Tone, Symbols, Point of View

Taming of the Shrew is a comedy filled with diverse characters and personalities. Shakespeare develops various tones throughout the play, some of which include sarcasm and playfulness. Overall, the play is of a comic nature, but it does take on a more serious disposition when such topics as hierarchical marriage are addressed. The play takes place in the third person, so various points of view are established throughout it. Shakespeare uses symbols such as Petruchio's wedding attire to add both a comic effect and an underlying meaning to the play. Petruchio's apparel is a symbol of the status he holds over Kate. He uses the costume to embarrass Kate, which is all part of the plan to tame her. Shakespeare also introduces the falcon as a symbol of Kate. In order to tame Kate, Petruchio trains her as if she were a falcon, depriving her of nutrition and sleep in order to make her submit to his wishes. Petruchio's authority over Kate is further developed with the symbol of the exquisite cap and gown that Kate loves and Petruchio denounces.

Concluding the Play

The last scene in Act 4 and the first scene in Act 5 provide for the beginning of the conclusion of the play. Petruchio keeps giving Kate a hard time in the carriage when he makes an incorrect statement, is corrected by Kate, gets upset with Kate for correcting him at which Kate agrees with him, and then gets upset with Kate for lying. The theme of appearance vs. reality in the play does not only apply only to the network of disguises that the play is comprised of, but also to the institution of marriage in the case of Kate and Petruchio. It seems as though the marriage is one of frustration, but all along, Kate and Petruchio are in the process of falling in love. This process culminates when the couple breaks away from the traditional confines of marriage when they kiss in the middle of the street. It is at this point that Kate has become tamed and Petruchio is finally fully satisfied with his wife.

Tranio's and Lucentio's plan is ruined when the real Vincentio shows up at Lucentio's house with Kate and Petruchio. Bianca and the real Lucentio eloped, and now the whole situation has to be explained. Later, Lucentio has a dinner for the three married couples: Petruchio and Kate, Hortensio and the Widow, and Lucentio and Bianca. This is an interesting dinner in that the men make a bet, all believing that their own wife is the most obedient. Situational irony exists in the fact that Kate is the only one who obeys her husband's call. This situation follows with Kate's lecture on how a woman should be submissive to her husband. Although times have changed and this sort of talk would be largely criticized in modern society, this hierarchical institution of marriage was believed in at the time.

Kate and Petruchio

The first time Kate and Petruchio ever meet (Act 2), when Petruchio tries to persuade Kate to marry him, the situation is a humor fest. Petruchio is extremely sarcastic in his comments to Kate, and scatological humor is present throughout the act. Shakespeare is a master of comedy, and gallows humor is also incorporated throughout the play in that various characters make light of the subject of death. The humor continues with the couple's wedding when Petruchio arrives late and very inappropriately dressed. Petruchio then leaves early with Kate (against her will), and it is soon discovered that all of this is in an attempt to tame her. Not only is Petruchio seeking her dowry, but he also does want a tame wife. When they arrive at Petruchio's house, Petruchio sends her to bed without dinner with the reason that the dinner was not perfect. He also plans to complain that the bed is not good enough, thus also depriving her of sleep. This is all in an attempt to curb her headstrong attitude. The typical subjugation of the woman that accompanies marriage is also present in this relationship. Petruchio makes several comments indicating that he considers Kate his property. This theme is further developed in the fact that Kate is not as adamant about her own opinions with Petruchio as she is with other men.

Kate the Shrew, Themes, Characterization, Suitor Web

The theme/motif of social status in the play coincides with Kate's label of the "shrew." A shrew is a woman of violent temper and speech, which characterizes Kate perfectly. Every character in the novel is associated with a particular social status, but Kate is left behind in this aspect in that she alienates herself from society as a whole; this also contributes to her role as the shrew. Social status can be determined from a number of factors other than wealth to include age, gender, and education. Lucentio is wealthy, young, and educated, and Tranio is his servant. Kate COULD be considered an upper-class young maiden, but she denies this social role, so only Bianca is left with it. Since Lucentio, who moves to Padua from Pisa to study at the city's renowned university, falls in love with Bianca, he becomes a classics instructor named Cambio, while Tranio takes his place as a wealthy aristocrat. Gremio and Hortensio are the other two suitors who want to marry Bianca and exist in a love-hate relationship. They are rivals when it comes to marrying Bianca, but allies when it comes to finding a tutor for her and a husband for Kate. Hortensio is friends with Petruchio, who he suggests as a husband for Kate, which solves the problem of finding a man for the oldest daughter before the youngest can wed. Hortensio then transforms himself into a music instructor to court Bianca, while Gremio finds Tranio (disguised as Lucentio) as a tutor for Bianca to place himself in a better light in Baptista's eyes. This twisted plot provides for another theme of the play: disguise. Disguise also contributes to characterization in the play.

Introduction/Themes

The convoluted plot of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew begins within the Induction and immediately after, when the entity of the frame story is established. The Lord's practical joke on Sly and Sly's resultant false and farcical relationship with his supposed wife provide for the outlying story, while the play that the traveling group of actors performs for Sly adds the remaining story of the frame tale. One of the major themes of the play is established in the beginning with the situation between Baptista and his two daughters, Katherine and Bianca, and Bianca's two suitors, Hortensio and Gremio. In the play, marriage is not approached in terms of love. Instead, suitors seek women who are submissive (Bianca) instead of fiery and independent (Katherine). Money also plays a big role in marriage, as is evidenced when Baptista chooses Tranio (disguised as Lucentio) to marry Bianca if his father can guarantee his wealth, simply because he has more material prosperity to offer Bianca than does Gremio. Another prominent theme in the play is the effect that social status has on social relationships and marriages. Baptista welcomes Petruchio to his home, even though he doesn't believe the marriage between he and Katherine will work out, because of his deceased father's (Antonio's) status in Verona.