Armed with violins

Posted on February 23, 2012 by melissa.german

Early in play The Taming of The Shrew by William Shakespeare, we learn that Katherine and Bianca are to be married off by a suitor chosen by their father. The father of the two is trying to make his daughters more appealing to men who may possibly be interested in marrying either Katherine or Bianca. One way in which he tries to help is by having the girls home schooled. This at the time was only something that was available to the wealthy class.

In Act 1. Sc. 2 line 135 which reads, “Well seen in music, to instruct Bianca” we learn of how Bianca will be learning about music which at the time was important to teach to have a well rounded education which included knowledge of the arts. We also see the importance of music in an article of The New York Times titled Armed With Violins, El Sistema Fights Poverty in Venezuela written by Daniel J. Walkin which shows the importance of teaching underprivileged children how to read, play and understand the history of music. According to the article this is a way of keeping children wanting to learn more and distracted from their surroundings of drugs and poverty. Daniel describes   the school’s aim as a means to “address a depressingly universal problem.”

The importance of well rounded education goes a lot further than using your skills acquired to find a job in your field, as we learn from The Taming of The Shrew and Fighting Poverty, Armed With Violins. It also provides more opportunities in life

Posted in Shrew, Act 1 | 1 Comment

“Wearing Their Strength on Their Sleeves”

Posted on February 23, 2012 by katherine.trujillo

In The Taming of The Shrew, Katherine uses her sharp tongue as a defense mechanism when dealing with the misogynistic treatment of her as an opinionated woman. In her first meeting of Petruchio, he attempts to undermine Katherine’s temperament by comparing her to an angry untamed wasp. Katherine quickly responds with, “If I be waspish, best beware my sting” (II.1.225). It becomes evident very early in the story that Katherine is not the typical 16th century “lady” as defined by her society. Because of this she is given an extremely hard time by her family and suitors. Katherine despises the expectations that are placed on her by her society to be an obedient and courteous young woman. Subsequently she insults and berates the men who try to court her thus earning her the title of “The Shrew”.

Fast forwarding to present times, while the views and treatment of women have greatly evolved since the 16th Century there is still a sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle implication that outspoken and strong minded women are to be considered “shrewish” or in the words of Mrs. Christine Hamilton, “a battle axe”.

Christopher Petkanas recently published an article in The NY Times (pg E14) named “Wearing Their Strength On Their Sleeves”. In this article Christopher talks about Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in the film, “The Iron Lady”. He goes on to describe her wardrobe of power-skirt suits and handbags as a sort of armor worn by powerful influential women such as Joan Collins, Queen Victoria, socialite Lady Rothermere, and Mrs. Thatcher. This wardrobe is categorized in Christine Hamilton’s “The Bumper Book of British Battle Axes”. Mrs. Hamilton who has also been identified as a “battle-ax herself has not yielded to this stereotype but instead wears it as “a badge of honor”.   Much like “Kate”, she uses this mindset in addition to her wardrobe as a sort of defensive wall against her critics. Mrs. Thatcher’s look as described by Daily Mail columnist, Ms. Street Porter, is designed to say “I speak, you listen”.

Even in today’s society it seems like women who reach a certain position of power in any job sector are believed to be cold, ruthless, or bitchy. Why after so many years are strong mined and successful women still being criticized and associated with references such as “battle axe, and bitch” while men who carry these same characteristics are accepted as assertive and confident?

Posted in Shrew, Act 1 | 3 Comments

Oroonoko & The Taming of The Shrew

Posted on February 23, 2012 by katherine.trujillo
In William Shakespeare comedy, “The taming of the Shrew, Act 1, we are introduced to Katherine and Bianca, the two unwed daughters of Baptista Minola. Here we are immediately reminded of the limited and obligated roles that women had to play in the 16th century in order to be accepted by society. Bianca, the younger of the two, is favored by her father as well as her numerous suitors because of her silent and obedient manner as opposed to her sister, Kate, who is labeled the shrew because she is opinionated and refuses to submit and obey her father, or her suitors. Kate’s actions make it extremely difficult for Baptista to find her a husband. This indicates that an opinionated woman was not, for the most part desirable whereas Bianca’s portrayal of a submissive and tamed woman was considered attractive and essential to the men of this era.
Over half a century later, in Surinam, Aphra Behn’s, tells the story of “Oroonoko; or, The Royal Slave”. Imoinda, “the beautiful black venus” of the prince, much like Lucentio’s Bianca is described as modest, sweet in her behavior, and delicate. The little power that she does have over her suitors comes not only from her physical beauty but more importantly from her disposition.  Like Bianca she doesn’t have much of a choice. Women in these days as depicted in both readings had little to no say in their futures. They were treated more like property and were expected to adhere to the demands of a society dominated by males.
Would Oroonoko would have felt the same way about Imoinda had she been more like Kate in The Taming of the Shrew?
Posted in Shrew and Oroonoko | 1 Comment

