Sunday, November 23, 2008
Baptista's flatness...
Of the main characters in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, Baptista’s role is small yet pivotal in moving the story forward. Baptista is the father of both Katherine and Bianca who are the two centers of this play. It is them that the two plots revolve around. Baptista is the one that says Bianca cannot marry before her elder, shrew-like sister Katherine. With this announcement, Bianca’s suitors employ Petruchio to wed Katherine and this furthers the story line. Also, Baptista is the one that agrees to Lucentio’s offer to marry Bianca (this is Tranio disguised as Lucentio). By doing this, the real Lucentio has more reason and comfort in stealing Bianca away and eloping. For as much “power” as Baptista has in the play, his character is rather flat. He does not evolve and mature and we only see one side of him; the side that is eager to marry off his daughters. Baptista is crucial to the flow of the play despite is flatness of character.
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5 comments:
Baptista has a very one-tract mind and his flatness could almost double for stubbornness. He makes me think of a brick wall that is asking to be knocked down.
I dunno about stubborn. Greedy: yes. He just wants to sell off his daughter so he can chill.
I agree that Baptista doesn't change throughout the course of the story and his only goal from the beginning was to get his daughters married.
Baptista definately doesn't change from beginning to end other than having more grey hairs due to the stress his daughters put him through. His role in the story is the typical male patriarch and head of the family. Through his actions toward his daughters and their suitors we can idea of how women were treated as things to be bargained with.
yea. i agree. Baptista is one typical flat character. Through out the whole play, he just stayed as the way he is.
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