The Taming of the Shrew Act III & IV Analysis Essay

The Taming of the Shrew addresses the themes of gender and power in a significant way. In a 3-5
page thesis-driven analysis essay, address an aspect of the relationship between gender and power in the play. Choose one of the prompts below, or you may develop your own (you must clear your thesis with Mrs. Molinaro before beginning your analysis). 1. How do gender roles affect the attitudes of the characters, and how do these roles surface in the play? Most of the men seem to have a particular idea about how a wife should behave, but do their preconceptions extend to all women? How do the women react to these expectations? Are the women systematically oppressed, or do they subtly balance the mens power? 2. Social position and gender provides some of the characters in the play with automatic rights or positions of power, particularly in the context of marriage. How does the Taming of the Shrew look at the idea of power attaining it, having it, using it and/or the value of it? What kinds of power are shown in the play, and how are characters affected by each kind? In what ways are both genders able to gain power? In what ways are they restricted? 3. Consider how Petruchio goes about "taming" Katherine. How does he assert his control over her? Katherine is clearly a person of independent spirit, so why does she eventually submit to the humiliation? Consider Petruchio's motivation: Why does he find it necessary to have Katherine conform to a stereotypical wifely role? Is Shakespeare telling the reader that women should be possessions or that mans dominance and need for control is too extreme?

Writing reminders: A thesis statement must contain both a SUBJECT and an OPINION. Write about literature in the present tense! (i.e. Beowulf fought Grendel. = Beowulf fights Grendel.) Use transitions, use lead-ins, use spell-check There is NO EXCUSE for misspelled words!

SEE PAGE 2 FOR MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS! FAILURE TO MEET MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS WILL RESULT IN A GRADE NO HIGHER THAN 50%!

Minimum Requirements (failure to meet these requirements will result in a grade no higher than 50%): Typed, 1" margins, Times Roman 12 font, double spaced 3 PAGES MINIMUM (COMPLETE PAGES WITH 1 TOP TO 1 BOTTOM - SPILL ONTH PAGE 5!) Intro paragraph - at least 5 sentences Body paragraphs Use a ratio of 1 quote:2 sentences of analysis per paragraph (Says/Does/Because) 8 sentence paragraphs/11 sentences are better (think 4-7 paragraphs) Closing paragraph - at least 5 sentences Title page (not part of the 3 pg minimum) Centered, Original Title for paper + your selected prompt typed out in full underneath title + Your name and the date centered at the bottom of the page Minimum 6 Parenthetical documentations Remember when citing a play it should have Act, scene and lines using Roman numeral for Act and scene, use Arabic numbers for lines i.e. (I.ii.35-37) = Act I, scene 2, lines 35-37 Quotes <4 lines make sure to use / marks between the lines i.e. Double, double toil and trouble/Fire burn and cauldron bubble (IV.i.2021) Quotes 4 lines make sure to write them as they appear in the play (single spaced), indented from the right margin. A MAXIMUM OF 1 is allowed in this essay. i.e. and later the captain says, If I say sooth, I must report they were As cannons overcharged with double cracks, So they doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe. Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds Or memorize another Golgatha, I cannot tell (I.ii.36-41) This indicates that Macbeth fights valiantly but very brutally. Macbeth is. Works Cited page (even if there is only ONE entry!) Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. The Pelican Shakespeare. Ed. Oregel, Stephen, et al. New York: Penguin, 2000.

Any "No-no" present in your essay will result in loss of 1/2 a grade (i.e. an A grade becomes a B+). YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! These include: YOU, YOUR, ME, MY, I, OUR, WE, US, GET, GOT, A LOT, THINGS, ANYWAY, CONTRACTIONS, QUESTIONS, SYMBOLS