External and internal influences affect the power balance within relationships. This dynamic of relationships is demonstrated throughout The Taming of the Shrew. On one hand, are Katherine and Petruchio, who are witty and shrewish, and on the other are Lucentio and Bianca, who are more mild. However, by the end of the play Petruchio and Katherine have a better relationship. The relationship between Katherine and Petruchio is strong through relationship development and balance of power within relationship, along with the related factors of self-control and socially acceptable behavior.
In order to develop a complete understanding of the balance of power within Petruchio’s and Katherine’s relationship, there will be an examination of power dynamics
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According to Ramsey-Kurz, “His taming of Katherine can be read accordingly as an endeavour to induce Katherine to do like him and act naturally rather than being natural,” (270). In other words, instead of acting based on natural instincts and emotions, act in a way or create a deception that fits within the role you have been placed into by society. Ramsey-Kurz goes on to explain how through Petruchio demonstrating the purpose of deception, Katherine can create a new role for herself. In this new role, she is not held back by the attitudes of others towards her socially unacceptable behavior (270). Without being restrained by her behavior, Katherine can obtain power from new sources, such as the respect of others.
Through the development of a new role for Katherine, there can be a balance of power between Petruchio and Katherine. A key moment in this shifting of power occurs when Katherine and Petruchio are headed to Bianca and Lucentio’s wedding and Petruchio is declaring that the moon is out, despite it being daytime. This is the moment when Katherine demonstrates the understanding that arguing with Petruchio makes the situation result not in her favor, through this
William Shakespeare's comedy, The Taming of the Shrew illistrates the difficulty of trying to tame a headstrong, stubborn, and a high-spirited woman so that she will make a docile wife. The one attempting to tame Kate, the shrew, is Petruchio. They contend with each other with tremendous vitality and have a forced relationship. In contrast, there is another romantically linked couple who seemingly possess an ideal relationship. These young lovers, Bianca and Lucentio, share a love that is not grounded in reality, but in fantasy. These two sub-plot characters are stock characters and Shakespeare creates the irony of the play through the differences between the two couples. It
Petruchio wears the psychological mask of a guy who only has eyes for money. He makes his mask clear to the reader when he tells Hortensio to “wife wealthily” adding “you don’t know the power of gold.” after being told about Katherina’s bad behavior, not to mention her temper. It appears that Petruchio marries Kate for her money, but immediately starts to “kill her with kindness”. He begins going so by depriving her of food and sleep because he claims that neither the food from the kitchen nor the bed is good enough for her. Petruchio puts on a show of bad temper towards his servants for every fault, showing Kate what it is like to live with a bad-tempered person. For the first time in her life, Kate finds herself trying to get someone else to control their anger. Petruchio also shows Kate that she will get the things she wants when she learns to agree with what her husband says. By treating Kate in this manner, Petruchio seems cruel, but there is a reason for it. If he were truly interested only in money, he could have left Kate at home and gone out on his own. In the end, his efforts to improve his wife have worked. He improves Kate’s life, so that she does not continue to live an unhappy life. Because of Petruchio, Katherina the shrew is happily married in the end, and comes to be a good example to
Though often times in the world one may get caught up in the secrets and rumours about them or those around them, it is these secrets and rumours that shape a human being’s character and relationships with those around them. In the Shakespearean tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, the effects that secrets have on characters’ relationships shape the play, yet more specifically, it is the literal secrets regarding relationships that shape such relationships, which, in turn, shapes the play. Different relationships as outlined thoroughly in the play are not only a result of the secrets themselves, but the location in which these certain secrets are initially portrayed.
Petruchio is the fearless and confident bachelor from William Shakespeare’s well- known comedy The Taming Of The Shrew who goes to Padua for the specific intention of finding a wealthy wife. Despite the repeated warnings from friends, he is determined to woo the `
Love is represented in many shapes and ideas based on social context as well as those caught within. William Shakespeare’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 love.
Petruchio, though rightfully attempting to stand as a master and man according to the homily, does not do so with his servant, Grumio, or wife, Katherine, with love and respect as it suggests. The scenes that introduce Petruchio and Lucentio begin by depicting their
Wonder, for a moment, what Shakespeare means when he uses the word “love”, if it really does exist in any of the relationships in this play, particularly between Petruccio and Katherine. Is love not a certainty?
Another clear example of character deception in The Taming of the Shrew is Petruchio’s deception of Katherine. Petruchio pretends that he loves Katherine so much, that he cannot allow her to eat his inferior food or sleep in his poorly made bed; all in the name of ‘love’. “That bate and beat will not be obedient. She eat no meat today, not none shall eat; last night she slept not, nor tonight she shall not,” (Act IV Scene I The Taming of the Shrew). The motive for Petruchio’s deception of Katherine is that he wishes to tame her. Katherine is the ‘shrew’ of the play and has needed to be tamed-not through violence or words; but by actions of ‘love’.
to describe his gentle transformation towards Kate. For he declares that this falcon ?must not be full-gorged (4.1)? and the use of the comparison single-handedly shows his care towards Kate and demolishes any faint idea of the play being a celebration of patriarchal power. Shakespeare uses Petruchio to bear the character of a man who only teaches and liberates his wife and is willing to suffer to complete this transformation. Thus, Shakespeare indicates the importance of transformation and shows of how a lack of brutality and presence of love can allow a mutual love relationship to effectively exist.
Petronius’ satirical novel stems around social manners within the world of classical antiquity, where it seems his intent is to amuse his audience, but in that amusement also demean the aristocracy with his light wit. The author shows his audience, the lengths to which Trimalchio goes to portray his idea of grandeur. Despite Trimalchio’s portrayal of over the top wealth and grandeur, his excessiveness is not
Berger argues that women do not wish for nor strive for power. Berger attests that women only wish to be seen by men, therefore, they act in a way that the previously discussed powerful men would appreciate
In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, power, commonly defined as the ability to control and influence other people, plays an integral role in the relationships between each of the characters. Prospero, the comedy’s protagonist, establishes power based relationships with his slave Caliban, his daughter Miranda, and his spirit helper Arial. Prospero’s ambition is to regain his former position as the Duke of Milan from his treasonous brother, Antonio. To achieve this goal he uses a variety of manipulation devices on each of the characters. Prospero uses manipulative language to maneuver the marriage between his daughter and Ferdinand. The Tempest illustrates that language operates as a means of violence.
What is a relationship? Is it a sharing of understanding and trials with another human being, a connection between a man and a woman emotionally and sexually, or could it be, just simply, a compassion or love intertwined between two souls? These aspects of relationship and more are illustrated in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Macbeth. The way Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship changes drastically throughout the play is an example of how fragile a relationship really is. With one word or action a relationship can erode itself away. This play is a perfect example of a promising relationship that messes with a power greater than themselves and in the end falls into a hopeless swamp with no way out, nowhere to turn.
Power is said to be the ability of another to be able to control or influence others in a given situation. Power is also a reoccurring theme that is without a doubt well displayed in Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, “Porphyria’s Lover,” “Eveline,” and “My Last Duchess.” In drama Othello, by Shakespeare, the title character suspects his wife Desdemona has been unfaithful with no proof and just the assumption of a friend. He publicly confronts Desdemona by hitting her and calling her a whore. Othello is in possession of power here because he publicly shows what he is capable of; he is not afraid to hit a woman. In short story “Eveline,” by James Joyce, Eveline and her younger brothers grow up in an abusive environment, with their father the
In Shakespeare's comedy, The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare has a woman as one of the story's main characters. Katherine Minola (Kate) is off the wall, and kinda crazy. Because of her actions, the “male centered world” around her doesn't know what to do with her.