The M.R.S. and the Ph.D. V. The Taming of the Shrew

Posted on February 23, 2012 by trudy.ochere

The parallels between “The Taming of The Shrew” and “The M.R.S. and the Ph. D.” is very interesting because even though the women were to be married, Baptista still employed school masters to provide some level of education to the women. Also, despite that the article states that over time, men have evolved to desire a highly educated woman, it never points out the fact that most women, more so than men, with college degrees are still forced to put their career on hold one way or another in order to raise a family. Despite all the progress that has been made, the fact still remains that there are still more women who make sacrifices to raise a family than there are men.

This leads me to question, do men just want women with a certain level of education because they value her knowledge and highly respect it? Or do men believe that having an educated wife is a reflection of who they are? The M.R.S and the Ph.D states, “By 1996, intelligence and education had moved up to No. 5 on men’s ranking of desirable qualities in a mate. The desire for a good cook and housekeeper had dropped to 14th place, near the bottom of the 18-point scale.”(The M.R.S and the Ph. D…paragraph 10) I believe that is because society as a whole has evolved to judge a person by who their spouse is and that over time it became more desirable for a man to have a wife with a higher education. In the past, when women seeked to marry a man of high education, it was in hopes that he would have a respectable career and be able to provide for a family. I personally do not believe that men are now rating education of higher importance because they want a woman who is capable of securing a good job in order to provide for a family.

Even during Bianca’s and Katherine’s time, it was standard for a woman from a high class family to be educated in the arts, such as singing and playing music. Both Bianca and Katherine are provided lessons in Latin and taught how to play musical instruments, being as they were both destined to marry one way or another, does it not make it appear as though they were provided education so they could entertain and carry a decent conversation with their husband and his peers? What other purpose could there have been for the women to be educated in the musical arts? Even as Hortensio and Lucio pretend to be tudors in order to woo Bianca, it is apparent that none of them care whether she is thoroughly educated or not. They are both more interested in getting close to her than her education. During Lucentio’s session with her he says, “…as I told you before…I am Lucentio,…Vicentio of Pisa…disguised thus to get your love…”(Act3 Scene1 Lines33-35). Prior to Petruchio expressing interest in Katherine, it seems as though Baptista only had intentions of providing education for the daughter that was more likely to get married and yet when it appears as though there is a potential mate for Katherine, Baptista then offers Katherine an education after all. So even in that time period, women were educated to some extent, however limited it was.

In today’s society, even though men rate the importance of education higher than they did in the past, do they actually encourage their wife’s to pursue their professional career and become high earning CEO’s? Or does the average man want a smart wife who will be a good reflection of him to his family, friends and co-workers? I do not disagree that an educated woman is much more likely to get and stay married as opposed to an uneducated woman, as the article states, “…by age 30, and especially at ages 35 and 40, college-educated women are significantly more likely to be married than any other group… an educated woman still single at age 40 is much more likely to marry in the next decade than her less educated counterparts.” .”(The M.R.S and the Ph. D…Page1 paragraph13) It is very undeniable that if a woman was to try and play ‘dumb’ in order to get married in this century, they will not be met with success.

