Shakespeare Points In His Play example essay topic

In Early days, authors who did not like the way people treated each other in society often criticized the relationships in what they wrote. In the play The Taming of the Shrew, William Shakespeare expressed his opinion about these relationships and mistreatments in society. In his play Shakespeare focuses on the relationship between husbands and wives and how men treat their wives badly. His play also points out the mistreatments of servants by their masters. Another focus is the relationship between the parents and their children and how fathers prefer some of their children over the others.

Shakespeare uses the many different human interactions in his play as a way to critique and comment on real social treatments. In the play there are a number of husband-wife relationships that Shakespeare critically comments on. Katherina is know as a shrew and Petruchio is a man from Verona who's father recently died and he wants to marry Katherina for her money. Petruchio mistreats her before and after their marriage. When Petruchio meets Katherina the first time, he tells her "Marry, so I mean, sweet Katherina in thy bed... your father consented... And bring you from a wild Kate to a Kate... ". (2.1.

269-280) Petruchio's rude words to Katherina are so drastic because Shakespeare wanted to clearly dissect men's behaviour to women. Another example of the inhumanely treatment of wives is when Petruchio decides to leave straight after his wedding, Katherina refuses to go with him but as usual Petruchio makes her realize that she is now his property, he tells her "Kate, she must with me. Nay, look not big... I will be master of what is mine own. She is my goods, my chattels... ". (3.2. 227-239) this clearly shows that Katherina means nothing to him, Shakespeare has made Petruchio look very bad in the play when he could have eliminated the use these words, but Shakespeare decided to put it in mainly to criticize men in society.

During the Elizabethan era husbands treated their wives like a piece of property. In the play the three newly wedded husbands sit and bet on their wives as though they were a piece of property, Petruchio starts the bet by saying "And therefore for assurance lets each send unto his wife, And he whose wife is most obedient, to come at first when he doth send for her... ". . (5.2. 65-74) Shakespeare points out that woman are treated like property. Petruchio's beliefs about his wife are so insensitive and extreme that Shakespeare must have been trying to comment on this ridiculous unequal relationship.

Shakespeare wanted to clearly show these relationships in society to the people, so that they understand that what they are doing is wrong. The relationship between masters and servants is another thing that Shakespeare wanted to criticize. Petruchio's mistreated his servants a lot, when he first appears in the play he is fighting with his servant Grumio, he wrings Grumio by the ear and tells him "I'll try how you can solfa and sing it... Now knock when I bid you, sirrah villain". (1.2. 17-20) Petruchio not only treats Grumio in a bad way, he is also very violent with him.

Shakespeare goes to the extreme to show these mistreatments to the audience to comment on what he thinks about society. Even Katherina mistreats Grumio, When Grumio argues with Katherina she beats him up and tells him "Go get thee gone, thou false deluding slave. That feed " st me with the very name of meat... ". (4.3. 31-35) by these harsh words Katherina makes Grumio realize that he has no say what so ever.

Shakespeare put this in his play because he wanted to inform the people about it and wanted to condemn the treatment of servants. When Vincentio visits his son Lucent io, he finds Tranio wearing his son's clothes; he gets very angry and starts criticizing Tranio, he tells him "Nay, what are you sir? O immortal gods! O fine villain... ". (5.1. 54-58) this shows how inhumanely Vincentio treats the servant, Shakespeare is clearly showing and criticizing the treatment of servants, he goes to the utmost of showing the mistreatment of servants.

Shakespeare could have avoided these scenes in the play but he chose to show them to the people to make them realize what they are doing is inappropriate. Most Parents favour one of their children over the others. In the play we can see this clearly in the relationship between Baptista and his two daughters. In the play, while Katherina was arguing with the men, Baptista asks Bianca to go inside; he feels that the conversation is too abrasive for Bianca to handle, so he tells her "Go in Bianca... Katherina may stay for I have more to commune with Bianca". (1.1.

91-101) Baptista does not tell Katherina to go in and this clearly shows his favouring of Bianca, Shakespeare exaggerates this part clearly to criticize the relationship between Baptista and his daughters. In another part of the play Baptista shows up when Katherina and Bianca are fighting. Before even investigating what happened, Baptista blames Katherina and tells her "Why how now dame, whence grows this insolence? Bianca stand aside. Poor girl, she weeps... ". (2.1. 23-28) The audience know that it is not Katherina's fault but Baptista censures Katherina, Shakespeare makes it exquisite because he wants to plainly make people ware about it.

Later in the play Katherina has to marry Petruchio against her own will, Baptista makes his daughter Katherina look bad in public, he tells her "Go girl, I cannot blame thee now to weep... much more a shrew of thy impatient humour" (3.2. 27-30) Baptista calls his own daughter a shrew which is the worst thing a parent can do to his child. Shakespeare over exaggerates the relationship because he distinctly wants to show the treatment of the father with his daughter. Shakespeare precisely shows the favouring of Bianca over Katherina by Baptista and he does so to opine on similar relationships in society. Commenting on life is what everyone does, but authors comment on life in a different way. Shakespeare asserts about the relationships in society through the play The Taming of the shrew.

He extremely exaggerates all the relationships in the play because he wants the society to change what they are doing. Some of the relationships that Shakespeare points in his play is between husband and wives, father and daughter and master and servants. Shakespeare exercises with the relationships in his play to interpret about the general society. Shakespeare, William. The Taming Of the Shrew. London: Oxford University Press, 1990.