NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MODERN LANGUAGES

Islamabad

Submitted to Dr Sibghatullah Khan

Submitted by Syed Umair Abid

Department of English

Shakespearian Studies

MPhil English Literature

1st Semester
 Domination, Transformation and Destruction of Women in

Taming of the Shrew and Hamlet

Abstract

Literature is best form of art. Every literature which is produced is based on an

idea and philosophy. Shakespeare’s writing also had a certain philosophy. The

study focused on the misogynistic elements in the Shakespeare’s plays. The

Taming of The Shrew and Hamlet. Shakespeare’s plays are considered the best

and the finest in the world, they are considered universal. The current research’s

main aim was to probe the image which is projected of the women in the two

plays. The central point is that females who are presented in the plays are

projected in the negative light. The plays give misogynistic themes and

misogynistic attitude towards women. Women are dominated in these plays; they

are either transformed or face obliteration by the hands of men.

Shakespearean plays have been remarked upon by a large group of commentators

from different angles. The plays written by Shakespeare are considered universal

because they have themes of universality in them.

Misogyny is considered as prejudice or hatred towards women. This hatred is

ingrained in men. Greeks, Romans, and then British all had negative views about

women. They considered women as inferior, weak and cause of all problems.

The current research will focus on the misogynistic elements in the

Shakespearean plays. Two of Shakespeare’s most famous plays have misogynistic

elements. The taming of The Shrew and Hamlet are widely recognized as one of

the best plays of Shakespeare but these plays also show women in a bad light.

Modern feminist consider these plays as anti women and extremely misogynistic.

The Taming of the Shrew written by Shakespeare depicts women, how they

should behave and should not behave. The characters in the play which are most

important and represent women are Katherine and Bianca. Katherine is

considered as a shrew, as she does not take orders from men. She is not liked by

any man, because she is not in habit of listening to men. While on the other hand

Bianca is totally different she obeys to every command of her father and remains

quiet. Which makes her dear to her father and also all the men in the play.

The other play is Hamlet; it also is a misogynistic play as it shows women in a

poor light. The plays two main females Gertrude and Ophelia are shown as weak

and senseless women who don’t think and speak correctly and don’t rake right
decisions. They also considered as pawns in the hands of other men, in case of

Ophelia first her father then her brother Laertes. While Gertrude does not

understand her position and her actions.

The main themes in these plays are men and their egos. Their self pride so much,

that it causes lot of pain, problems and ultimately death. Patriarchy is fully visible

in these plays. In this era women were considered the property of men, men were

considered supreme. Women had to remain obedient, docile, loyal, faithful, silent

and respectful to men.

The main reason these women faced troubles in these plays because of men in

these plays feared they will lose their command on the women. Men in these

plays are motivated and moved by their self pride and thus cannot tolerate any

kind of divergence from the women. So both these plays are analyzed through the

lens of Male hatred towards men.

are considered the wicked gender that is responsible for all the troubles in the

world.

According to Plato only the males are made specifically by the divine beings and

are given conscience. The individuals who live properly come back to the world

as stars; however the individuals who lead profane lives are changed into women

and the way of ladies in the second era.

Aristotle the great Greek philosopher considered women having a serious defect.

The purpose behind ladies' mediocrity lies in a deformity. "Women are imperfect

by design"

Amid the middle Ages, the congregation was additionally instrumental in trim the

way ladies behaved and what was anticipated from them. With convictions of

ladies' untrustworthiness in view Adam and Eve so settled in the reasoning of

mans psyche, it is not astonishing that ladies were looked upon as substandard and

epitomes of malice (Pitt 2005)

Schafer, recommend that occasionally casualties may effectively immediate their

own particular exploitation, as few of Shakespearean characters outline the

actuality that in some occasions casualties assume no part in their exploitation,

and that they may gotten to be casualties as a result of their sociological attributes

—for instance, being females. Schafer (1968)

Harold Jenkins in his critique on Hamlet concentrates on the emotional issues

what's more, the uncertainty of the play. The main issues are of postponement,
requital and the verbal confrontations about the development of plot. The crucial

point of Hamlet is the double restriction amongst malevolent and great, coinciding

in the individual and found and seen in universe where Hyperion is sibling to

satyr. Harold Jenkins (1982)

According to French Gertrude, the spouse of King is depicted as a negative

generalization of a lady, calls such ladies as the criminal part of the ladylike.

