0 1 The Taming of the Shrew – William Shakespeare Read the extract below and then answer the question.
Explore the significance of this extract in relation to the comedy of the play as a whole. Remember to include in your answer relevant analysis of Shakespeare’s dramatic methods. [25 marks]
Enter Baptista with his two daughters Katherina and Bianca; Gremio, a pantaloon, and Hortensio, suitor to Bianca. Lucentio and Tranio stand by
BAPTISTA Gentlemen, importune me no farther,
For how I firmly am resolved you know;
That is, not to bestow my youngest daughter
Before I have a husband for the elder.
If either of you both love Katherina,
Because I know you well and love you well,
Leave shall you have to court her at your pleasure.
GREMIO To cart her rather. She’s too rough for me.
There, there, Hortensio, will you any wife?
KATHERINA (to Baptista) I pray you, sir, is it your will
To make a stale of me amongst these mates?
HORTENSIO Mates, maid, how mean you that? No mates for you
Unless you were of gentler, milder mould.
KATHERINA I’faith, sir, you shall never need to fear.
Iwis it is not halfway to her heart.
But if it were, doubt not her care should be
To comb your noddle with a three-legged stool,
And paint your face, and use you like a fool.
HORTENSIO From all such devils, good Lord deliver us!
GREMIO And me too, good Lord!
TRANIO (aside to Lucentio) Husht, master, here’s some good pastime toward.
That wench is stark mad or wonderful froward.
LUCENTIO (aside to Tranio) But in the other’s silence do I see
Maid’s mild behaviour and sobriety.
Peace, Tranio.
TRANIO (aside to Lucentio) Well said, master. Mum! And gaze your fill.
BAPTISTA Gentlemen, that I may soon make good
What I have said – Bianca, get you in.
And let it not displease thee, good Bianca,
For I will love thee ne’er the less, my girl.
KATHERINA A pretty peat! It is best Put finger in the eye,
an she knew why.
BIANCA Sister, content you in my discontent.
Sir, to your pleasure humbly I subscribe.
My books and instruments shall be my company,
On them to look and practise by myself.
LUCENTIO (aside) Hark, Tranio, thou mayst hear Minerva speak.
HORTENSIO Signor Baptista, will you be so strange?
Sorry am I that our good will effects Bianca’s grief.
GREMIO Why will you mew her up,
Signor Baptista, for this fiend of hell,
And make her bear the penance of her tongue?
BAPTISTA Gentlemen, content ye. I am resolved.
Go in, Bianca. [Exit Bianca]
And for I know she taketh most delight
In music, instruments, and poetry,
Schoolmasters will I keep within my house
Fit to instruct her youth. If you, Hortensio,
Or Signor Gremio, you, know any such,
Prefer them hither; for to cunning men
I will be very kind, and liberal
To mine own children in good bringing-up.
And so farewell. Katherina, you may stay,
For I have more to commune with Bianca. [Exit]
KATHERINA Why, and I trust I may go too, may I not?
What, shall I be appointed hours, as though, belike, I knew not what to take and what to leave? Ha? [Exit]
This extract, which interrupts Lucentio and Tranio’s discussion of the former’s plans to study in Padua, introduces the female protagonist of the main plot – the shrew who will undergo the taming. However, as has been pointed out by actors such as Fiona Shaw, Katherine is not given the opportunity to speak at length. She only has twelve lines, which seems to belie her reputation as a scold. It is the male characters who dominate (the gender dominance here differs from the Induction, which is characterized by class dominance). The audience is therefore left wondering whether she is a shrew or a ‘stale’ or a maligned, strong, rebellious heroine.
The dialogue also allows the audience to compare the two sisters, who act as foils throughout the play. The intense competition of the suitors for Bianca’s hand is the core of the subplot, while the rivalry between the sisters and the development of their characters are integral to the main plot. This climaxes in the final scene, when Katherine completely overturns perceptions of her as an aggressive, combative scold, whereas the silent and studious Bianca reveals her true rebellious nature. Lucentio’s comments on Bianca in this extract – he notes her “mild behaviour” and imagines he hears “Minerva speak” - indicate his naivete and his blinkered, typically Elizabethan preference for a silent and compliant bride and remind us of the prevailing masculine tastes concerning female beauty at that time. Additionally, marriages for young women were generally arranged (most often by fathers). Once married the female spouse seldom had anything other than motherhood at home to look forward to. Unlike Lucentio, Bianca would have had no access to university education. However, her family’s wealth enabled her to have a private education with tutors.
