| by Hamlet, Princess of Denmark |
What do you think about true love in the Renaissance? Or about true love at all, really? Is it a thing of fairy tales; or is it real? Well, we hear legends of knights and princesses falling in love in the Renaissance; and of lords and ladies who were a match made in heaven. Besides, what about King Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot… Romeo and Juliet? What were all these tales based on if true love didn’t exist?
I suppose we’ll never really know, but we can make an educated guess.
In “Taming of the Shrew,” the marriages seem to be all about money. Dowries and dowers play an integral part of the action. (These are the exchange of property or money between the two families in a marital arrangement.)
Though, is it really? Note: If you aren’t familiar with the story, check out “Taming of the Shrew” Spoilers! by Countess Olivia. Lucentio and Bianca must love each other, because they pretty much elope before getting approval from their fathers. Everyone knows that is never done!
What about Kate and Petruchio? Money brought them together, however according to Baptista (Kate’s father), LOVE had to be achieved before the match could be made:
BAPTISTA:
Ay, when the special thing is well obtain’d,
That is, her love; for that is all in all.
It’s interesting that Baptista talks of love, seeing as we know nothing about his wife. Is she alive? Do we not hear about her because they don’t love each other? What if, like her daughter, she was a powerful and assertive woman and left her family to become a pirate! Ok, I’ll admit that sounds crazy, but still, Shakespeare didn’t give us a back story; it could be true. 
Even though Kate and Petruchio’s marriage was arranged, they’re perfect for each other. They have a tumultuous relationship, of course, but as Bianca says about Kate, “That being mad herself, she’s madly mated.” I think the problem is that they won’t admit it to each other. Just like Scarlett and Rhett, Darcy and Elizabeth, and most recently – Penny and Sherman. What if they are like the innkeeper and his wife in Les Miserables, working together to win the bet? So in the end, Kate isn’t really “tamed,” she just found someone who understands her.
