Literary Criticisms

12/17/2015

Provide YOUR critique of Taming of the Shrew. Review the critiques we read in class. Did Shakespeare's play make a powerful statement or fall short? Were the characters dynamic and engaging, or un-relatable and boring? What did you think about the conclusion? Was Kate tamed? Were Kate and Petrucchio in love? What was Shakespeares message?

22 Comments

Jenna Remaly

12/18/2015 11:32:45 am

In the book, The Taming of the Shrew Shakespeare definitely got his point across. I believe he wanted the ending to be Kate being tamed because back then women were meant to do things for the guy. At the end of the book I think Kate's speech was meant to be submissive because I think she was meant to fall for him. I liked the ending even though it may come off sexist to some people. Kate was a shrew and just because she's a girl it's sexist. If the story was about a boy that was hard headed and a women tried to turn it against him it wouldn't be considered sexist. Whenever a women tries to be dominate I find people think it's just women's equality over sexism. I think the book can be a guide for both men and women who are trying to "tame" their partners into being better people. Now if my boyfriend needs taming I know I should do what Pertuchio did and use it against him. Overall I liked the book and I think Kate was tamed not in a bad way but in a way that makes her a better person. Kate and Pertuchio are definitly in love and Pertuchio fell in love with Kate's shrewness. Shakespeare wanted to show that people that fall in love can still love each other even if their a shrew and just need taming.

Brad Tkacz

12/18/2015 10:25:48 pm

Taming of the Shrew was created by William Shakespeare to show that women can stand up for themselves if they have the will to. Shakespeare introduces the shrew which is Kate, and then he introduces a beautiful, pleasant, and kind sister known as Bianca. He does this to show that in order to get to this fair lady, the suitors must find a husband for Kate and this creates the dilemma of play. Petrucchio is the hero to all of the other people in the play, he is the one that marries Kate. Petrucchio is a very energetic character and engages the audience in the play. Petrucchio creates a plan to tame Kate and by the end of the play he succeeds. Although the final monologue Kate has can be interpreted with different tones that change the meaning of what she says entirely. But I believe that she has fallen in love with Petrucchio and is finally tamed. Shakespeare's message within this play is that people can change if they have a meaning to. In this case, Kate changed her attitude in order to gain Petrucchio's love and affection. Kate succeeded in doing this, therefore proves it is possible to change.

Connor Abbot

12/20/2015 10:21:12 am

When Shakespeare wrote taming of the shrew back sometime in 1590. It was my interpretation that he wanted to show how women were treated back that so we could see how times have changed. He did make a powerful statement to show how times have changed and still his book is highly controversial to some but it shows how times were like back then. The characters were definitely engaging but they did fight a lot as well which seemed to be somewhat unrealistic. I don't think Kate was tamed because she wouldn't be tamed for so long that it seems unrealistic for it to happen in an instance. But what I do think though is that Kate finally realized that if she does what he says then she'll get what she wants. So basically it's a two way street she does what she's told she'll get what she wants in return. But she also made that whole speech about how the other need to listen to their husbands or soon to be husbands about being tamed and that you are there for them. It also seemed like she was very well prepared for a speech like this. It also looked like there was some resistance on her part about giving the speech. Long story short as the book states Kate was tamed and finally really loved Petrucchio.

Nick Chernovetz

12/20/2015 02:10:34 pm

I think "Taming of The Shrew" was an alright story, I mean, it didn't suck but it was no "Lord of The Rings". As far as the critiques we read in class go, I'm sure people in the Renaissance, you know, back in the day, read this and thought "That's a damn good piece of novel right there." but now we live in an age where you can't walk down the street without someone being offended by it. Which I think is absolutely ridiculous because the book was written like 1000 years ago, and the times were different, just because some misandrist writes a review about the book isn't going to change it. The ending I thought was fitting, having Petruchio and Kate fall in love, they were married already so why not? It works out better that way. The characters were entertaining as far as the main people go, but everybody else and their uncle wearing disguises and what not that was just confusing and unnecessary. Shakespeare's message was to tell Renaissance women whats up and not to mess with their man, and I feel like that message was received. All that considered I give this book a rating of 5 cans of spray paint out of 7.