Baptista’s requests for tutors foreshadows the comedic scene of the disguised tutors in Act 3, which offers considerable comic relief after the intense verbal confrontation between Katherine and Petruchio. Baptista’s avowal that “I will be very kind” to any prospective “cunning” (meaning skillful) tutors and his favouritism towards Bianca reflects how selective he is when bestowing his affection to others. In this extract he comes across as quite a powerful patriarch in the overbearing way that he treats Katherine and as someone who will not be opposed in his marriage plans. However, it is not long before he is exposed as a figure of fun. We observe Bianca sweetly manipulating him when she says, “Sir, to your pleasure humbly I subscribe”, and yet, within days, she will get married without any paternal approval. Katherine’s querulous reply, “What, shall I be appointed hours” at the end of the extract also gives a definite indication that he will not rule her easily.
Father figures in comedic literature since classical times are often seen as an obstacle and Baptista is no exception. The pantaloon characters from Comedia dell’arte correspond in many ways to both Baptista and Gremio. The comical quick exchanges of wit between Katherine and the two older, wealth-obsessed suitors, Gremio and Hortensio, are typical of the genre. When Gremio announces that he would rather “cart” Katherine than court her, Katherine retorts whether they intend “To make a stale of me amongst these mates”, implying if they regard her as a decoy, a lower-class prostitute or stalemate in chess. The word “mate” refers both to the final position in chess and to a companion or one of a pair. In this speech she stands up to their insults and gives as much as she gets. The subtleties of language enrich the comedy and heighten the adversarial contests between the sexes. This is clearly evident in the strong-willed, independent Katherine’s resistance to the dictate which compels her to submit to her father’s wishes, thus signing up for a lifetime living under her husband’s control. Desiring wealth above all things, Baptista clearly disregards his elder daughter’s feelings and his relationship with her appears little different than that between a master and servant.
Relations between masters and servants figure strongly in the play. Lucentio and Tranio’s relationship can be viewed as an ideal of the Renaissance era. Tranio is always treated with kindness and respect, almost like an equal, even though he seems to be shrewder than his master. This is evident in their discussion before this extract when he advises Lucentio to enjoy music and poetry as well as philosophy. There seems to be class harmony here. In contrast, Shakespeare appears to impress class differences on the audience in the way that he portrays Petruchio’s displays of arrogance and temper toward Grumio and the other servants, using words such as “dog”, “rascal”, “villain” and “slave” (4 i 150 ff). This atmosphere of control can be seen in Petruchio’s comparison of Katherine to a falcon in Act 4. He indicates that he sees her as if she were a bird whose sole purpose is obeying and serving him. The falcon, however, is a noble bird that attracted a great deal of attention in Shakespeare’s time and was respected for its power and fierce nature.
The combative nature of Katherine as well as other themes are introduced in this extract, such as marriage, competition, Lucentio’s role as a Renaissance lover and the request for tutors. Baptista’s lengthy speeches reflect his patriarchal power and can be contrasted with the much shorter speeches of the two daughters. Bianca’s exit with her seeming submissive language suggests compliance. It is not surprising that Baptista’s imperatives, such as “Bianca, get you in” and “Katherina, you may stay” are challenged and lead to Katherine’s confrontational comments. Whether or not Katherine can be truly characterized as a shrew or not, there is no doubt that her sharp and stinging remarks aimed at the two shallow buffoons, who have come to court Bianca, hit the mark. The expression “to comb your noddle with a three-legged stool” makes us laugh because of the preposterous nature of the hyperbole and her threat to “paint your face” makes us wince at the image of scratching and drawing blood. We can certainly imagine Gremio and Hortensio quivering and trembling before “this fiend of hell”. Her replies firmly establish an impression that she is a force to be reckoned with and brace the audience for what any potential suitor who has the temerity to take her on should expect.
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