The Transformation of Katharina in the Play, Taming of...

In Shakespeares play, the Taming of the Shrew, Katharina Minola, known throughout the story as a stubborn Shrew, progressively transforms into a compliant wife. The Taming of the Shrew is one of William Shakespeares great comedies. The play starts with an induction performed by a nobleman on a drunkard named Christopher Sly who arranged for an acting troupe to perform a play called the Taming of the Shrew. The beautiful and elegant Bianca , younger daughter of Baptista Minola, has no shortage of admirers (Lucentio, Gremio and Hortensio) but her father insists that she will not marry until her shrewish sister, Katharina, is betrothed. Biancas suitors persuade a money-seeker Petruchio to court her. The suitors pay for any costs involved and there is also the goal of Katharinas dowry. Petruchio marries Katharina and he carries Katharina off to his country house with his servant Grumio. Petruchio intends to browbeat Katharina into submission and he denies her food, sleep and her new clo thes, whilst continuously singing her praises, thus Katharina is tamed. They return to Padua where Lucentio has won Bianca. At a banquet they wager on who has the most obedient wife. Each wife is issued with commands but only Katharina obeys and promptly lectures everyone on the importance of wifely submission. In the beginning of the play Katharina is shown as a shrew who is stubborn and argues against most people, especially men, which is exhibited through her conversations withShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare1088 Words   |  5 Pages The Taming of the Shrew, written by William Shakespeare, is historical proof that flirting and temptation, relating to the opposite sex, has been around since the earliest of times. Because males and females continue to interact, the complications in this play remain as relevant and humorous today as they did to Elizabethan audiences. This is a very fun play, full of comedy and sexual remarks. Its lasting impression imprints itself into the minds of its readers, for it is an unforgettableRead MoreTaming Of The Shrew And 10 Things I Hate About You Analysis1390 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew as well as its adaptation 10 Things I Hate About You by Gil Junger, represent their respective ideas on love which shares its similarities and differences, both portraying love in their own forms. Both texts highlight the ideals of love in their context as well as one of the main courtships, Katharina and Petruchio, involved in love, portraying their values of lo ve. The transformation of love within context shapes Katharina’s personality in Taming of the Shrew. Kate’sRead MoreThe Taming Of The Shrew1322 Words   |  6 PagesIn Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew, the main character, Katharina Minola is portrayed as a shrew. Her behavior emanated from the fact that a father who treated her with indifference raised her and there was a lack of a motherly influence in her life. â€Å"Shakespeare sketches her character with a depth the typical shrew lacks† (â€Å"The Taming and Comic Tradition† 1) so her behavior is a defense mechanism used to protect herself from rejection. Katharina â€Å"is aggressive and belligerent, butRead MoreGender Essentialism : Katherine s Transformation1735 Words   |  7 PagesGender Essentialism: Katherine s Transformation in William Shakespeare s Taming Of The Shrew Feminist and cultural historians have convincingly demonstrated that rebellious women were a concern for englishmen during the late sixteenth centuries (Detmer 273). The idea of â€Å"taming† a women is one that men can find useful, though women can also benefit from. Katherine cynically conforms to expectation, and in doing so displays how The Taming of the Shrew is a critique on gender essentialism. TheRead MoreThe Taming Of The Shrew By William Shakespeare1255 Words   |  6 PagesIn the play The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, it focuses on two sisters who must get married however, the oldest must get married first. Here, Shakespeare presents to the audience, Katharina Minola. Katharina is portrayed as an outspoken and stubborn woman. In the play, Kate cannot find a husband because of her aggressive personality, the men speak negatively about her and believe she is not a fit woman to marry. Although, in the play it may seem like Kate will never find a husband