Zach Burr

12/20/2015 05:13:09 pm

The main point of contention in this novel is the ending, specifically whether or not Kate is truly tamed. It seems that most people agree that she is to a certain degree, or that the play is truly trying to deliver a bigger message about marital bliss or some other such gobbly-gook. However, I think that this "bigger" message still isn't big enough, and falls rather short of the mark. In class we read quite a few critiques about this work, and skimmed others, but there is one we skipped altogether that I feel really does the best job. Dr. John C. Bean, and English professor at Seattle University, had this to say: "Kate is not tamed by Petruchio's whip but by the discovery of her own imagination . . . If shrewishness is a kind of rigidity . . . then the chaos of play is a liberating force, and Kate's initial bad temper is directly related to her failure to embrace it." He is essentially telling us that Kate is changed because she learns how to have fun, and I feel that this is really the point. Shakespeare is trying to tell us a message about happiness in general. By the end of the novel it's not important whether Kate believes that a woman should be subservient to her man, but that she has learned how to be happy. She realizes that by being so shrewish at the beginning it made everyone else upset and unkind towards her, causing a decrease in her own joy as a result. So by the end she starts being nicer, and she notices how much better everything is. That's why she was talking to her father and her sister and showing off to them, because she wants them to see her change too, and realize this same thing that she has. Everyone at the party is so floored by this, and they commend her on her new personality and her newfound attitude toward life. Then Kate sees this, and she knows how much her family cares for her, and how much her husband loves her, and she realizes, "Life is pretty good."

Sergey Castelot

12/20/2015 06:23:03 pm

The play, The Taming of the Shrew, made a powerful statement about society’s expectations at that time about men’s and women’s roles, even though the characters were dull. While the characters were not terribly interesting, Shakespeare was able to utilize his creative story-telling and the interactions of the characters in order to make his point. Shakespeare wanted to show his audience that a woman could appear to be tamed and might come off as nice, but in actuality she could still be a manipulator. It seems to me that Kate has been tamed but also not tamed. Every time Kate was around Pertruchio, it appeared to me that she pretended to be tamed but when he was gone, I believe that she went back to her shrewish ways. Kate appears to love Petruchio, but on the inside, she still has that bitterness that she is not going to give up which will probably keep her acting like a shrew. Shakespeare makes it appear that society’s requirement was that if Kate in fact truly loved Petruchio she would do his bidding without being a shrew. But at the same time, Shakespeare lets us know that Petruchio is being a savage in his treatment of Kate. For example, he doesn’t feed her and he messes up the bed after Kate makes it—to show the reader that Petruchio is giving Kate a taste of her own medicine by treating her the way she used to treat others. Kate’s monologue served to bring Shakespeare’s message about female roles in society to the audience.

Matt Geffert

12/20/2015 07:30:43 pm

When Shakespeare wrote "Taming of the shrew" peoples philosophies on relationships was much much different. This "Play" was written in 1590 the wife was there to do the chores and to please the man. In this play Shakespeare's messages was that women need to be able to show they can handle them selves when they need to. In the end of the play Kate delivers a speech if you will. in that speech she says that women should bow down to their husband and give them there hand so they can do as they please. Now the big question that people cannot figure out is if she was serious. I feel that she was serious but to a point. Kate says all of that to show petruchio That she is all his. However, she winks at the end to show the audience that she is still Kate and she won't bow down to everyone however, I feel that she is tamed to an extent because she is in love with petruchio, causing her to do what he Says out of love. Shakespeare's intire message was that women need to change and they need to stand up for themselves when they need to. I feel Shakespeare doesn't like the treatment of women and he knows that women don't either.

Kyle Cianciola

12/20/2015 08:25:45 pm

Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" is definitely a comedy that vividly gets it point across. This being that women should be able to retain some independence and a "spark" within themselves to keep a relationship mutually healthy, but that neither party should go completely overboard with controlling behavior. This can be seen in Kate's much tamer behavior after her time with Petruchio as well as Petruchio's apparent enjoyment when Kate becomes a bit witty. As was mentioned in another review, Kate retains some of her individuality and Petruchio knows this and enjoys that. This play is not about one party losing or winning, it is about the two parties coming to a common ground of sorts on which to build a healthy marriage. Within the play the diverse and quite interesting cast of characters from the brash and abrasive Petruchio/Kate to the romantic and suave Lucentio allows Shakespeare to project this message in an entertaining way. In regards to whether or not Kate has been tamed, she most definitely is tamer than at the outset, but still retains a bit of individuality. So yes but not completely. On whether or not Kate and Petruchio love each other at the end, this is undoubtedly a yes. Kate in her much tamer state allows Petruchio to be the controlling husband and her the submissive wife that the times expected in public and Petruchio enjoys this to an extent, But the retention of her wit allows her to exhibit some freedom with Petruchio and for them to engage in playful banter outside of the public eye. All in all this was an excellent play that contains antiquated ideals presented in such a comedic way that they are allowed to age and to be presented to a modern audience without difficulty which has allowed this play to age quite well.

