|
Key Word
|
|
Definition
|
|
Transmutation
|
|
The action of changing or the state of being changed into another form
|
|
Immutable
|
|
Unchangeable
|
|
Stichomythia
|
|
Quick fire exchange of dialogue between characters.
|
|
Ekphrasis
|
|
The use of detailed description of a work of visual art as a literary device.
|
|
Proleptic
|
|
Anticipating or projecting something into the future
|
|
Parallaxis
|
|
Apparent shift in an object’s position when viewed from a different locations, causing a change in viewpoint
|
|
Social Inversion
|
|
When a person changes their ordinary social role and behaviour to fit into a group
|
|
Dramatic Irony
|
|
When the audience knows something that the characters don’t
|
|
Ethical
|
|
Relating to moral principles or the branch of knowledge dealing with these.
|
|
Decay of Aristocracy
|
|
The gradual erosion of noble power and prestige, often depicted through moral decline, financial ruin, or the rise of new social forces that undermine inherited status
|
|
Parallels
|
|
Be similar or corresponding to.
|
|
Enforces Rigid Hierarchy
|
|
The strict maintenance of social order, where class boundaries are upheld and characters are confined to predetermined roles within an inflexible structure.
|
|
Inescapable Hierarchy
|
|
A social system so deeply ingrained that individuals cannot transcend their assigned rank, regardless of ambition or merit.
|
|
Induction Acts as a Frame
|
|
A structural device in which an opening section (the induction) establishes context, themes, or perspective, shaping how the main narrative is interpreted.
|
|
Identity Fragile
|
|
The idea that a character’s sense of self is unstable and easily disrupted by external pressures such as society, relationships, or internal conflict.
|
|
Socially Constructed
|
|
The notion that identity, roles, or values are not innate but shaped by cultural norms, expectations, and collective belief systems.
|
|
Fluidity of social roles
|
|
The ability of individuals to shift between, adapt, or change their social positions, identities, and expected behaviors based on context, audience, or life circumstances
|
|
Malapropisms
|
|
The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with an amusing effect.
|
|
Lazzo
|
|
Comic routine
|
|
Hyper-masculinity
|
|
An exaggerated exhibition of masculine traits, such as physical strength, aggression, and dominance (seen in Petruchio’s treatment of his servant).
|
|
Mercenary Masculinity
|
|
A version of manhood defined by financial acquisition; the man’s success is measured by his ability to secure wealth through marriage.
|
|
Homosocial Bonding
|
|
Social interaction between members of the same sex (men) that reinforces their shared power and excludes the opposite sex.
|
|
Performative Masculinity
|
|
The idea that “manhood” is an act or a role that characters like Lucentio and Hortensio “put on” through disguises to achieve their goals.
|
|
Subjugation
|
|
The act of bringing someone under total control or or making them subordinate; the primary goal of the men regarding Katherine.
|
|
Transactional Language
|
|
Speech that uses business terms (like “bargain,” “venture,” and “cargo”) to describe human relationships.
|
|
Objectification
|
|
The process of treating a person (specifically women in this scene) as a thing or a tool for a man’s use.
|
|
The “Male Gaze”
|
|
A perspective where women are viewed as objects to be looked at, judged, and valued by men, even when the women are not present.
|
|
Machismo
|
|
A strong or exaggerated sense of manliness; an emphasis on bravery, strength, and sexual dominance.
|
|
Patriarchal Bargain
|
|
A deal made between men (like Baptista, Petruchio, and the suitors) to trade a woman’s autonomy for financial or social stability.
|
|
Virility
|
|
Manliness, characteristically associated with strength, energy, and a strong drive to “conquer” (which Petruchio claims to possess).
|
|
Social Stratification
|
|
The ranking of people in a hierarchy; in this scene, the men use their status to rank women as “treasures” or “shrews.”
|
|
Coverture
|
|
The legal status of a married woman, considered to be under her husband’s protection and authority
|
|
Ontological erasure
|
|
The systemic exclusion or invalidation of a certain group, identity, and culture
|
|
Institutionalised patriarchy
|
|
Patriarchy where men have the power that is institutionalised into a system.
