Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Tyler on Petruchio and "find the love"


Petruchio No Love  (Tyler Damerell)






Most, if not all, marriages in Shakespeare’s time were arranged, and not based on love or passion between partners.  Marriage used to be a purely economic exchange: trade the woman and some other goods (land, cattle, etc.) for a tie to wealth or power.  In the case of The Taming of the Shrew, when we are first introduced to Petruccio in 1.2 he says that his goal is to “wive and thrive” (54), or rather, to seek a wife and his fortune.  He is steadfast in his goal as he asks Baptista about his dowry in 2.1. In this scene it is clear that Petruccio is most interested in his potential gains from his marriage, and not at all interested in winning Katherina’s love.

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