Dear old Kate...

[Thespian]

Hello!

Being the Thespian that I am, I have been set the challenge to a) chose a character I would really like to play and b) write a monologue for them; its an exercise we use in exploring characters an analysising them.

After debating whether or not to take on Lady Macbeth I finally settled on Kate, being rather a fan of hers! I'm not very fimilar with the play having seen it a couple of years ago at the Globe and briefly skimming over it recently. I'm having difficultly coming up with ideas without seeming too repetitive. My monologue so far is basicly a rant about marriage and why it is unnecessary for women, in particular her.

I was hoping you lovely people would be so kind as to provide me with some ideas, being the intelligent little poppets you all seem!

[mono]

Hello, Thespian, welcome to the forum.
I think I could offer more help if you had chosen Lady Macbeth, not feeling as familiar with The Taming Of The Shrew as Macbeth, but no worries. ;) For general information on the play, try visiting either here (http://www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/shrew/) or here (http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/shrew/).
Katherine, the Baptista's elder daughter, I have no doubt we all know, plays "the shrew." Strangely, when most people think of a shrew, we think of something like this (http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/boxads/shrew.jpg), yet I remember reading in a dictionary of etymology (word origins) that the word "shrew" first originated in referring to a mean, disagreeable spouse (perhaps this may deserve mention as a silly pun in the monologue :D - just an idea). In terms of the monologue, you seem to have a good start, insulting many of the trends of stability in marrying, "settling down," having children, etc. Jane Austen, thought the brilliant mind she had, thought marriage quite necessary in her first line of Pride and Prejudice:

It is a truth universally acknowledge, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
I suppose, in my comments to your question, Thespian, I mostly suggest 'allusions' of other classical literature. Katherine, a very rebellious, disagreeable, angst-ridden-self-reliant woman, I think, outlines the precise opposite of most, pardon the language, "typical" female fictional characters of her day (and for years afterwards). Making puns and fair fun of other literature, which encourages marriage, and the classical idea of structural functionalism, I think, sounds like quite a treat.
Good luck!

[Aurora Ariel]

I think Jane Austen has written such a great character there and this book can be seen as a detailed example of the original independent women.In that era females were oftened expected to conform to the usual social expectations that society had set from them;they were thought of only as wife and mothers and given a subordinated education.The free-spirited or "nonconformist wild streak" was often seen as undesirable in young females especially as young girls were prepared to be ladylike and please their husbands and mostly keep quite in public.Been strong-willed and opinionated was frowned upon and many who dared to do their own thing were portrayed as evil vixens, obstinate beings or insane madwomen.Thankfully though there has been a major growth in society in recent years and now we can read books such as these and comtemplate the thoughts and legacy of fellow radical(were described as this in their own era though they were extremely progressive and before their time) nineteenth century authors and late eighteenth century writers such as
Mary Wollestoncraft-mother of Mary Shelley and admired greatly by the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley-(who wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women after her successful Vindication of the Rights of Man)who was involved with the Enlightenment movement and French revolution along with other admirable minds such as her husband William Godwin(famous for Political Justice)Thomas Paine, and John Locke who wrote works such as An Essay Concerning Human Understanding.