The progress that society has made as far as valuing an educated women is very apparent however, it still remains that there are more successful men than there are women and also, it is more likely for a woman to make some sort of sacrifice in order to raise a family than a man. Even though there are some families in which both partners have their own degrees, careers and also equally share the household chores, the average family today has a wife and husband both with college degrees and yet the husband is the main bread winner whereas the wife bares the responsibility of being the home maker. Having a degree and using it are two completely different things. Most of the women getting divorced today have at least a bachelor’s degree and yet with no work experience they are realizing that it is hard to obtain employment in the field they have their degree in. Why is it the woman who always has to put her career on hold in order to maintain the home and raise the children? So yes, the average man do now seek higher educated women and yet he stills expects his wives to cook clean, keep the children clean and run to embrace him when he comes home from work and yells out “I’m home dear.”… (While her college degree collects dust in the attic or hangs on the wall). I also find it very telling that the article says that when a man is married to a highly educated woman, he is more likely to help her with the house work. As the article states, “the higher a woman’s human capital in relation to her husband — measured by her educational resources and earnings potential — the more help with housework she actually gets from her mate.”(The M.R.S. and the Ph. D Page2 Paragraph4)…my question is why is it considered that he is “helping her” when it should be both their responsibility to take care of the home? So yes, men now prefer a woman with a higher education…my question is why then is it still primarily the woman’s responsibility to do all the household chores? Unless of course she is highly educated enough to receive some assistance from her husband. I am not disagreeing that great progress has been made however ,there is still some work to be done to achieve true fair balance and equality.

Posted in Shrew, MRS and Ph.D. | 1 Comment

Shrew and Oroonoko

Posted on February 23, 2012 by shelita.bradshaw

In reading Oroonoko by Aphra Behn in comparison to Taming of the Shrew there are some immediate and apparent resemblances. To begin, people are intentionally punished physically. Oroonoko is an African prince who himself trades slaves (Behn 304). Petruchio punished Kate in the way in which someone would an animal when he professed his plans to train her as he would a falcon: “my falcon now is sharp and passing empty and till she stoop, she must not be full-gorged” (Act 4 Scene 1). This type of behavior seems like something a master would do to his animals, not his wife. While Behn does not go into descriptive details initially regarding the torture of slaves, we know that slavery is a horrific and demeaning way to treat people. Both Oroonoko (primarily) and The Taming of the Shrew show human punishment as if there is nothing wrong with it.

Another critical point is that the simple, fair, peaceful women are who are most desired or at least deemed that way by the majority of the societies in which they lived in. Statements such as “Sweet Bianca! Happy man be his dole!” by Hortensio is the typical male reaction to Bianca as opposed to Kate (Shrew Act  1, Scene 1). Imoinda is referred to as a beautiful treasure: “She is adorned with the most graceful modesty that ever beautified youth..” (Behn 323). Neither strong will nor intelligence is discussed as being personality traits of these women, but yet they appear to be the most desirable to men in their societies. What does this say about what the ideal woman?

Furthermore, there are instances in both the Shrew and Oroonoko where characters move down the hierarchy. In the Shrew, Lucentio (who is a master) decides to dress as his own servant, Tranio, in order to act as a teacher of Bianca. Oroonoko allows himself to be taken as a slave even though he is really a prince and insists upon being dressed like one. Is anyone who they really appear to be?

Posted in Shrew and Oroonoko | 1 Comment

The Taming of the Shrew Verses Romney Faces Rebels on the Right and Softness in the Middle

