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  • Essay / The reflection of marriage in Shakespearean society in The Taming of the Shrew

    The Taming of the Shrew gives the reflection of marriage in Shakespearean society. The ideas of patriarchy, female domestication and submission, economic interest and the employment of noise and love all come together in the plot of the play according to the roles by which the shrew, the husband and the father of a family are defined. The patriarchal control of the husband is opposed to the shrew. In The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio embodies male dominance in marriage while Kate represents female rebellion. Petruchio's imperious control over courtship and marriage is represented as the accepted norm, typical of the lover and husband. One must take precedence over the other, but there is ongoing war and friction between the two sexes in said war of attrition, but it is the wife who must ultimately give in to her husband and submit. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The systematic taming and domestication of women loom large in Taming of the Shrew as they break the other woman's will to resist, to rebel. and fight back. Given Kate's character, she meets the criteria of someone who needs to be tamed. Despite Kate's submission to marriage, she undermines the system because, even though Petruchio has his allegiance and outward deference, she still questions the rationality of her husband's directives. She complies with Petruchio's demands and allows him to see himself as the leader of the relationship. The Taming of the Shrew both supports male domination and discredits the expected submission of women to almost that of a child. The play satirizes both female liberation and male mastery in marriage. The Taming of the Shrew can be described as a satire of male domination. The introduction is an indicator and precursor to Kate's superficial and illusory transformation from shrew to obedient wife. Kate only performs to achieve her own goals and to best serve her interests in the marital relationship. Added to this is the role of paterfamilias, or paternal governance. As a single woman, Kate is under the control of her father, Baptista, who represents the paterfamilias at home. It falls to Baptista to secure the marriage of her two daughters. Baptista decrees that Kate must marry before her younger sister Bianca. This maneuver increases Kate's desirability and uses it as an expedient to gamble that both of her daughters are married and no longer in her hands. Marriage of convenience takes first place among the themes, because marriage and money form a happy union. According to tradition and the period, the play is charged with commercial interest where the delicate question of dowry negotiation arises and where the father profits from the sale of his daughter. The suitors' interest was to bequeath the father's estate and his wife's fortune. The mercenary interest in profit depreciates the value of marriage and transforms the bride into a common prostitute who goes to the highest bidder. Baptista is certain that her daughters' suitors are rich and enjoy a certain financial prestige. The socio-economic situation highlights the plight of singles and marrieds, forced to depend on men for financial support, as they are subject to the domination of the father and husband, fulfilling the role of paterfamilias. Petruchio uses noise, intensity, sonority, vehemence. and petulance to assert his control as husband and ruler of the household. These traits reflect virility, masculine power and authority. Petruchio's use of sound rivals. 1975