These kinds of ladies are connected with haziness and lust. They are scandalous

women French (1982)

No abstract topic has brought on political irritation than the 'the woman issue',"

(Flachmann 2005)

In dealing with Ophehia, Hamlet changes between challenges of undying

adoration and mercilessness exhibited by his icy behaviour furthermore, blaming

discourse in the nunnery scene. (Liz Lewis)

R.S. White recommends that Hamlet ventures upon Ophelia the blame and

contamination he trusts exists in Gertrude's conduct. Notwithstanding how one

may see his culpability, Ophelia endures as a consequence of Hamlet's bigoted

perspectives about womanhood.

According to Sherry Romero, she illuminates us of a portion of the qualities of an

abuser. Abuser does not consider women as humans but as objects which can be

used as he seems fit. He considers woman as sexual objects with which he can

play with.
According to Bawdin Shakespeare wrote the taming of the shrew after watching

another play like it. Petruchio is a performing artist not a storyteller, but in the

play he exhibits a parody on the behaviours and states of mind of men and ladies

toward each other.

Another conceivable commitment to the play by The Image of Idleness is

Petruchio's thought that he ought to prepare his new lady the way a falconer

prepares a rough falcon, "a kind of hawk that can't be prepared" (Smith, 2008).

In the novel husbands duty looks at spouses to birds of prey, who ought to be

driven by consideration and adroit preparing to acknowledge their husbands'

legitimate power" (Flachmann 2005)

Whenever Petruchio and Gremio utilize the falconer symbolism in the play, they

barbarize the ladies. By contrasting ladies with wild winged creatures,

Shakespeare accentuates the remorseless and impossible state of mind that a few

men have toward ladies.

Carting was a "type of open discipline in which a lady associated with prostitution

is carted through the avenues and derided," according to Gary Schneider.

Misogyny is a repeating theme over the span of The Taming of the Shrew and

Hamlet, which dangerously portrays Katherine, Gertrude and Ophelia.

Consigning the ladies to modest parts inside their general societies, these

delineations, most outstandingly the representations sent by Petruchio and Hamlet

himself, successfully hush the ladies inside the play, expelling all organization

and character from their lives.

Women are considered mentally and physically weak from the beginning of time.

Men have dominated women all the past years. Shakespeare’s time is no

exception, as the time period of Shakespeare women were considered the weaker

gender in every way whether emotionally, cerebrally, bodily in terms of men.

They were considered as the inferior ones.

The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare shows exactly this as it shows that how

woman should be and how they should behave in the society.

The play goes like this Katherine who is the eldest daughter of Baptista is

considered as very arrogant and angry woman. Who misbehaves with every one,

she is considered has having a very dreadful temperament. Everyone is scared of

her especially men fear her and don’t want to marry her. All men in the play want

to marry Katherine’s sister Bianca. She is considered as the model girl in the

beginning of the play. She is quiet, passive and submissive. All men in the play

want her hand in marriage. Lucentio, Hortensio and Gremio make their moves on

Bianca to woo her. Lucentio succeeds in impressing Bianca.

Petruchio arrives in the city he is wealthy man, but decides to marry Katherine or

Kate because he wants dowry also wants to control her. He likes the challenge of

controlling the uncontrollable woman. He visits’ Baptista and offers his marriage

proposal for Kate. Baptista is delighted and allows him to meet Katherine.

Katherine although does not like him, but Petruchio acts in such a way that Kate

is unable to say much. Petruchio is able to convince Kates father, that Kate loves
him and they are getting married. Kate tries to explain, but Petruchi is able to

convince Baptista about Kate’s approval. Baptista accepts the marriage proposal

and gets them married. After this Lucentio also get married. The treatment of

Kate by Petruchio is inhuman and unacceptable according to today’s norms but at

that time it was considered as acceptable behaviour.

Katherine is famous for her speech which quiet different as compare to other

women. She speaks aggressively and bitterly which no man likes to listen to. All

men in the play want to marry Katherine’s sister Bianca. After marriage Petruchio

takes her to his home here he does what no one expected he starts making Kate

suffer on simplest things.

“She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house”

These lines show Patruchios view about his wife. He considers his wife as his

personal object which he can use as he likes, he relates her as his chattel, ox and

horse. Here women are considered like animals and physical objects.