|
|
Hegemonic masculinity
|
|
Societal normalisation of contempt/ hatred towards women, structured to maintain male dominance.
|
|
Systemic Misogyny
|
|
A system which favors men.
|
|
Primogeniture
|
|
The right of succession belonging to the first born child
|
|
Chattel
|
|
Personal Possession
|
|
Old order
|
|
Traditional hierarchical, patriarchal, and sometimes stagnant
|
|
New order
|
|
Emerging, individualistic, chaotic, or reformed
|
|
Satirical
|
|
Sarcastic, critical, and mocking another’s weaknesses.
|
|
Linguistic cage
|
|
The concept that human consciousness and thought are constrained by the limitations of the language we use to describe, perceive, and interpret reality.
|
|
Peripeteia
|
|
A sudden reversal of fortune or a change in circumstance
|
|
Domestic Isolation
|
|
The separation of the home from the community - turning the household into a private, unsafe space. It often signifies a wife’s confinement, or a husband’s paranoid, self-imposed isolation from social bonds.
|
|
Commodification
|
|
The action or process of treating something as a mere commodity.
|
|
Patrimony
|
|
Property inherited from one’s father or male ancestor
|
|
Phallocentric
|
|
The focus on the penis as a form of male dominance
|
|
Coercive Control
|
|
Forced control, forcing someone to be under your control through coercion.
|
|
Farce
|
|
A comic dramatic work using buffoonery and horseplay and typically including crude characterisation and ludicrously improbable situations.
|
|
Didactic
|
|
Intended to teach something (instructive)
|
|
Recalcitrant
|
|
Having an uncooperative attitude, especially towards authority or discipline.
|
|
Disenfranchised
|
|
Deprive someone of the right to vote.
|
|
Polemical
|
|
Describes a strongly critical, aggressive, or controversial style of speech or writing that attacks or defends a specific opinion.
|
|
Mercenary
|
|
Primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics.
|
|
Idiosyncratic
|
|
Habits, behaviors, or features that are unique, peculiar, or specific to a particular individual or thing
|
|
Machiavellian
|
|
A character that personal traits are focused on manipulation and a cynical disregard for morality
|
|
Autocratic
|
|
Relating to a ruler who has absolute power.
|
|
Paternalistic
|
|
Relating to or characterised by the restriction of the freedom and responsibilities of subordinates or dependants in their supposed interest.
|
|
Transactional
|
|
Relating to the conducting of business, especially buying or selling.
|
|
Complaisant
|
|
Willing to please others or to accept what they do or say without protest.
|
|
Narrative Intrusion (Authorial intrusion)
|
|
Where the author intentionally steps into the narrative to address the reader directly, offer commentary, provide opinions, or break the story's immersion
|
|
Meta Reference
|
|
When a fictional character or creator directly acknowledges the artificiality of their narrative, addressing the audience to highlight they are in a story.
|
|
Weaponisation
|
|
The transformation of something abstract (language, love, status, or identity) into a tool of power, used to manipulate, control, or harm others.
|
|
Subjugated
|
|
Reduced to a state of submission, where a character is dominated or oppressed by another’s authority, often losing autonomy or voice.
|
|
Consummation
|
|
The act that completes or fulfils a union, typically romantic or marital, often symbolising legitimacy, possession, or the transition from desire to reality.
|
|
Infantilisation
|
|
The treatment of an individual as childlike or dependent, stripping them of agency and reinforcing power imbalances.
|
|
Docility
|
|
A passive and compliant disposition, where a character yields easily to control, often reflecting internalised oppression or social conditioning.
|
|
Subversive
|
|
Subtly challenging or undermining established norms, authority, or expectations, often through indirect or covert means.
|
|
Malleable
|
|
Easily shaped or influenced, describing a character whose identity, beliefs, or actions are readily altered by external forces.
|
