The Taming Of The Shrew As A Product Of Its Time Period

Any given text is a product of its context and the societal values at the time. Literary texts are like time capsules, capturing the essence of the time period in which they were written in. The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare, was written in the Elizabethan Era, 1590. The two prominent themes used in the play are gender roles and marriage, presenting the traditional beliefs at the time alongside the more modern beliefs. In the Elizabethan times, modern values were emerging amongst the established traditional values. The traditional Elizabethan principles viewed women as the weaker sex, therefore obtaining less power than the dominant males. Marriage often involved one’s ability to gain wealth and a position, and love was not considered a priority. However, from the perspective of the modern emerging values, love was the basis of a prosperous marriage. Through the use of characterisation, dialogue and context, Shakespeare offers insights into the diverse perspectives of those living in the Elizabethan Era.

The generic definition of marriage is known as the legally recognized union between a man and a woman as partners in a personal relationship. Marriage, however, in different time periods, occurred for different purposes and objectives. The traditional Elizabethan belief was that marriage should occur in order to gain wealth and/or power. In Act I Scene II, Petruchio, the future husband of Katherine states: “I come to wive it wealthily in Padua; If wealthily, then happily in Padua.” Although crude, Petruchio is completely up front about his desire to seek wealth. According to him, marrying a wealthy wife brings worldly riches, therefore also bringing happiness, a traditional value of the Elizabethan era. Happiness in a marriage was not founded on love, but rather on what one could ‘offer’ in the business transaction. Hortensio, one of Bianca’s suitors, also states: “For in Baptista's keep my treasure is. He hath the jewel of my life in hold, His youngest daughter, beautiful Bianca.” Here, Hortensio compares Bianca to a treasure and jewel. The comparison can be taken both literally in reference to wealth and fortune but also symbolically claiming Bianca as something rare and precious, in reference to her character, inner and outer beauty. This shows, although minor, the progression from desiring marriage for the purpose of wealth to also incorporating one’s inner beauty. The quote clearly intertwines two perspectives into one. Coming from a traditionalist view, one would understand that Hortensio is describing Bianca as a form of wealth however coming from a modernist view, one would understand that Hortensio is looking deeper than what lies on the surface. In Katherine’s final speech at the end of the play she states that a husband is: “Thy life, one that cares for thee, and for thy commits his body to painful labour and craves no other tribute but love, fair looks, and true obedience.” Here we finally see the modern values of marriage emerging in the Elizabethan era. Katherine shows that one’s husband is not only your partner for life, but a companion that cares for your desires more than his own. He is self-sacrificial as he painful works for his wife without asking for anything in return but true love, which leads to true obedience. If you truly love someone, you will override your desires for the desire of your love. A woman’s husband supports and protects her, living a life full of responsibility and danger while his wife is “warm at home, secure and safe.” In return, Katherine says a husband asks only for the kindness and obedience of his wife, which is but a small payment for “so great a debt.” As a prince is to his subject, a husband is to his wife and if a woman proves shrewish (“peevish, sullen, sour”), then it is as though she is a traitor to a just monarch. We see a marriage in which one’s status or wealth is no longer the foundation but rather a marriage based on true love, forming the strongest foundation. Shakespeare challenges the audience with two views and values of marriage: the customary value of marriage for wealth, and the contemporary value of marriage for true love. Hence, providing two distinctive perspectives on the same theme of marriage in the Elizabethan era.

The way society view women has altered and adapted considerably as time has progressed. The Elizabethan woman was raised to believe that she was inferior to man and ‘in her greatest perfection was made to serve and obey man’. In Act IV Scene I, Petruchio talks about taming his ‘shrew’: “Thus have I politicly begun my reign. My falcon now is sharp and passing empty, to make her come and know her keeper’s call. She ate no meat today, nor none shall eat. Last night she slept not, nor tonight she shall not. And thus, I’ll curb her mad and headstrong humor.” The church institutions of the time agreed that the woman must serve and obey man, using biblical quotes in order to ensure the principle was respected. Disobedience was punished and Elizabethan girls, even women, were beaten into submission. Here Petruchio makes us aware of his plans to ‘civilise’ Katherine from an undesirable shrew to a desired woman of the time. The word “reign” is typically used in reference to a monarch who rules over its kingdom and people. By using this language, Petruchio expresses his intention to rule over Katherine as a king does to his subjects. She will be expected to “know her keeper’s call” therefore obeying his every command and making it clear that her position will be below the “keeper”. By saying “I’ll curb her mad and headstrong humor” we understand that being loud and wilful is not a desired characteristic for a female. Petruchio is planning on modelling Katherine into a ‘ladylike’ woman that does not express her opinion but rather is quiet and submissive. Living in a patriarchal society, women did not have a voice, as they were not seen as equals to men, but rather as inferior to their superior males. In Act III Scene II Petruchio describes Katherine: “She is my goods, my chattels. She is my house, my household-stuff, my field, my horse, my ox, my anything.” Petruchio openly confirms that Katherine is his property from now on. By objectifying and dehumanising her in such a way, Petruchio instantly positions her alongside animals and lifeless household objects. In other words, what he finds desirable in the items listed is voicelessness, obedience and usefulness. On the other hand, Shakespeare offers another angle to the idea of gender roles in the Elizabethan era, seeing the same idea from a more modern viewpoint. Looking at the same quote under a different light we understand that Petruchio’s words are not, however, spoken in all seriousness. They are not his original thoughts but rather a list from the Ten Commandments from the Bible of a man’s possessions, which Petruchio relates to his wife. By quoting precisely from another text, it creates the likelihood that Petruchio is speaking with self-conscious irony. Describing Katherine in such a way allows the audience to see that Petruchio, in fact, is dependent on Katherine. She is his “anything” therefore his everything. Without her, he has no “house”, no companion to love, no one to protect and care for. Shakespeare is depicting a man that is incomplete without his other half, contradictory to the traditional Elizabethan principles. Rather than looking at Katherine as inferior, it shows that in a marriage, the male counterpart is not superior or even inferior, but rather that both halves are equal. In order for a marriage to last, the husband and the wife both must consider themselves equal, unlike what was previously believed. Shakespeare challenges the audience with two interpretations of a woman’s role: the customary value of woman’s inferiority to man’s superiority, and the contemporary value of women as equals to men. Hence, providing two distinctive perspectives on the same theme of gender roles in the Elizabethan era.

Through the characterisation of Bianca and Katherine, Shakespeare presents two differing representations. Bianca is portrayed as the ideal woman of the Shakespearean society as she is quiet, submissive and charming. She is everything a traditionalist man of his time is looking for. Whereas Katherina is depicted as an archetype with its ‘flawed’ qualities that need to be changed. This dominant belief at the time, however, is not the only perspective Shakespeare shows in the text. Viewing women as objects, and marriage as a form of financial gain is a straight forward representation but not the ideal depiction. Love is another important aspect in marriage and blind obedience is what comes as a result of true love. This representation comes from the more modern values emerging at the time, looking at the same theme from another angle. Katherine is portrayed as an independent and headstrong woman who struggles in a patriarchal society to be understood. Hence, successfully proving that literary texts offer insights into diverse perspectives of a text’s context.