Jason Cadilek

12/20/2015 08:31:00 pm

"Women must obey their husband," a powerful statement made by William Shakespeare, did not fall short. The characters were engaging and sufficiently added to the plot. The characters wearing disguises also benefited the story as a whole because it forced the audience to work for an understanding of the plot. There is no reason to write a play that everyone can easily understand and enjoy when you can just write a complicated one and disorient the entire audience. The conclusion was astonishing. It was entirely unexpected that out of all the brides Kate was the most loyal. She was initially the biggest insubordinate of all the wives, and in the end, she made the others look immature and childish. Because of this, Kate can only be labeled as "tamed." And of course she could only allow herself to be tamed if she was in love first, so I believe Petrucchio and Kate were in love.

Allie D

12/20/2015 08:44:55 pm

I feel that the book was definitely better than expected. With Shakespeare you always expect a classic love story or a ridged tragedy, however the Taming of the Shrew is a completely different style than what Shakespeare usually brings to the table. It can also almost be viewed as a coming of age story with how it teaches balance in relationships and is filled with sexual allusions which ever teen loves to laugh at. The message that Shakespeare tries to convey changes in view of the readers through out time as shown in the reviews we read in class. When the book was first written its main goal was to poke fun at the fact that it's bad to be independent as a woman & frowned upon to disobey your husband. Through almost a satirical style Shakespeare showed that the woman always falls short no matter what fight she puts up and ends up being her husbands Slave. Today it would be looked at as a guy abusing his wife into loving him and doing whatever it is he wanted her to do, which is frowned upon in our society today, quite the opposite of the time of the book. However the statement remains the same, relationships are a balancing act. In my eyes the way the book ended Kate really still has the upper hand. Like most couples today she's just letting Petrucchio think that he's tamed her so he feels good about himself and treats her like a wife. Like most men he just needed to think it was his idea that she become tamed however she knows that she could still do whatever it is she wants to do, she's just willing to go with the program to make her own life easier because deep down she really does love him or maybe she has some motives herself of eventually doing taming of her own. Overall the book wasn't a total bore and the charters really had good strong personalities that made things interesting and worth reading every now and then.

Syd

12/20/2015 10:21:55 pm

I agree with Nick's interpretation in the sense that it was sort of ridiculous for someone to construe the story so offensively. In reality, it truly is just a play. It's intended to entertain and catch someones attention, so clearly Shakespeare's done his job well. Personally, I think that the characters were relatable and the overall intended point was clear. I enjoyed the play more considering that Kat and Bianca are polar opposites, which to me, is realistic. You have to agree that there is always the "prettier sister." Those humorous little details definitely added to the amusement.
I believe that the play didn't end with the taming of Katerina, but rather her falling in love. I know its cliche, but "love can do all sorts of things," and I'm convinced that shes tamed in the manner that she no longer feels punishment in being at his beckoned call, but proud. Underneath, she will forever be the stubborn shrew that we all know, but the play ended with Kat in a state of lust. I'm sure the wild side of her personality will unleash on Pertructio soon enough.

Ethan Grim

12/21/2015 09:13:18 am

This play has a very strong statement about how women and men will try to change each other to fit their expectations. this is a common issue or occurrence today and very common in this story's time frame. Kate being the shrew is a very odd thought because of the fact in her heart she already knew what she really wanted it just took a long time for a man to challenge her to change her ways to be tough enough to tell her no she loved the fight and the fight she gave. this story has no sexist aim its aim is to relate to the people who play hard to get and hard to get kate was but peruchio took that challenge and the events that lead up to kate and peruchios change was wonderful and enlightened me about things i see and hear in my own life. change is not always a bad thing and in this story i dont think the change was negative. Bianca fell for men faster than her sister kate and this explains so many things that took place in the story when kate gives her speech she sounds like shes having a giant realization about everything peruchio has done and this is an act to end the treatment that she so very much deserved in some sense because it did benefit her life in other points with her father and with her sister more then peruchio but the change was a good one.

Jonathan Dinan

12/21/2015 09:13:46 am

I believe that Taming of the Shrew has a very strong message about women in society at the time and how they were treated. In both perspectives from how people treated Kate and Bianca, Kate was given harsh conditions because of her attitude. The suitors treated Bianca with respect and would do anything for her. This book also says that men can be critical when trying to dish out the shrewish behavior to their woman. Petruchio transformed Kate into a working and miserable house wife. He used her as a piece of property and didn't give her the same respect as he would to a real wife. I think that during the book it showed how men can be dogs and just use women to get what they want. In Petruchio's case he wanted money and a decent looking wife to take care of him. This shows that the women aren't the only ones that are being shrews men are too! In both situations Petruchio and Kate were both tamed.

