Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Men Above Women


In Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, there are many themes prevalent throughout the text. A salient theme found within the play is the imbalance of power between the genders. The patriarchal society within Shakespeare’s time is reflected onto the text and it creates the structure of character relationships. For example, Baptista Minola imposes his male authority over Kate and Bianca, postponing the marriage of Bianca until Kate is married. Another example is Petruchio and his taming of the shrew, Kate. He obtains an almost hypnotic control over Kate and this is proven at the sun and moon scene on the way to Padua as his authoritative power over his female subordinate is exercised. This theme can be compared to the power that was held by Creon in Antigone. Creon has a power over the women and citizens and it is comparable to the power of Petruchio and Kate. This theme of a patriarchal society is constant through Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.
  - Nick Porter

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for commenting! Don't forget to sign your name. Inappropriate, irrelevant, rude, and silly comments will be deleted.