『말괄량이 길들이기』: 여성의 사회적 정체성 형성의 작위적 과정

Abstract

Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare’s controversial works in the feministic criticism because of its extremely patriarchal ideology dominating the whole plot. The main play shows the process that Petrucio, the patriarchal husband tames his shrew wife, Katherina into an utterly compliant one. Most modern readers and audiences feel unpleasant at Katherina’s mutation by Petrucio’s cruel taming methods and her long speech about husband’s sovereignty over his wife in the final scene. Katherina seems to speak for males’ view of an ideal wife in this speech. This study, however, begins from the assumption that Shakespeare doesn’t focus on taming itself, but the process of how an individual's social identity is formed by taming. The Induction, which is found only in this play among Shakespeare’s works makes such an interpretation possible. In the Induction, Sly cannot but deny his real identity and accept the supposed one since all the people and circumstances around him insistently drive him to feel that he is a lord. Sly’s acceptance of his false identity foreshadows Katherina’s conformity to the image of an ideal woman which has been made and disseminated by patriarchy. The sun and moon scene shows comically how male has excluded female systematically in making meanings of signs. Man-made language helps male seize the absolute power over female and maintain it firmly. Men made up the patriarchy, male-centered social and political order system to strengthen their power and justify it as well. Men forced women to conform with the ideology by using all kinds of means. Though patriarchy was a dominant and univocal discourse in Renaissance English, Shakespeare seems not to indulge himself in that ideology. Distancing himself from the contemporary discourse, Shakespeare represents in this play how men implant their views in women's mind with a high-handed measure.