Posted on February 23, 2012 by trudy.ochere

Bianca is to Blank as Romney is to adaptable. When Romney decided to run for president, I doubt he had any (idea) that one small literature classroom would have (cause, reason) to compare him and his campaign with one of Shakespeare’s, plays let alone “The Taming of the Shrew.” Undoubtedly the similarities between Romney as a presidential candidate and his campaign as a whole can be compared to the play from multiple different angles: Bianca’s  attitude towards her marriage and courtship is (similar) to Romney’s towards his campaign being as neither one of them have a strong stand or opinion on any one matter…also, Romney’s campaign is much like a courtship and in the same way Romney is having difficulty winning over a majority of republican voters, Petruchio is facing resistance with Katherine. Bianca’s debut in the play was enough to sum up her character. She stands my meekly as her father discusses her future and marriage, she readily agrees to comply to whatever he wishes for her to do by saying “…Sir, to your pleasure humbly I subscribe”. My books and instruments shall be my company, on them to look and practice by myself.”(Act1 Scene 1 Lines 82-84) The young lady never once says how she truly feels about her father’s dictatorial method in choosing how and who she would become betrothed to in other words, she aims to please …much in the same way that Romney aims to please Republican voters by aiming to be the most ‘republican’, republican candidate.  Katherine on the other hand is much more fired up about her fate and makes sure her father is aware of this by voicing her thoughts. “I pray you sire, is it your will, To Make a stale of me amongst these mates?(Act1Scene1 lines 58-59). Being as this is the first line Katherine says in the play, the audience is immediately aware of what a spitfire she is…she leaves a lasting impression with her fiery personality.  With Bianca on the other hand, besides her beauty, has no other memorable trait. According to the news paper article, “The opening batch of primaries and caucuses have also shown Mr. Romney’s limitations as a candidate. It has raised questions about his consistency and highlighted his tendency to say things that get him in trouble.” (Romney Faces Rebels on the Right and Softness in the Middle) Mr. Romney has a tendency to get in trouble because he says one thing to please a group of people one day then says something else to please another group. The average American would describe Romney as the rich no-decisive candidate, just as any off Bianca’s suitors would describe her as beautiful and obliging. In both their cases, you can shape them to be whatever you want them to be being as they chose to not take strong dedicated non-wavering stand on anything. Their personalities allow anyone to fill in the blank.

Presidential campaign is to courtship as inauguration is to marriage and impeachment is to divorce. In much the same way that sisters Katherine and Bianca are being courted by their suitors in hopes of obtaining the lady’s hand in marriage, the American public is currently being courted by Romney in hopes that he will be elected as president. Just as Romney faces challenge with the voters, Lucentio and Hortensio face difficulty with getting access to Bianca and in addition, Petruchio faces a battle getting Katherine to become smitten with him. Just as people have different reasons for pursuing marriage and will marry for different reasons, voters also chose who to support using different logic. “There are those who vote with their heart and those who vote with their head” (Romney…middle). Hortensio and Lucentio both seek marriage with their heart, Petruchio with his head, Katherine would  rather not get married at all and Bianca…well no one knows exactly what she wants. Act 2 Scene 1, Lines 190 to 293 clearly demonstrate the cat and mouse game between Katherine and Pertruchio however he does not get discouraged because even before he met her, he said to himself “…Say that she frown, I’ll say she looks as clear as morning roses newly washed with dew. Say she be mute and will not speak a word, then I’ll commend her volubility.” (Act2 Scene1 Lines80-83). Before he met Katherine, Petruchio is using his head to think and make sure he approaches her in a way that will make him appear irresistible, just as Romney wants voters to find him to be the clear obvious choice for a candidate. However, he underestimated her spirit by saying “Nay, come, Kate, come. You must not look so sour (Act2 Scene2 Line42). To which she replies “It is my fashion when I see a crab”. Gaining affection, just like a presidential vote, is not an easy feat. Also, it is often said that when you first start dating someone, the version of themselves they present to you is their representative and only after marriage will their true self emerge. Romney seems to be attempting to sweet talk republicans into electing him by appearing to be the perfect republican. In summary, the obvious similarity between Bianca and Romney is the fact that they are docile and seem eager to please, Bianca with her father and Romney with the voters.  Much like Bianca, Romney never takes a strong stand on any one issue. They broader connection is that comparing an election with a marriage and yet, it is the more mind stimulating comparison…and let’s not forget, just as one can divorce a spouse, a president can be impeached.

Posted in Shrew, Act 1 | Comments Off on The Taming of the Shrew Verses Romney Faces Rebels on the Right and Softness in the Middle

The Taming of the Shrew versus Oroonoko

Posted on February 23, 2012 by trudy.ochere

In both Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko, the theme of ‘superiority’ is absolutely undeniable, subtle as it may be in The Taming of the Shrew, it is present non the less.

