Blog #1- Taming of the Shrew Act I
Act I: Choose one of the following topics to
discuss. Explain how it was presented in
Act I, and discuss how it addresses a larger issue(s). Explain what Shakespeare might be trying to
tell the reader.
- · Role-playing/Disguise
- · Women and society
Remember to
sign your post with your first initial, last name, and class period.
Women and Society:
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Act 1 you can immediately tell who the "Shrew" is. Katherine is labeled to be unsuitable as what they thought was an ideal wife. They ridiculed her by basically saying no one would ever marry her because she is unpleasant, rough, and had a grouchy kind of attitude that isn't normal. They thought an ideal wife was one that accepts orders from their husbands and basically gives up their independence. In this time period it wasn't really seen as acceptible to not "obey" your husband or not to do what he wants but she defends herself and her belief that she shouldn't relinquish her independence by saying, "What, shall I be appointed hours, as though belike I knew not what to take and what to leave? Ha!"
D.Bonea 1st
I agree with this, like on cue when it begins Katherine says something that quickly informs the audience that she is the shrew of the story, while Bianca is quite, polite, and only speaks when spoken to. The suitors lining up for Bianca's hand make it even more obvious when they all but call Katherine a shrew after the father and his daughters have left. (2 A. Phillips)
DeleteIn the beginning of Act One I noticed that many of the characters convey a social position which is based on many different things such as wealth and gender. For an example, Bianca and Katherine are conveyed as wealthy ladies and Luciento is a wealthy male. Each different social position has a different set of standards they need to live up to by societies standards. Kate didn't want to live up to those standards that society set and because of this they disapproved of her. She became very unhappy and doleful with life due to the disapproval and isolation that she was shown for defying her "role".
ReplyDeleteS.Rice 1
In Act I of 'Taming of the Shrew' women are treated as a prize/possession. The men "compete" against each other to win the girls heart over. The word taming is often used for animals where as in the title they want to tame the shrew which is human; using words such as these could be seen as deragatory. The expectations of the women are to be tame, quiet, kind, and well-mannered; the ideal type which being Bianca. As for Katherine who is the 'Shrew' of the play, someone who is hot tempered and strong willed; which isn't what the men are looking for. Could it be possible that Katherine was unfairly compared to her sister causing her to be upset with the way things are, the names she's called only making things worse.
ReplyDelete(B. Brown 6)
I agree that the men compete for the woman, but not for their hearts. I think that the men are showboating for the father. They want to prove that they're the best rather than getting the girl of their dreams. The girls that they are competing for really are seen as pieces of property rather than a heart to be won. “Taming” the women suggests that the suitors don’t see them as equals. I didn’t think about Katherine being jealous about Bianca and her many suitors. I pictured her as a naturally crazy person.
Delete6 H. Craig
Women In Society:
ReplyDeleteIn Act 1 we met Katherine and her sister Bianca. Katherine is the complete opposite of Bianca , Katherine is very outspoken and aggressive while Bianca is more quiet and sweet. Katherine is a shrew and being that she isn't acting ' like a lady ' the men feel that no matter how wealthy her father is they refuse to marry her for not acting the way women are suppose to act. Women in society now are always told they are suppose to do this and suppose to do that. Women are suppose to be respectful and modest , Bianca is all the traits of a women men want while Katherine is a firecracker and violent tempered.
