The Taming of the Shrew: Themes (OCR A Level English Literature): Revision Note

Themes

Having a thorough grasp of the following themes and, crucially, how and why Shakespeare explores these themes will enable you to produce a "conceptualised response" in your exam. Linking carefully to the structure of the plot and what we know about the attitudes of the time period will give you access to the very highest marks on the mark scheme.

• Patriarchal gender roles

• Social class and hierarchy

• Disguise and identity

It is worth noting that editions of the play vary. Spellings of characters’ names can vary between editions, for example Petruchio/Petruccio, and Act 3 is sometimes split into three scenes rather than two.

Patriarchal gender roles

Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew explores Elizabethan gender roles. In particular, the play presents attitudes to females in terms of gender ideals and marital customs. Shakespeare examines the impact of patriarchal values on both female and male characters in a satire on female duty and obedience.

Knowledge and evidence

• The play illustrates Renaissance customs regarding marriage:

  • Act 1, Scene 1 depicts the wealthy patriarch Baptista controlling the marriages of his daughters

  • Katherina describes her suitors as "one half-lunatic, / A madcap ruffian and a swearing Jack" 

  • Her humiliation underscores her rebellion against patriarchal expectations

  • Her desire to remain unmarried is not only ignored by her father and suitors, but leads them to consider her a "devil" 

  • Later, Petruchio considers Katherina to be his property and compares her to his "household stuff" and his cattle

• Further, this scene highlights rigid idealised gender roles in Renaissance Europe:

  • While Bianca's meek and mild-mannered character attracts multiple suitors, Katherina is considered an undesirable "shrew"

  • Gremio suggests Katherina is too "rough" for him

• Shakespeare illustrates typical Elizabethan attitudes to outspoken women:

  • Lucentio praises Bianca's "silence" and mild behaviour

  • Petruchio aims to subdue Katherina's voice into silent submission

  • Gremio warns him that Katherina is a "wildcat", but Petruchio explains that a little "din" cannot daunt him as he is strong enough to deal with a "woman's tongue"

• Folk tales about taming unruly women were popularised in Renaissance comedy:

  • Katherina's father cannot manage her, and other male characters fear her 

  • Katherina's marriage is managed between Baptista and Petruchio, ignoring her protests

  • The farcical Petruchio controls Katherina through mistreatment and humiliation

• The play's denouement may be understood as a presentation of socially constructed gender roles in marriage:

  • Katherina's final monologue advocates for subservience to one's husband (a woman's "lord", "king" and "governor")

• Alternatively, the denouement can be interpreted as ironic, suggestive of themes of identity that are outside of social control:

  • Katherina and Petruchio's relationship could be seen as a display of intimacy and shared understanding as they leave to go to bed together

  • Katherina is presented as an equal match to Petruchio: they are "two raging fires" that "consume the thing that feeds their fury"

  • Notably, in the final scene, Katherina takes centre stage and outmanoeuvres Bianca as a good wife 

What is Shakespeare's intention?

• Shakespeare illustrates Elizabethan gender ideals by presenting the traits that make a woman desirable for marriage

• By showcasing the brutal consequences imposed on women who resist societal expectations, the play critiques Elizabethan gender norms

• The play highlights constraints placed upon women, particularly regarding marriage

• Questions about the submissive and dutiful role of women are also raised, posing provocative challenges to identity as a social construct

Social class and hierarchy

Shakespeare depicts a rigid social hierarchy that creates power imbalances. His comedy hyperbolises the exploitation of servants who are subjected to mistreatment and used as tools of deception and oppression. Furthermore, the play challenges the social structure of Renaissance society in its presentation of marriage as an economic contract. While the play's female characters are presented as commodities, suitors are chosen according to class and wealth.

Knowledge and evidence

• The play's induction presents power dynamics between the nobility and the lower classes: Christopher Sly, a tinker, is humiliated by a nobleman when made to believe he is a lord:

  • Possessions, such as paintings and expensive clothing, trick Sly into believing he is noble, thus illustrating the fluid and performative nature of social status

• Class attitudes are illustrated when Sly suggests his wife is of equal standing to him:

  • He wishes to call her by her first name, whereas the nobleman insists he calls his wife "madam"

• Servants and those of a lower class are subjected to abuse and insults to comedic effect:

  • Grumio complains to the other servants and curses all "mad masters" 

  • The servants must assist in Petruchio's humiliation of Katherina

• Baptista's desire to seek out advantageous matches for his daughters presents social pressures on upper-class fathers who must secure financial security and social standing:

  • Equally, suitors such as scholar Lucentio must prove their social and financial status in order to marry women like Katherina and Bianca

• Marriage as an economic institution is depicted when Hortensio and Gremio suggest even Baptista's wealth may not be enough to find the opinionated Katherina a husband

• Discussions about marriage prioritise the transfer of wealth: Petruchio's aim to find a wealthy wife underscores marriage as transactional:

  • He suggests he will marry Katherina because of "gold's effect"

  • Baptista describes himself as a "merchant" making a desperate bargain when he approves Katherina and Petruchio's marriage

What is Shakespeare's intention?

• Shakespeare depicts characters who defy ascribed social roles in a bid for autonomy 

• The play satirises power imbalances within Elizabethan hierarchy 

• By highlighting the impact of social conventions that are financially driven, Shakespeare challenges Elizabethan marital custom 

Disguise and identity

Like many of Shakespeare's comedies, mistaken identities are employed for comedic effect. The Taming of the Shrew explores the necessity of disguise and trickery in a society that demands individuals adhere to social convention. Servants and masters trade roles, and passing pedants pretend to be wealthy fathers to subvert rigid rules regarding courtship and marriage. 

Knowledge and evidence

• The induction of the play initiates the play's themes of disguise used as trickery:

  • Pranks, such as the one played on Sly, intend to confuse and humiliate those of lower social standing 

• The induction raises questions about identity, continued in the play proper:

  • Characters are required to deceive the wealthy Baptista to achieve their goals

  • Bianca's suitors disguise themselves in order to deceive her father

  • Lucentio presents himself as Cambio, a Latin tutor, while Hortensio appears as Licio, a musician, in order to get close to her

  • The competitive nature of upper-class courtship is depicted when a passing pedant acts as Lucentio's wealthy father, Vincentio 

• Clothing tricks other characters into believing they are someone they are not, which examines the fluidity of identity:

  • Tranio wears a coloured hat and cloak, and Sly is dressed in fine clothes with rings on his fingers

• Psychological trickery is employed by Petruchio to confuse, humiliate and dominate: 

  • Petruchio admits to the audience he is playing a part to “tame” Katherina and dresses in strange attire to attend his wedding to undermine Katherina's identity 

What is Shakespeare's intention?

• Shakespeare illustrates that Elizabethan social roles, gender and class are performative rather than fixed

• Comedies such as The Taming of the Shrew dismantle class boundaries and rigid social structures by presenting tensions between reality and illusion

• Shakespeare challenges societal norms that define identity by material wealth

Sources

• Shakespeare, W. (1998) The Taming of the Shrew, Oxford Complete Works [SME Digital Texts Library edition]

• Shakespeare, W. (1951) The Taming of the Shrew, in P. Alexander (ed.) The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: The Alexander Text. London: Collins [edition printed in OCR exam papers]

• Payne, D.C. et al. (1987) 'Alternative Shakespeares,' Theatre Journal, 39(1), p. 113. https://doi.org/10.2307/3207637 (opens in a new tab)

• McDonald, R. (2001) The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare: An Introduction with Documents. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's