"Taming of The Shrew"

Book Review # 116664

Drama and Theater > English
Literature > English
Shakespeare > Taming of the Shrew

An analysis of the characters in William Shakespeare's "Taming of The Shrew."

1,685 words () | 0 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This review examines the evolution of the inner personas of the characters in Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" as they explore love and marriage. The paper relates that Petruchio first objectifies Kate and deprives her of the luxuries she is accustomed to in order to break her of her shrewish, spoiled nature. Through this psychological warfare on Kate, he is able to humble her and make her see that it's what's on the inside that matters most. The paper also relates that this story reflects the sexism of the time by suggesting that women can only succeed and be involved in society by being obedient, loyal housewives.

From the Paper:

"Petruchio and Kate have a real loving relationship. It does not show at first, but it does take root whereas for the other suitors, the wives are mere objects of their affection. During the same clip, Meryl Streep compares the childish acting of Petruchio to Kate's former self and comes to realize that she wants to change (Delacorte TS). This is very similar to what Sylvan Barnet says about Petruchio and Kate: "Petruchio does not so much tame Kate as teach her or treat her, by holding a mirror to her" (Barnet, 188). Petruchio's methods cannot be as bad as Shakespeare makes them out to be since Kate states, "he does it under the name of perfect love" (Shakespeare 4.3 12)."