Both works of literature begin by setting the tone of social hierarchy, in The Taming of the Shrew, the play within the play, the play starts off with a Lord playing a trick on Christopher Sly, a drunken beggar, by having his servants work together to make him believe he is not a low class beggar but rather a Lord. In the Induction, after noticing Sly, the Lord tells the   Huntsmen “…Sirs, I  will practice on this drunken man. What think of you if he were conveyed to bed, wrapped in sweet cloths, rings put upon his fingers…would not the beggar then forget himself?…then take him up, and manage well the jest.” (Inductions Section1 Lines 37-47) It is very apparent that the Lord believes playing this decietful trick on Sly will be humerous and entertaining for himself.  This is somewhat similar to  Oroonoko being held against his will on the ship, then being promised a freedom by the captain. A freedom he never received despite the Captians own words of assurance, “he assured him he would revoke his resolution his resolution, and set both him and his friends ashore on the next land they should touch at; and of this the messenger gave him his oath, provided he would resolve to live.”(page 318 lines 37-39). Just as Sly was made to believe he is actually a Lord and not the beggar he is, Oroonoko is made to believe he will gain freedom, and he yet the Captain never grants him his freedom and Orookono realizes he was actually somewhat decieved.

Another instance in The Taming of the Shrew that further puts on display the signifcant of social heirarchy occurs when Hortensio(as Litio) witnesses Bianca kissing Lucentio(as Cambio). Hortensio becomes so insulted that Bianca, a lady of high class, would entertain the effections of Lucention(as Cambio),her tudor, that he decides to cease pursing her. He tells Tranio(as Lucention) “See how they kiss and court! Signior Lucentio, here is my hand, and here I firmly vow never to woo her more, but do forswear her as one unworthy all the former favors that I fondly flattered (her) withal.”(Act4 Scene2 Lines27-32) Hortensio is perfectcly okay with competing for Bianca’s hand when he bleieves all the other men courting her are noble Lords, the second he believes she is allow a working class man to court her, he instantly givse up and even goes so far as to say she is not worthy of everthing he did in the past to gain her effections. It is evident that  he believes himself to be too superior to take a wife who would kiss a man that is beneath him. Just as Hortensio believes to be better than Cambio, Aphra Behn’s description of Oroonoko clearly shines light on the fact that black people were thought of be inferior in absolutely everything, and everyway including physical appearance. Aphra Behn narrates: “…His nose was rising and Roman, instead of African and flat; his mouth, the finest shaped that could be seen, far from those great turned lips which arew so natural to the rest of the Negroes….” Her description is dripping…no more so drenched and soaking wet with implication that most black people are not considered to be atrractive, making Oroonoko’s good looks even more striking being as his features are more Romanesque, and not African. It is as if a black person has to be extra attractive to be considered pleasing to the eye.

Although in The Taming of the Shrew the superiority is more in the form of social heirarchy with no regard to race and in Oroonoko it is all about race, it is still very undeniable in both works of literature the presence of one group of people believeing themselfs to somehow be better than another group…what gives any one or group of people the right to self pronounce themselfs…superior?

Posted in Shrew and Oroonoko | Comments Off on The Taming of the Shrew versus Oroonoko

The M.R.S. and the PH.D.

Posted on February 23, 2012 by shelita.bradshaw

In the M.R.S. and the Ph.D. by Stephanie Cootz, several intrinsic and compelling observations are made about the educational statuses of women and their effects on their ability to attain marriage. More interestingly, are the apparent similarities between the evolution of women in a predominately male dominated workforce and Kate and Pretruchio’s evolving relationship throughout Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare.

Cootz  stated that “…manuals advised women to “play dumb” to catch a man.” This statement reminds us of Bianca, Kate’s sister. While Kate appears to be sharp-tongued and quick witted, Bianca is a simple, peaceful woman who does not seem to have much of a personality-hence, a woman playing dumb. At that time, men were certainly intimidated by a woman of valor and substance as no one seemed to be interested in the older sister Kate. Statements from Gremio confirm their insecurities of strong-willed woman: “I say a ‘devil.’ Think’st thou, Hortensio, though her father be very rich, any man is so very a fool to be married to hell” (Shrew Act. 1, Scene 1).

Cootz goes on to discuss the variances in men’s prejudices of a women’s education over the years. “But over the past 30 years, these prejudices have largely disappeared.” While Pertruchio’s friends such as Lucentio seem to be in awe of women like Bianca, Petruchio represents the change in society that Cootz brings to our attention. Whereas men in his time seem to want a docile, submissive woman, he pursues the valiant shrew. It is not clear if he wants to marry Kate other than for monetary purposes. However, it is clear that he is not intimated of Kate in making his plans clear to break her; “And thus I’ll curb her mad and headstrong humor. He that knows better how to tame a shrew, now let him speak; ‘tis charity to shew” (Shrew Act 4, Scene 2).