(S. Hyacinth 6)
I agree. Bianca was praised for having no opinion at all and just doing what she was told while Katharina was strongly disliked by men because she just had an opinion. It seems like the men want to be in complete control of their wives. Women are treated as objects. The suitors are going by women's looks and how obedient they are but they’re not trying to actually get to know them for who they are. (C.Gunn 2)
DeleteI agree. It seems that women are not able to have an opinion. They must keep quit and sit pretty. They must be the "perfect trophy wives. They are as if they are an actual trophy the man holds. A women cant be herself and have an opinion without being looked down open and disgusted by men. They wish to keep their perfect sweet quit wives.(P. Brown 2nd)
DeleteWomen in Society:
ReplyDeleteClearly form this book it is very obvious that women were not treated like how they should be or how they are treated today in the 21st century. The Women are treated like objects or dogs, and the men are their controllers. It is actually very sad and disrespectful. This issue shows how back then a women did not have an opinion and her only role was to do whatever the man tells her. This is shown when Pertruchio is going through a taming stage with Katherine by not letting her eat or sleep. Even though her father Baptista probably knew of the unfair treatment he did not speak of it because back then this type of thing was acceptable. (C.Grant 2)
I agree that the women back then were treated differently then they were now, but I would not say the men were their "controllers". The women could still make the choice of what they wanted regardless of what the man thought. However, I do see the point given and even though I see it differently, we're seeing it from different angles but have the similar idea. (A.McIntyre 1)
DeleteRole Playing/Disguise
DeleteAs I read this play disguise stuck out to me quite often. The first thing I realized was that Sly was dressed like a lord, and Lucentio was dressed as a latin tutor. These disguises allow these characters to change their social positions and it usually works. As far as role playing goes it reminds me of back in the day when certain countries were divided up into different social classes depending on who they were and what they did. Most characters participate in their roles very well although some want nothing to do with the role they hold, Kate for instance. The way she acts throughout the play is a result of her position in society. (A. McIntyre 1)
I agree that women are definitely not treated as they are in the 21st century. They are treated as prizes and the men are the dominant power. It's still sad that to this day there are women in the world that are under the pressures of this play that was written hundreds of years ago.
Delete(D. Elliott 1).
Act I introduces us to Katharina, the shrew, she is very independent and bold. She speaks her mind which is rare for the time period because it is a patriarchal society and women are supposed to just cook, clean, and stay in the background. But because Katharina doesn't do these things, men think she's unappealing and a “shrew.” Yet, men praise Bianca, Katharina’s sister, because she is quiet and she does what she’s told. Women in society during this time weren’t treated as equals and if you had an opinion you weren’t fulfilling your duties as a women.
ReplyDelete(C.Gunn 2)
I agree completely with what you said. During this time, it was completely abnormal for women to act like Kate. The suitors don't like her because they are not the only ones that are voicing their opinions. That is also why they like Kate. (R. Luxemburger 7)
DeleteRole-playing/Disguise
ReplyDeleteIn act one, there are multiple characters that disguise themselves. Lucentio (a high class noble) and his servant Tranio switch places so that Lucentio can pretend to be Bianca's tutor to win her over. Bianca's other suitors also plan to disguise themselves as tutors to win Bianca. This book shows how the men couldn't win over the father for Bianca's hand, so they try to make Bianca fall for them so the father has no choice. I don't think that pretending to be someone else will work for the suitors because then Bianca would be falling for someone that's not even real.
(6 H. Craig)
I don't believe the men hiding their true identities was the best idea either. Bianca may come up feeling betrayed/ lied to because all that time they were pretending to be someone who they weren't. And the even harder obstacle for the suitors being her father should also feel that way, possibly even more fury then she; with her being his daughter. He only wants he best for them so tricking them wouldn't be the best thing to do.
Delete(B. Brown 6)
In Act 1, it is displayed repeatedly that women are only valued for their monetary(dowry) value and their looks. For example, when Baptista tells Bianca's suitors that they can not marry her until Katherine is married, they start complaining on how that will never happen right in front of Katherine's face. Many of the men also refer to Katherine in the third person rather than talking to her face. They act like she's not even there. Tranio also acts like Bianca is something to be won when he says that if he does not achieve her he will parish. He views her as property and a prize to be won which shows no respect for her. He also has fallen in love with her after only seeing her, not meeting her. He only cared about her looks. Petruchio only cares if his future wife has money rather than her personality. Shakespeare is conveying the fact that women were not treated or thought of well at all during this time. The women were only seen as a pretty face and a way to get more money in society.
ReplyDelete(R. Luxemburger 7th)
Act 1 introduces both Katherine and Bianca. It is immediately obvious that Katherine is the shrew from the title and Bianca is her little sister who cant get married in till she does. Katherine is obviously abrasive, and uncaring with no one wanting to marry her while Bianca is sweet and obeying with many competing for her hand in marriage. Women in this society were not treated as equals and were treated like possessions. The men compete against each other to win the fathers praise and approval not the women's. Its more so the fathers decision in who and when the daughters get married then it is theirs.