Patruchio marries Kate and takes her home hastily and treats her awfully. Starting

from the food when it arrived, Patruchio becomes angry when he sees the food.

“Tis burnt; and so is all the meat”

Petruchio does not eat the food nor allows Kate to eat he says all the food is burnt

and not good for eating. He throws the food away and abuses his servants in full

anger in front of Kate, who is in shock at the scene, as she cannot believe what is

happening. She says to him to be not angry and also says that food was not bad,

she shows she is contended in eating it, but Patruchio will not take it. He says we
will not eat today. He turns the conversation and says lets go to the bedroom

where you will be staying. He takes Kate to the wedding bedroom chamber. Here

again he does not allow her to sleep.

“And here I'll fling the pillow, there the bolster”

Patruchio does not allow Katherine to sleep all night. He keeps her awake all

night.

“Our purses................ ........................... garments poor”

Patruchio does not allow Katherine to wear the dress she likes; the dress is

dismissed by Petruchio saying it is not good. Petruchio argues with the tailor and

does not take her clothes. Although Katherine liked the dress, but Petruchio does

not allows her to take it and wear it.

Petruchio makes Kates life a living hell she deprived of food, deprived of sleep,

and also she is not provided and good clothes. She is put in so much stress that

time comes she breaks down and accepts whatever Patruchio says to her.

“I say it is the moon that shines so bright”

Kate says sun is shining not the moon which is giving the light but Petruchio

insists that is a moon. Kate accepts whatever Petuchio says to her, as she decides

that resistance is futile. She accepts what ever

“Fie, fie! unknit that threatening unkind brow”

women. Katherine in her speech tells the duties of a wife to her husband. She says

wife should not show anger towards their husbands.

“Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper”

These lines show the misogynistic element in the fullest as Katherine now an

obedient wife tells that the husband is one who wife has to obey. He takes care of

her, so wife should listen to her husband accept his every order.

“Why are our bodies soft and weak and smooth?”

According to Katherine women are weak and fragile so they must listen what

there husband tell them. Women cannot work hard like men and they cannot

compete with men in their strength and prowess so they must surrender to their

husbands will.

Katherine’s last speech is considered as anti feminist speech as it is pretty much

against the modern women’s concept. Katherine in her last speech talks about the

wife’s duty to her husband. She declares that wives must remain loyal and

devoted to their husbands, because their husbands sacrifice a lot for them.

Husbands do all the hard and gruelling work so that their wives can have comfort

and enjoyment. So women should respect them and take good care of their

husbands.

This long dialog by Katherine is a misogynistic. It shows that women are their

only for their husbands and their life should revolve around their husbands. They

have no right to complain for anything as it’s their husband’s generosity that she
is getting everything in life. So a woman should always be obedient and faithful

to her husband, as this is the right way for a woman to live.

The play has many misogynistic features it shows that women are to be

submissive to men. They should not be aggressive and combative to their

husbands but passive and obedient to them. If women did not follow the normal

decorum of society then these women are not considered good women but are

considered wicked women.

Hamlet and hatred of women

Hamlet is one of the longest plays of Shakespeare. Hamlet play goes like this,

Hamlet the prince of Denmark comes back to Denmark from Germany. As his

father King Hamlet has died and his mother Gertrude has married his uncle

Claudius. Hamlet is upset on these events; he sees a ghost of his father, who tells

him of his uncle’s treachery that his uncle killed his father and married his

mother. Hamlet decides to take revenge; he starts acting like a mad person. To

which Claudius and Polonious think he is not in his senses because of Ophelia, as

Ophelia has rejected him. Hamlet kills Polnious as polonius is spying on Hamlet

and Hamlet thought its Claudius. Claudius tries to murder Hamlet, but Hamlet

survives and comes back to Denmark he asks a company of actors to perform a

play. He wants to see Claudius reaction. Hamlet and Laertes do a duel as Laertes

wants to take revenge for his father’s death. But Hamlet kills Laertes and Laertes

tells him before dying that all happened because of Claudius. Hamlet Kills

Claudius at the end everyone is killed and dead at the end of the play.
Hamlet is a play which shows hatred and apathy towards women. Hamlet is

disgusted when he found out that his mother has married his uncle just after his

father’s death.

