Cultures across the globe are constantly debating on what the motives should be for marriage. Most people believe that love should be the main reason for marriage but others argue that marriage could be for other reasons such as financial stability. Love is a common theme for William Shakespeare, he emphasizes how love can make one do deranged things to hold that affection. But is the only motive for marriage love? William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew is a perfect example of how men in the Elizabethan era did not marry for love but rather for the material gain or power that can be acquired with marriage.
Petruchio, one of the male leads in The Taming of the Shrew, seems to be motivated in having power over his wife, Kate, in their marriage. Petruchio, before marrying Kate remarks, “Thus in plain terms: your father hath consented / That you shall be my wife, your dowry ‘greed on, / And, will you, nill you, I will marry
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Baptista, Kate and Bianca’s father, was negotiating Bianca’s marriage but seemingly had little care in what she felt about the marriage, showing that the couple’s love was not the ultimate goal in marriage. Baptista negotiating states, “That like a father you will deal with him / And pass my daughter a sufficient dower, / The match is made, and all is done. / Your son shall have my daughter with consent” (Shakespeare 4.4.45-48). Baptista is not concerned with how Bianca feels about this man but is more concerned with how well off she will be with him. He wants to be sure that when her husband dies, she would be wealthy enough to live comfortably. Baptista's only concern is the financial stability which was common in the Elizabethan era. Love was always on the backburner for couples because they wanted money and to keep the lineage strong which appeared to be more important to them than feelings of love in
The father in the lay of the two lovers prevents his daughter from marriage. However, she’s fallen in love with a nobleman: “She found him engaging and thinking of her poor chances of married love because of her father’s arbitrary rules, she chose to do the very thing most fathers fear and gave her love to the young man…” Refusing to accept her fate, the daughter goes against her father’s will and chooses to devise a scheme with her lover to get married. Her rebellion against her father because of her infatuation represents women making her own choices. Furthermore, after marriage, wives were known for holding power over their husbands and persuading their opinions: “In France and in England, women often ruled territories and even kingdoms upon the absence of death of husbands.
A Taming Of The Shrew, an interesting title that portrays the storyline that involves Katerina and Petruchio mainly. Their love story is not so straight forward, there 's certain sides that portray separate feelings and the play depicts how Katerina takes on her newly wedded man. understanding their tangled mess Shakespeare wrote, people of all different academic levels try and understand the hidden meanings, although there will never be a final conclusion to what he portrayed. Consequently, the side most students and professors side with is Katerina finally broke her mindset that she is the queen of all queens, that she is on top and no one can back her down, until she met her match Petruchio. As most people side with, Katerina met her match,
Katherine is harsh and undesirable, and Bianca has a sweet and loving reptation that makes boys interested. 4. The plan to more quickly win over and marry Bianca if for Hortensio to pretend to be a tutor in order to get closer to her and make her fall for him. 5. Tranio’s plan for Lucenio is for Lucentio to become Bianca’s tutor.
Throughout the Elizabethan era, in most cases, courtships were nonexistent; most individuals went immediately to marriage. Today, “couples usually spend some periods of time engaged before they actually marry” (Document A). Couples moving towards engagement establish a strong connection which is crucial to a relationship. Without a strong connection with someone, love may fizzle out, or there may even be a lack of love in the first place. Many times in the Elizabethan era, if any, a scarce amount of attraction occurred, let alone love.
Baptista wants Petruchio to dress properly, behave in a good manner also to be early for our marriage rather Petruchio doesn’t mind what he says and said he could do as he pleases, be here when he wants to be, on that he was
Like an auctioneer standing at the block, Baptista ‘sold’ his daughter off to the highest bidder. However, whether willing or unwilling, it was certain that Bianca was to be married off eventually. Because, unlike in modern society, women were considered ‘unfit’ to live independently and forced into marriages, as shown especially in Kate’s ‘taming’ by Petruchio. Because the society was entirely male-driven, both sisters “have no option but marriage and will be utterly dependent on whatever husband they can get” (Adney
Posing as a tutor allows him to not only grow close to Bianca, but also to Baptista. Earning Baptista’s trust is essential to him gaining Bianca’s hand in marriage and her dowry. Although Bianca is highly sought after, Baptista favors her over her sister, Katherine, and thus shields her from potential suitors. Lucentio not only uses his disguise to deceive Bianca, but he is deceived. Lucentio attempts to be clever in order to “win” Bianca, but Bianca is not what she seems to be. All the suitors want to marry Bianca because she is beautiful and
Through his incentive, he is very determined to marry Kate even though she comes with money, marriage, and a malicious attitude. In addition, Petruchio does not care if his wife is a shrew or foul, he just asks "...if thou know one rich enough to be Petruchio's wife" (1.2.68). Not to mention, after Hortensio tells him of Kate, Petruchio only says to "...tell [him] her father's name, and tis enough" (1.2.95). Petruchio understands that Kate has a "...scolding tongue" (1.2.101) even though Hortensio warms him. Due to his incentive to cure Kate of her shrew-ish ways and to get Baptista's money.
In Shakespeare 's Much Ado About Nothing, there are example of both loveless marriages, like Claudio and Hero 's, and marriages based on true love, like Benedick and Beatrice. The relationship based around fake love has encountered many problems and barely held on, not setting a bright example for the future. Shakespeare shows that for a marriage to work, true love must be the main basis or else the smallest issues will destroy the weak
In Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, the young couple gets married when Juliet is fourteen years old. In the fifteen century, during Romeo and Juliet’s time, marriage at a young age was extremely common, whereas in modern times many people get married close to thirty. Age is not the only wedding custom that differs today. Unlike the fifteenth century, in today’s society people are able to marry anyone they choose, people marry for much different reasons, and what is expected from the couple’s families have changed. Romeo and Juliet shows that marriage in the fifteenth century is between a man and women, and must be approved by the two families coming together in matrimony.
Petruchio and Katherine are two characters in Shakespeare ’s play “Taming of the Shrew”. Petruchio was a single man with money running out looking for a rich wife. There was a situation between Katherine and her sister Bianca. Bianca couldn’t get married until Katherine did.
After Katherine and Petruchio’s wedding has taken place they are invited to her sister Bianca’s wedding. This is the first time Katherine has seen her community since her wedding, she knows she must impress the other guests by showing she is “tame”. At Bianca's wedding the husbands, including Petruchio, make a bet to see who has the most obedient wife by calling forward all the women. Katherine is the only wife who comes when called; she makes a speech shaming the wives for not being obedient: “I am ashamed that women are so simple/ To offer war where they should kneel for peace;/ Or seek rule, supremacy and sway/ When they are bound to serve, love and obey/”
In The Taming of the Shrew, Baptista coerced Kate to get married in order for Bianca to get married (Shakesphere 47). In the first act of the play, when Baptista spoke with Gremio and Hortensio, he told them if either of them loved Kate, he would give his blessing for one of them to marry her whenever they want (Shakespeare 47). The expectation of an arranged marriage focused on “kindship bonds and rearrangement of property” (Lyon). Kate was not fond of this because she had grown to be an independent woman, and her father telling her that she HAS to get married, degrades her and causes her to act out towards the men in her
She didn 't practically pay attention whether the relationships will bring them happiness or whether they will be established on true feelings of love. For exapmle, she instantly changed her approach to Mr. Darcy after she found out he 's willing to marry Elizabeth thus connecting his prosperity with Bennets '. For Mrs. Bennet it was mainly
Unfortunately Bianca already has 2 suitors and her father has forbidden her to marry until her shrewish sister