Eugene Tanucci

12/21/2015 09:34:11 am

I feel that Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" did get the point across. That women should obey their husband, do what ever he please. This was the mindset during Shakespeare's time, so unlike modern times, women were not treated equally. They were treated as if they were property. So do I believe that Kate was tamed? Yes, but to a point. She appears to be tamed , but I feel that deep inside her, she's still the shrew that we know. She probably appears to be tamed so it would make her life easier. If she remains being the shrew, she would still be starving and not be able to sleep. At the same time, she probably loves Petrucchio so it was easier for her to follow his orders.

Damian Prajer

12/21/2015 09:50:52 am

I would not make any changes to the book. It is a master piece created by the greatest play write in history. If people can not understand it for what it's worth then I truly feel sorry for them. The people who saw the message as offenses towards women need to understand the circumstances. Women were treated different in early societies. Yes it is a shame, however those were the ways of the people in that day in age. This harsh mistreatment between Petruchio and Kate just makes the story better. It shows the ability for people to overcome obstacles. After they overcame them they truly fell in love with one another. If it was love at first sight there would not be a story. The story and meaning is the fact that everyone overcame their problems. It truly does not matter if Kate is tamed or not. She is now in love that is all that matters.

maddie

12/21/2015 09:54:47 am

in the book, for that time period, William Shakespeare was correct. Women aren't supposed to have their own opinion and the guys are support to be the main person in the relationship. If it was today, that would be kinda mean because girls have come a long way since the 1500's with the roles that women have. If Shakesphere wrote the play in this day in age, a lot of people would be offended because of the way Kate is portrayed as this horrible non-listening girl. Today that's just how people are and that's okay but back then it was not.

Samantha Keithline

12/21/2015 10:18:08 am

I believe Shakespeare made a very powerful statement in "Taming of the Shrew". Anything or anyone can be changed through the power of another person. Katherine was in the process of being changed by Petruchio. She was a shrew that was made into a "fit" wife. I believe the characters were dynamic and engaging. The characters were always changing and somehow getting into something. I believe the conclusion ended how Petruchio wanted. He made Katherine the way he wanted her. I believe she was tamed to Petruchio's expectations. The way the two of the them acted toward each other I know they are in love. It just took a little of taming from Petruchio toward Kate. I believe Shakespeare's message was to show how a girl should act in a marriage.He was showing that a marriage can change a women and man. How a marriage can influence a couple.

Autumn

12/21/2015 10:27:59 am

I think he did get his point across. But the reader/actor will always interpret what is being said in their heads then what Shakespeare or any other author would put down.

greg

12/21/2015 10:28:09 am

When Shakespeare wrote Taming Of The Shrew i think it said a lot to people with a relationship like that, and gave viewpoints of both sides, and how they treated each other.and you can see how the other people treated her and would do anything for her,

Shelby E

12/23/2015 09:27:53 am

I feel that The Taming of the Shrew was a good play. Shakespeare definitely made a powerful statement, which was that men relied on women to be there. Women back then had to do everything for their husbands. Today, we do not have to do everything for our men but women are still expected to do some things. I feel that the actors in the play were good for their parts and actually got the message out. I do believe that Kate fell in love because I thought the way she worded her final speech was different than the rest of her speeches. The tone I felt was different, she wasn't being sarcastic, she was being passionate about what she was talking about.

Taylor

1/13/2016 01:45:29 pm

I think that Shakespeare's play made a powerful statement it showed you how people can change just by how people treat them and how they treat others. In the play Kate started off as a "shrew" and towards the end she kind of soften up only because Petruchio treated her differently than her father or sister he didn't let her get her way no matter what she did. I think the characters in the play were very relatable in certain ways. The end of the play made you think like was she really tamed or was she just faking it just to make him think he accomplish something. either way is she was tamed or just faking it she still showed that she had some feelings for him and that she couldn't hide.

Kevin

1/14/2016 02:16:30 pm

Taming of the Shrew was a piece of literature that is too behind the times for anyone to really analyze it properly. You can never really understand how Shakespeare really wanted the story to end. Thats the beauty of the ending scene, however. Its up to anyone to say whether or not Kate was truely tamed and whether Petruccio tamed her. The story can be taken many ways. People can believe its a story with a message to "tame" your significant other so they are at your level of perfect. Others can say its message is to nevee forget who you are and never try to change who you are. People can say its message is to let people know that abuse is a problem and that Kate was abused. Again, thats the beauty of the play. You can take the message of the play however you'd like. That is what keeps that story relevant to this day.

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