Taming Of The Shrew Character Analysis English Literature Essay

Taming of the shrew is a play from Shakespeare and it is classified in a comedy genre. A story is depicted about the two daughters of Baptista Minola, a Lord in Padua. Both of them show different traits. The eldest sister, Katherina Minola viewed as a shrew in which she is acting rude and scornful. Indeed, the ill-tempered woman is best to describe her. However, Baptista’s youngest daughter Bianca Minola is viewed as well behaved young girl, attractive, gentle and kind. Baptista sees Katherine as a burden to him and he is very keen in finding a husband for Katherine.

In this play, Katherine is viewed as ill tempered and it is certainly possible to think that her unpleasant behavior stems from unhappiness. I found that there are two phenomena caused for her pleasant behavior. In the first opening of the story, Katherine feels humiliated by her father announcement in public about to find a husband for her. Her father announced that he would not allow Bianca to wed until he finds a husband for Katherine. “That is, not to bestow my youngest daughter before I have a husband for the elder” (I.i.48-49). A shame for Katherine is when her father offers either Gremio or Hortensio to be her husband evens the two men are the suitors to Bianca. “If either of you both love Katherina, because I know you well and love you well” (I.i.52-53). However, Gremio and Hortensio deny that they are not Katherine suitor and besides asking her to improve her temper. “Mates, maid? How mean you that? No mates for you unless you were of gentler, milder mold” (I.i.59-60).

Katherine is an independent woman and dislike to be ordered. As she said to her father, “why, and I trust I may go too, may I not? What, shall I be appointed hours as though, be like, I knew not what to take and what to leave, ha?” (I.i.105). Unlike Bianca is seen as an obedient daughter to her father even she is unhappy by his father announcement not permit her marries yet before he find a suitor to Katherine. As Bianca said to Katherine, “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 practice by myself.” (I.i.80-85). As a result of Baptista decision, Bianca is so sad. Nevertheless, Baptista persuades her not to be sad as he will guarantee for her love to Bianca. He said to Bianca, “and let it not displease thee, good Bianca, For I will love thee ne’er the less, my girl” (I.i.78-79). Hence, Katherine sees her father favor Bianca than her. Bianca receives much love and attention from her father but he ignores Katherine feelings of hurt that to be humiliated by him. Her father is always a side of Bianca and never wants to listen to Katherine. As Katherine said to her father when her father is so defense to Bianca, “What will you not suffer me? Nay, now I see she is your treasure, she must have a husband, I must dance barefoot on her wedding day. And, for your love to her, lead apes in hell” (II.i.31-34). The fact that, the favor shows deeply to Bianca than Katherine and it makes Katherine feels frustrated, lack of love and despair. She is being raised in a house where her younger sister is openly prefers by her father as the child who is not giving a trouble to his father unlike her. Thus, the feeling of dissatisfaction to be placed second in her father’s affections makes Katherine jealous and she wants to take revenge of what her father and Bianca did to her. “Talk not to me. I will go sit and weep till I can find occasion of revenge” (II.i.35-36). She started to show her temper by acting with unpleasant behavior in which to express her jealousy about her father’s treatment of Bianca.

When Katherine started to show her temper and became shrew, all men afraid and refused to marry her. It is showed in scene 1 when Gremio said to Hortensio, “To cart her, rather. She’s too rough for me. There, there, Hortensio, will you any wife?” (I.i.55-56). To a certain extend, Hortensio prayed that Lord will safe him from woman like her. “From all such devils, good Lord, deliver us!” (I.i.66). Thus, Katherine has no suitors. As the result, Katherine feels miserable and desperate to get a man to be a husband. She is desperate to find a husband that is hopes for obtaining a secure and happy place for her. She fears that she may not win a man for a husband because the hatred she has to the way men treat her. Moreover, she is strongly dislikes by everyone including her father because of her temper and unpleasant behavior. In addition, she sees that men are more interested to Bianca in which they compliment her as a feminine woman compares to Katherine. These issues are the consequences of her to become angry and in order to voice up her misery and desperation, she is performed unpleasant behavior to show protest to the situations.

Katherine re-acts a shrew to hide her hurt and to seek revenge especially to her father who makes her life miserable and humiliating her in public about finding a husband for her. In fact, she is hurts when her father treats her unfairly and favors her younger sister. She is called a shrew and no suitors but her younger sister, Bianca is seen to be an attractive woman and has many suitors. By the fact that, Bianca is a hypocrite when she is pretending to be gentle, kind, helpless as an advantages to be preferred daughter by Baptista. As a results, her self true is reveal at the end of the play.