Katherina's Last Speech! *WARNING "SHREW" HYPE ALERT*
Fri, 28 Nov 2008, 02:43 amGarreth11 posts in thread
Katherina's Last Speech! *WARNING "SHREW" HYPE ALERT*
Fri, 28 Nov 2008, 02:43 amSo? That speech... for those of you who are unfamiliar here it is:
Fie, fie! unknit that threatening unkind brow,
And dart not scornful glances from those eyes
To wound thy lord, thy king, thy governor.
It blots thy beauty as frosts do bite the meads,
Confounds thy fame as whirlwinds shake fair buds,
And in no sense is meet or amiable.
A woman mov'd is like a fountain troubled-
Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty;
And while it is so, none so dry or thirsty
Will deign to sip or touch one drop of it.
Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,
Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee,
And for thy maintenance commits his body
To painful labour both by sea and land,
To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,
Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe;
And craves no other tribute at thy hands
But love, fair looks, and true obedience-
Too little payment for so great a debt.
Such duty as the subject owes the prince,
Even such a woman oweth to her husband;
And when she is froward, peevish, sullen, sour,
And not obedient to his honest will,
What is she but a foul contending rebel
And graceless traitor to her loving lord?
I am asham'd that women are so simple
To offer war where they should kneel for peace;
Or seek for rule, supremacy, and sway,
When they are bound to serve, love, and obey.
Why are our bodies soft and weak and smooth,
Unapt to toll and trouble in the world,
But that our soft conditions and our hearts
Should well agree with our external parts?
Come, come, you froward and unable worins!
My mind hath been as big as one of yours,
My heart as great, my reason haply more,
To bandy word for word and frown for frown;
But now I see our lances are but straws,
Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare,
That seeming to be most which we indeed least are.
Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot,
And place your hands below your husband's foot;
In token of which duty, if he please,
My hand is ready, may it do him ease.
Does it go too far? Is it Ironic? Is it Sexist How would you handle it? I have just finished nutting this one out with my Katherina in Upstart Theatre Company's FREE production of "The Taming of the Shrew" and was interested to hear your opinions!
If you want to see how we worked to make this speech then I encourage you to come to the show and have a good night out under the stars at Woodlake amphitheatre Ellenbrook. You can find all the details here:
http://www.theatre.asn.au/production/2008/shakespeare_on_the_lake_the_taming_of_the_shrew
I hope to hear from you all soon!
Lady Macbeth etc
Sun, 14 Dec 2008, 07:37 pmIt's taken me a long time to come back and say that I wasn't trying to sum up Lady Macbeth in a sentence - I was just referring to that speech specifically. The explorations of her childlessness are really interesting, I agree.
We rewrite history so much it's hard to say whether Shakespeare was thinking much differently from others - the Elizabethan world-order and women's place in law suggest he did, but who knows. It's interesting to think about also in terms of male actors playing the female parts. I don't know whether audiences of the time would react as much as we would.
I think his audiences varied widely and most of his plays offered something for everyone. Many of the audience-members were uneducated and I think it's a shame that now it's sometimes seen as so highbrow when it can be so much fun and really interesting.
Also, I'm sorry I just couldn't think of coming to see The Taming Of The Shrew. I've been away in Melbourne, extra busy since I got back and Ellenbrook is a long way from me - about an hour and a half according to Google and we know they're never wrong. I probably drive slower than Google too!
Everything I've read about the production here has made it seem really interesting and I hope you were happy with the season.