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.In The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare overthrows gender stereotypes. In the early modern period, women were perceived as less rational, self-disciplined, and intellectual than men and, as a result, required male supervision from fathers and husbands, who “mold[edh]” them into obedient, docile, and silent women. Women in their “natural state” were often labelled shrews, as is Katherine in Shakespeare’s play, but Shakespeare upturns the typical designation and portrays male characters as more shrewish than his female protagonist. Examine the inverting and critiquing of gender norms in the play, showing that Katherine far surpasses the men in rationality, self-control, and strength of character and does not need to be “tamed.” Prove that she is mislabeled a shrew and uses her intellect to contend with the true shrew(s). Include references, +400 words
In The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare subverts traditional gender stereotypes by portraying Katherine as a woman of impressive intellect, self-discipline and strength of character who does not need to be “tamed”. Despite her initial reputation for being headstrong and difficult, it is soon revealed that she is far from a typical shrew. Throughout the play, Katherine displays remarkable intelligence and rationality in multiple exchanges with suitors while they attempt to win her favor. She effectively handles their attempts at flattery by offering sharp retorts that show her wit and insight: “What, will you have me […] pin my bird’s wings/ And soar with them above the clouds? Nay I pray you (2.1). This level of eloquence reveals an active mind capable of both creative metaphor as well as cutting sarcasm; something no true shrew would possess.
Katherine also proves herself to be more self-controlled than any man in the play when Petruchio claims that he can tame even such a wild creature as Katherine: “I’ll undertake it; mock on! I will show thee/ A spirit more tender than my kind heart (4.3).” To prove his point, Petruchio proceeds to deprive himself of food until Kate agrees to marry him; but rather than succumb to his logic like he expects, Katherine remains adamant in keeping her independence intact despite his pressure tactics: “No longer shall you feed upon my cost./I begg’d your meats ere yesterday was three weeks(4.3). Here we see how she employs patience tempered with firmness against Petruchio’s machinations for control over her behavior – something many men in the play fail miserably at achieving due to their impulsivity and lack of temperance towards those around them – namely Hortensio whose desperate pursuit for Bianca leads him into disastrous attempts at wooing women or Baptista whose capriciousness results in his own daughter’s public humiliation.
Finally, unlike most other characters in the play who are constantly scheming or plotting behind each other’s back such as Tranio manipulating Lucentio into marrying Bianca without anyone knowing or Gremio petitioning Baptista so he could gain access to Bianca – Katherine stands out because she operates according to moral integrity rather than convenience or selfish ambition: “Luce I stay thy quarrels; thou shalt have Anjona…but now let Kate alone (5.2)..” Not only does this display an admirable level of honesty but also highlights how tolerant and open minded Kate truly is since she is willing share what should rightfully be hers for someone else’s benefit insteadof insisting on taking more than necessary for herself like all other players do throughout the play which gives additional credence towards denouncing Kate’s ‘shrewish’ label .
Overall then through these various examples it becomes clear that Shakespeare intentionally overturns traditional gender roles by depicting females as intelligently articulate beings capable enough not just fend off domestic subjugation imposed upon them but also stand up fairly against male characters whom they ordinarily outwit thus proving beyond doubt why calling Katharine a ‘shrew’ completely misses mark without question , emphasizing yet again why The Taming Of The Shrew stands out still today among modern audiences regardless era its author lived in