Analysis Of Taming Of The Shrew And Othello - 1991 Words

INTRODUCTION Both Taming of the Shrew and Othello Shakespeare present a variety of relationships which dramatise abuse against women. In Taming of the Shrew Petruchio’s attempts to reform Kate to make her the ideal housewife can be interpreted as a form of domestic abuse. Not only does he withhold necessities such as food, he places her in isolation, and even plays mind games with her to such an extent that she is fearful of defying him - creating a relationship of dependence. In Othello too, there are two different types of abusive relationships that have the same outcome - a husband feels so betrayed by his wife that he subjects her to a barrage of verbal abuse, ultimately seeing no option but to murder her. METHODOLOGY In order to†¦show more content†¦Early modern marriage could be likened to a financial trade which was mutually beneficial to both parties. Therefore in Othello, upon learning of his daughter’s clandestine marriage, Brabanzio’s refers to Othello as a ‘thief’ , because he considers Desdemona ta possession which he believed was his to trade but has been ‘stol’n’. Similarly in Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio regards Kate as a mean to a dowry as he states that he could put up with all her faults provided there was ‘money enough’. Furthermore, during the wooing scene with Kate he expresses his intention to change her into the ‘other household Kates’. This term has been interpreted by the scholar Natasha Korda as Petruchio’s assertion over Kate, she states that ‘Cates are thus by definition †¦ commodities’ and the wordplay on the name Kate suggests that he simply views her as another h ousehold object. The fact that women were viewed as commodities and objects and not humans is an indicator of why they were subject to domestic abuse. ANALOGIES OF MARRIAGE There were two main analogies of marriage in the early modern period both of which reiterated the husband’s position as the head of the household, and the rest of the members as subordinates. The first was the religious analogy between the Church and a marriage. In order to research this, I read some verses from the Bible which indicated that married couples should use the relationship between Adam and Eve as a guide for aShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of William Shakespeare s Macbeth 1149 Words   |  5 Pagestroupe. As a playwright, Shakespeare’s early works like The Taming of the Shrew and The Comedy of Errors established him as a successful playwright. His earliest plays were generally histories or comedies, with Romeo and Juliet as the sole exception to the pattern. Plays like Richard II and Henry V explored the devastating effects of weak leadership. Later, Shakespeare transitioned into writing his famous tragedies, such as Hamlet, Othello, and Macbeth, which centered around darker themes. His lastRead MoreShakespeare s Twelfth Night ( C. 1600-01 )2907 Words   |  12 Pageswere regarded as objects of criticism by the male dominated society and this, being a social reality was not only reflected in Shakespeare’s but also in the plays of other dramatists of the Renaissance period. For example, in Shakespeare’s `Taming of the Shrew` the heroine Kate is rejected by men, despite her father’s money, because she is loud and disobedient. Some characteristics were allowed to be shared, but often attributed as coming from one sex. Tears for example were thought of as feminine