Shakespeare’s Women

Regarding Russ Abbott’s letter (Nov. 13) about Kate’s final submission speech in “The Taming of the Shrew”: A knowledge of Shakespeare’s entire oeuvre will show that this play, like all of his other works, particularly the comedies, clearly shows his bias in favor of female characters having the upper hand in romantic relationships. Examples abound: Reread or see a production of “The Merchant of Venice” (Portia); “Much Ado About Nothing” (Beatrice); “Twelfth Night” (Viola and Maria); “As You Like It” (Rosalind).

Even in the tragedies, Shakespeare’s women are strong. The heroines defy their fathers (unheard of in Elizabethan society), like Juliet, Desdemona and Lear’s daughters. They are frequently evil but dominating (like Lady Macbeth or Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude), or they sacrifice male figures to maintain their position (“Antony and Cleopatra” or Isabella in “Measure for Measure”).

Not only is Kate’s speech tongue in cheek--Petruchio is well aware of this--but also it wins his wager for him. Remember that this was supposed to be a performance given before a drunkard, dressed as a lord, as a joke. Perhaps, as suggested in the introduction to the play (“The Complete Works,” G.B. Harison, editor), the playwright was saying to the henpecked husbands in the audience, “A drunkard’s dream, my friends--but don’t you wish it was true!”

EDYTHE M. McGOVERN

Los Angeles