He cannot believe it because firstly it’s against the religion of Christianity that a

brother should marry his brother’s wife this is consider as a sin in Christianity.

Bible forbids such kind of action. Secondly Hamlet is an educated man who was

studying in Wittenberg; he is upset on these events.

He starts hating his mother for this act, he considers her, as having no moral

compass. He starts hating women as he considers all women weak and deceitful

who cannot live alone.

“Frailty, thy name is woman!”

These lines clearly show hamlets view point of women, he considers them weak

and fragile beings. Hamlet considers every woman weakling due to his mother’s

actions. He becomes against Ophelia also, who he fancied because of his mother

he starts hating her also.

“Get thee to a nunnery”

Also he gets to know about the plan of Polonius, He becomes against Ophelia also

because he considers her playing in the hands of Polonius and Clauduis. He

becomes harsh on Ophelia due to this reason. He asks her to go and join a brothel.

He does not trust Ophelia as he considers her playing in the hands of Other, men

Claudius and Polonius.

voice which suggests that they don’t know about the world around them. Women

are shown weak and fragile in the play they are mostly silent. They mostly speak

when they are asked to speak. They follow other men instructions and not try to

assert their own power or speak their own mind.

This shows that women of this era were required to remain quiet and submissive

they were not considered equal to men and were considered the property of men.

Take the case of Ophelia who listens to everything her father says to her, she

obeys her father even against her own interest and emotions. She rejects Hamlets

advances because of her father and brother. Her brother also instructs her and she

listens and does what he demands’ from her.

This avoidance and rejection of Hamlet by Ophelia, causes Hamlet lot of anger

and he considers every woman as a treacherous and deceitful.

So both the plays show misogyny, women are showed as weak, faithless,

treacherous, and disloyal. They are not considered having independent

personality. If any woman tries to develop her own identity against the set

patterns of the society, the men of the society became against her and consider her

as an outlaw.

Men develop all the laws of the society even women’s role and actions are

dictated by men. Patriarchal society governs everything in the society.

First the woman is under her father who tells her what to do and what not to do

then she comes under her brother who decides what is good and bad for her later
on she is married and her husband, who then dictates her life. This is what women

have to go through.

Shakespeare both plays show anti feministic elements. They are both against

women. They project women in a horrible light. They show women as a creature

which must be tamed otherwise they would become out of control and society

will be destroyed.

Shakespeare in his plays shows the conditions which were prevalent in

Elizabethan era, he shows accurately the conditions under which women had to

live and survive. Male domination is the main theme in his plays. This domination

leads to lot of turmoil and most times destruction. There is absolute domination of

women in these plays by men. Women are not given a voice in Hamlet. When

they speak like in Taming of the Shrew then women are considered disrespectful

and profane.

The complete domination of females in these plays leads to complete

transformation and Destruction of not only the personality of females, but also the

death of females. Women die because of these actions and reactions.

There are two binary’s in which women are divided one is Angelic women and

other is devilish women. Women who follow the traditional etiquettes are

considered good and pious women. These women have qualities like being silent

in front of husband when spoken to. Being submissive to the desires of her

husband and whatever he demands of her, being pious and forgiving.

They have the qualities like speaking a lot and speaking absurdly, they are

sensuousness as they arose men’s desires, they are sexual, and none

compromising. They never forgive but are ready to take revenge whenever

possible.

These binaries have been created by men; also they are sometimes created by

women also. But being in a patriarchal society and most of the worlds societies

are patriarchal it is not surprising that women are characterise like this.

So at the end Shakespeare both plays The Taming of The Shrew and Hamlet both

are misogynist and represent women in a poor way which would be accepted in

the past but not in today’s world.

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Blakemore Evans and J. J. M. Tobin. 2nd ed. New York: Houghton, 1997. 138-
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& Toronto, Associated University Press 1988. 91-104.

Andreas, James R. “The Vulgar and Polite: Dialogue in hamlet.” Hamlet Studies
15 1-2 (1993): 8-22.

Romero, Shelly. “Reasons Why Men Abuse and Batter Women and Why Women
Don’t Leave the Relationship.” 2001. http:!!peekabooicu2.50megs.comlabuse-
stay.html.

Lewis, Liz. “Shakespeare’s Treatment of Women in the Tragedies Hamlet,