ReplyDelete(2 A. Phillips)
This is exactly how women in this society are treated. Basically, Bianca and Katherine's opinions in this scenario does not matter. Nobody even stops to ask them what they want. Bianca is just the only one who accepts freely while Katherine speaks her mind about it. (C. Grant 2)
DeleteWomen and Society:
ReplyDeleteAt the time this play was written, it was common for marriage to be about money and social ranking. Marriage was not about love, or how fond you were of the person, it was more of a business deal.The women did not get to choose who they married, but the men chose which women they would like to marry and then ran it past the father. When Shakespeare wrote this, he was trying to contextualize the setting, tone, and overall, how the characters were going to be. For example, when Petruchio came in, he wanted a women with a rich family so that he could get there money. Before him stood Kate, but Kate had little say the future marriage that was going to take place, Petruchio went to her father, Baptista. Shakespeare was trying to bring into context the reality of life at that time and make it all nearly accurate to the times.
- A. May 1
Shakespeare presents the role of women in society in a manner typical for the time period. Through the use of Kate and Bianca he shows that strong willed witty and independent women were considered unfit for marriage while kind subservient women were the cream of the crop. Katherine is labeled a shrew and considered an obstacle to her loving sister Bianca.
ReplyDelete1.j.DiSario
At the beginning of Act 1 there is a joke being played on a character named Sly. He's being fooled into thinking he is a respected and well known Lord by another actual Lord who felt like it would be comical to mock the drunk of the town and show him all he didn't have at the end of the day. Throughout the joke Sly is presented with several perks: servants, royal treatment, and entertainment. The Lord orders he be showed a play to entertain him and this is where the disguises come in. Sly, who was single as could be, was made to be married in the joke and his "wife" was played by a man, but since Sly was supplied with so much alcohol he couldn't tell. Later the reader is introduced to Lucentio who is of the higher class and his servant Tranio. To woo the young Bianca secretly, Tranio and Lucentio switch identities. Along with these examples there are many other characters disguised as something they are not to gain something they cannot by being themselves. Shakespeare provides physical disguises to present to the reader the idea of disguises however, his goal is to show that anyone could be anything and no one is who they say they are.
ReplyDelete5th. H.Love
Women and Society:
ReplyDeleteAs clearly shown in act one, women are not seen through their true capability of doing things. They're strictly 'supposed' to get married and have children, while the males sit back and basically control them. The women lived through the men, even down to opinion. However, this is partially different in Katherine's case, as in act one the men state that they didn't want to marry a 'devil' like her. ( 1 Z. Plemons)
I totally agree with you. In that time period, women's role in society were to get married, obey their man, and have kids. However, in this play Katherine is a shrew and does not want to marry a man. Men do not want to marry her because she repels them with her shrew-like personality. Bianca does follow the roles of women in society at the time and I think Shakespeare contextualizes that well.
Delete- A. May 1
Women and Society:
ReplyDeleteThis entire act is heavily loathed in patriarchy. For historical purposes, it gives a nice glimpse into life only a few hundred years ago. Act one explains that women that are a little feisty and think/speak for themselves are considered "shrews" and unattractive to men. The shrew in this play is Katherine, the older of two sisters belonging to the father Baptista. The other daughter is Bianca, and it is she who is sought after by the men of this play. This is because she is quiet and does what her father tells her to. Submission and good looks are apparently the two best traits a woman could have during this time period, and it says a lot about the world Shakespeare lived in.
(D.Elliott, 1st.)
In Act 1, Lysander states that "The course of true love never did run smooth." This means that love is difficult and has bumps in the road. It’s kind of like saying “True love is not easy and easy love is not true.” Love will always have obstacles and problems and things or people in the way. An example of this would be in Act I when Hermia's father forbids Lysander and Hermia from being together because he wants her to marry Demetrius. (K. Small 6th).
ReplyDeleteWomen in Society
ReplyDeleteIn Act 1 you clearly are able to tell right away that Katherine is the "shrew". The men don't want to bother with her for the way she argues and curses at everyone. The men want just Bianca because of her pretty looks. Its clear to see how the men back then act the same as some men act today. They only look at the outside of women and go after what they see. They do not take the time to win over a women's heart, but only deceive and lie to get as they wish. (P. Brown 2nd)
Women in society
ReplyDeleteAs it is clearly shown in Act 1 it is obvious Katherine or Kate is the "shrew". The men or her suitors are not very attracted to her because of her rudeness and the way she presents herself. I will agree with what a lot of other people have come to recognize that the men want Bianca for her beauty. Men will do anything these days to get what they want from a woman. They will lie and choose to be extremely deceitful. (S.Maughon 2nd)