A MEGERA DOMADA

The Taming of the Shrew

A poor drunken man is found out of conscience by a Lord who carries him to his house. When he recovers he is led to believe that he is the Lord himself who would be woken up after a madness outbreak. He believed to be a beggar and he is given the opportunity to watch a play called “The Taming of the Shrew”. This play tells the story of a rich man called Batista who wants to have his two daughters married. The youngest called Bianca is disputed among many candidates, but the oldest named Katherina is considered unbearable and no man wants to marry her once she is rude and intolerant. So, the rich man states that he should first marry the oldest sister and then the youngest. Knowing about this, Bianca’s candidates work hard and get involved in a complex plan in order to marry Katherine, so that they could get closer to Bianca and seduce her. They even use costumes to be close to Bianca and reach her love. After a lot of search they find Petruchio, who looks for a wife to continue his family as well as receiving a good dowry and increase his fortune. He is different: he does not expect niceness or beauty because, being the woman ugly or rude, he has the intention of educating her. So, he is the only one who has the courage to face Katherine and try to transform her. She is given in marriage even against her will and from that moment on Petruchio uses a primitive form of reward-punishment process and then she is treated as deserves. He is so muddy as her once only a crazy man could tame that horrible woman. Petruchio was not deceived by his friends who indicate Katherine to be his wife. He was well informed, and with a planned strategy he invested on her and put his plan in practice since the first moment they met. He shouts, gestures, speaks about his beauty and enchantment even when looks like the devil. He ignores her offenses. He acts as her words were caresses and at the same time he ignores the wills and desires of his wife, always having love as an excuse for his acts. By using these techniques he manages to, little by little, entangle Katherine and make her worry more about calming her husband because of the servants’ errors and other strategies of his plans instead of committing her own naughtiness. But even so Petruchio does not stop for a moment, he does not even give her time to eat and sleep due to the fact that the food in the house would be poisoned. He spent nights and nights shouting at the servants and even at the tailor who made his wife’s clothes.
Petruchio’s behavior was exaggerated and infinitely stronger than Katherine’s and this served as an example for her to see how she behaved. She then tried to change her behavior and for the amazement of everybody she finished ceding to his husband’s wills. In the end Katherine lectures some young wives about how they should be grateful and servile to their husbands.
The Taming of the Shrew is a romantic comedy of William Shakespeare’s which has a feminine character as the center of the plot. Katherine is Petruchio and Bianca’s candidates’ target once the candidates can only ask for the girl’s hand after they solve the problem of the shrew’s marriage.
One also realizes in the comedy the work in groups of Bianca’s candidates, promoting a lot of plans and ideas to get closer to her love and reaching his aim to marry Katherine and soon afterwards fighting for Bianca’s heart and then reaching the so-promised marriage to that angelical creature.
Even making use of costumes to get close to Bianca the candidates lie, cheat dominate and are dominated. Everything in the name of love.
A classical story of William Shakespeare’s and at the same time a story which is not transitory or mutable.
In the end, Katherine’s submission and change prove that although there were many obstacles and impediments in this story the harmony, union and traditional values as the marriage surpassed everything resulting in a happy ending for both sisters.