Lastly, probably the most intriguing points that Cootz makes which directly correlates to Kate, is the fact that “…the higher a woman’s human capital in relation to her husband-measured by her educational resources and earnings potential-the more help with housework she actually gets from her mate.” This is such a pivotal statement as it suggests that Kate-like women today- understand how to get what she wants from her husband. By the end of the play, Kate makes a speech to the widow and Bianca encouraging them to submit to their husbands; “I am ashamed that women are so simple to offer war where they should kneel for peace” (Shrew Act 5, Scene 2). We see a complete three sixty turn in Kate’s personality, but we must remember that she is a very intelligent woman. It seems that she has figured out that acting a certain way will get her in turn what she wants. Like educated women in the 21st century, being educated and financially independent will yield a more helpful husband. This confirms that more men today, like Pertruchio, are truly impressed by a strong-headed woman and will give her what she wants.

Posted in Shrew, MRS and Ph.D. | Comments Off on The M.R.S. and the PH.D.

The Taming of the Shrew vs. The M.R.S and the PH.D.

Posted on February 16, 2012 by trudy.ochere

The parallels between “The Taming of The Shrew” and “The M.R.S. and the Ph. D.” is very interesting because even though the women were to be married, Baptista still employed school masters to provide some level of education to the women. Also, though the article states that over time, men have evolved to desire a highly educated woman, it never points out the fact that most women with college degrees are forced to put their career on hold in order to raise a family. This leads me to
me to question, do men just want a women with a certain level of education so that she can hold her own in a conversation with him and his peers? Or do men believe that having an educated wife is a reflection of who they are? Both Bianca and Katherine are provided lessons in Latin and taught how to play musical instruments, being as they were both destined to marry one way or another, does it not make it appear as though they were provided education so they could entertain and carry a decent conversation with their husband and his peers? In today’s society, even though men rate the importance of education higher than they did in the past, do they actually encourage their wife’s to pursue their professional career and become high earning CEO’s? Or does the average man want a smart wife who will be a good reflection of him to his family, friends and co-workers? Even though there are some families in which both partners have their own degrees, careers and also equally share the household chores, the average family today has a wife and husband both with college degrees and yet the husband is the main bread winner whereas the wife is more of a home maker. Having a degree and using it are two completely different things. Most of the women getting divorced today have a bachelor’s degree and yet with no work experience they are realizing that it is hard to obtain employment in the field they have their degree in. Why is it the woman who always has to put her career on hold in order to maintain the home and raise the children? So yes, the average man do now seek higher educated women and yet he stills expects his wives to cook clean, keep the children clean and run to embrace him when he comes home from work and yells out “I’m home dear.”… (While her college degree collects dust in the attic or hangs on the wall)

Posted in Shrew, MRS and Ph.D. | 5 Comments

The M.R.S. and the Ph.D.

Posted on February 16, 2012 by melissa.german

In Taming of The Shrew, Act 1 we see how Katherine and Bianca are being forced into marriage by their father. Bianca does not seem to mind so much but not everyone would enjoy having their family not only force them into marriage, but pick out a husband for them such as Bianca’s sister Katherine. Katherine is very outspoken, confident and reluctant to have others in her life decide her future. The men in the play say Katherine’s outspoken personality holds her back from having anyone approach her and possibly court her. What happens when a woman’s high education level becomes the reason why a man is afraid to build a relationship with her?

The M.R.S. and the Ph.D. starts off by saying, “TODAY women earn almost 60 percent of all bachelor’s degrees and more than half of master’s and Ph.D.’s which should make any woman proud. This however would hold women back from getting married from 1940 – 1970 when women were told they were too educated to marry. Luckily we have come a long way from this time period where women had to put their education aside in order to marry.

Act 1 of Taming of The Shrew not only shows us the amount of growth women have made but also the importance of understanding how reading what was going on during a time period such as Shakespeare’s, gives us an insight as to why women are now more outspoken and continue to push the envelope to be heard and be respected.

 

Posted in Shrew, MRS and Ph.D. | 1 Comment