce animal, however, it is classed as a bird of prey so Shakespeare may have wanted to use this description in order to give Katherina status in the play over the other women. The fact that these ideas of her does not change Petruchios mind implies that he may find it an attraction to her and that he may find it desirable for a woman to have a fiery personality. In which case, Shakespeare may be grounding his own implicit value of how he thinks women should be in a relationship.