The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeares most famous plays. It
stands out particularly well in regards to Shakespeares use of female
characters. The play centers on Katherine, however it consists of many
extraordinary characters that have different personalities and feelings towards
the way they see things. One character that stands out from the rest is Bianca.
When Bianca is mentioned throughout the story of The Taming of the Shrew,
we think of her as a lovable, beautiful, kind person who everyone wants to be
around. The younger daughter of Baptista, Bianca is nearly the opposite of her
sister Kate at the beginning of the play.
She is sweet and soft-spoken, and
therefore several men want to marry her. Baptista, however, will not let her
marry until Kate is already wed. This is a big problem for the guys because none
of them love Kate, in fact they despise her. So, for now no one can have Bianca
until someone finds a man for Kate, and they get married.
Bianca could be considered as a flat character for obvious reasons. She is a
one dimensional character throughout the play, having the same attitude towards
everyone. One can see this when she is talking to Katherine while she beats her
and has her hands tied.
She is talking to her sister in a calm tone, and doesnt
yell or disrespect her, even though Kate is abusing her. Bianca speaks to
everyone in a nice way and she is never in a bad mood or ill-tempered.
Although Bianca is so sweet to everyone, she does have special feelings for
one man out of all the rest. She loves Lucentio, and he loves her back.
Hortensio expressed his love towards Bianca, but she didnt like him, nor did
she want to tell him that she would have rather be with Lucentio. Lucentio and
Bianca would do anything to be together. Eventually, they get married, but
things are rarely what they seem. When everyone is married, the men have a bet,
for which if their wife will come to them upon being called. Bianca, as
surprising as it seems, does not come to Lucentio. Kate, however, comes to
Petruchio and drags Bianca and the widow to their husbands and gives them a
lecture on how they should treat their men.
The main theme of this play is to show how true personalities emerge within a
short period of time. While Bianca is a sweet and lovable person, her
personality is revealed as the play comes to an end. The most effective way
Shakespeare demonstrates the theme of this play is to show the mistaken identity
of two sisters. Through appearance changes, character relationships, and inner
personalities, the writer shows that someones real identity is more important
than what they seem to be.