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!
There is also alot of talk
Sat, 29 Nov 2008, 11:19 pmThere is also alot of talk as to whether her breakdown is because she has failed to produce an air to the throne. There have been a few productions where her "madness" scene is played as though she has miscarried a child. This reading fits in with the idea that she asks the demons to "unsex me here" and as such bought it upon herself. Giving birth after all is arguably the most feminine thing a woman can do.
I've never really seen her as a commentary about a woman's place. I can certainly see how it can be read that way BUT I think it devalues the more important points it makes about what it is to be human.
Shakespeare's women are interesting characters though and in a number of plays he gives them a position of power over men. Though it is a subtle one. For example my reading of Bianca (Katherina's sister) is that she is a first class manipulator of men and it has certainly been fun to play with that idea whilst directing and hads produced some interesting results.