Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, and Women during the Renaissance
RENAISSANCE HUMANISM HOW FAR ‘WOMANISM ‘?
AN ANALYSIS WITH REFERENCE TO SHAKESPEARE 'S "THE TAMING OF THE SHREW"
The Renaissance denotes in its broadest sense, the gradual enlightenment of human mind after the darkness of the middle ages. It was indeed a complex movement in the 16th century that tended to liberate the mind and imagination of Europe from the medieval fetters; especially the traditional Christian outlook and conventional dogmas. Now one of the most important aspects of Renaissance was Humanism, which placed man at the centre of the universe. In other words, it opened the doors of a new world which gave man the power to frame his own destiny. Hence Lamartine appears correct in his assertion when he claims that, it was during Renaissance, “man discovered himself in the universe.”
However, interestingly in such an era of enlightenment the women question remained completely ignored. In other words, the Renaissance society forbade the rise of ‘Womanism’ in the contemporary scenario. Therefore this paper intends to trace the condition of the Renaissance women who lived roughly between 1350 to 1650 in Western Europe and England with particular reference to Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Much like the child in the legend who wondered where the emperor’s cloths had gone this paper attempts to raise an elementary question - Did Renaissance women enjoy a Renaissance? And an apt analysis on this topic forces us to accept Joan Kelly’s argument when he says “No”. Indeed in such a society which questioned the rigid and authoritarian Christianity, people remained loyal to the biblical notions of the husband as the wife’s head and women as the glory of man. (Paraphrasing Ephesians and 1 Corinthians respectively)
Now such a gender bias in the enlightened, humanistic Renaissance society finds an apt representation in Shakespeare’s
AN ANALYSIS WITH REFERENCE TO SHAKESPEARE 'S "THE TAMING OF THE SHREW"
The Renaissance denotes in its broadest sense, the gradual enlightenment of human mind after the darkness of the middle ages. It was indeed a complex movement in the 16th century that tended to liberate the mind and imagination of Europe from the medieval fetters; especially the traditional Christian outlook and conventional dogmas. Now one of the most important aspects of Renaissance was Humanism, which placed man at the centre of the universe. In other words, it opened the doors of a new world which gave man the power to frame his own destiny. Hence Lamartine appears correct in his assertion when he claims that, it was during Renaissance, “man discovered himself in the universe.”
However, interestingly in such an era of enlightenment the women question remained completely ignored. In other words, the Renaissance society forbade the rise of ‘Womanism’ in the contemporary scenario. Therefore this paper intends to trace the condition of the Renaissance women who lived roughly between 1350 to 1650 in Western Europe and England with particular reference to Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Much like the child in the legend who wondered where the emperor’s cloths had gone this paper attempts to raise an elementary question - Did Renaissance women enjoy a Renaissance? And an apt analysis on this topic forces us to accept Joan Kelly’s argument when he says “No”. Indeed in such a society which questioned the rigid and authoritarian Christianity, people remained loyal to the biblical notions of the husband as the wife’s head and women as the glory of man. (Paraphrasing Ephesians and 1 Corinthians respectively)
Now such a gender bias in the enlightened, humanistic Renaissance society finds an apt representation in Shakespeare’s
Cited: 1. Joan Kelly, “Did Woman Have a Renaissance?”- Women, History and & Theory: The Essays of Joan Kelly (University of Chicago Press, 1984) 2. Lawrence Stone, Family, Sex, and Marriage in England, 1500-1800” (New York: Harper and Row, 1977) 3. Ruth Kelso, Doctrine for the Lady of the Renaissance (Urbana: University of Illinois Press,1956.) 4 Linda Boose, Shakespeare, The Movie: Popularizing the Plays on Film, TV, and Video (Routledge, 1997)