Sadism and masochism in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew,
The Merchant of Venice, and Romeo and Juliet.
The principles of sadism and masochism, although named and explored much later
than Shakespeare by the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814) and Leopold von SacherMasoch (1836-95), can be found gleaming under the surfaces of these three texts and
performing several textual functions. Sadism, as the deriving of pleasure through
inflicting pain on another, and masochism, as the deriving of pleasure through the
receiving of pain, together define the need for a dominant and a submissive person in
a relationship. In all three of these plays, Shakespeare toys with the idea of dominance
and submission and it is vital to both our understanding of character motivation in the
plays, and our appreciation of the actions these characters take. It is not always
possible to discuss sadism and masochism separately as the two are often intrinsically
linked, as in sadomasochism, therefore a more satisfying approach to these texts
would be to firstly consider the ways in which their openings establish the theme of
submission and domination, and then to examine both the key and minor relationships
in the texts.
The opening induction scenes of The Taming of the Shrew (as the most explicit of the
three plays and thus the thrust of this essay) immediately sets up ideas of domination
and submission. The Lord’s desire to “practise on this drunken man” (induction 1,33)
is based purely upon the motives of pleasure as there is no real gain to be had from
convincing Sly he is a nobleman. The Lord admits that this is a purely selfish display
of dominance, his plan born from a whim and a need of personal entertainment:
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I long to hear him call the drunkard husband,
And how my men will stay themselves from laughter
When they do homage to this simple peasant. (induction 2, 130-133)
Sly is an unsuspecting submissive then, but this is a false relationship as he is
unaware of the joke that is cruelly being played upon him. It is interesting to observe
how Shakespeare places the character being controlled into a position of illusionary
control as the master of the house- essentially he appears to have power, but in
actuality has none.
Romeo and Juliet too opens with these notions of dominance and the desire to be
dominant. The servingmen of the houses of both Capulet and Montague gather to
assert dominance over one another. Sampson belittles the Montagues for his own
sadistic enjoyment, “I will bite my thumb at them, / which is disgrace to them if they
bear it” (1,1,40). Here there are two suggestions, one, that Sampson wishes his
enemies disgrace and so desires them to bear it, and two, that he wishes them to
retaliate and engage in a brawl. The first reading is obviously the most suitable to the
theme of sadism and masochism, but it is the second possibility that the Montagues
take. We see here a battle between two groups who desire to be dominant, neither
displaying the masochistic tendencies present in other characters elsewhere in the
play.
The Merchant of Venice interestingly does not open with an explicit example of
dominance or submission and in this case is therefore slightly different to the other
two texts. Instead Shakespeare provides information on character and circumstance,
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revealing that Antonio is ailed by some unknown malady or depression and that
Bassanio is in the throes of love for Portia but does not possess the required money to
woo her. Here the later submissive-dominant relationships are being carefully planned
for without reference to the situations themselves.
We see that these roles are not always concrete from the outset- no individual is
inherently masochistic or sadistic as it is dependent upon their partnership,
nonetheless there are those who are especially perceptive of what they want, and roles
are experimented with and start to become apparent very early on in these texts.
Petruchio is one such character: he enters The Taming of the Shrew in full display of
his violent (yet deliciously humourous) and sadistic tendencies. His dominance as
master over Grumio is depicted physically and verbally as he threatens to “knock
[Grumio’s] knave’s pate” (1,1,11-12) and then, in many performances of the play,
proceeds to do so. He knows from the outset that no matter how shrewish Kate may
be, he will always be the dominant figure, proclaiming:
For I will board her though she chide as loud
As thunder when the clouds in autumn crack (1,2,94-95)
Here Petruchio is already creating a submissive mould to break Kate into regardless
of her current position in the play as the dominant character. In this reading of the text
we are enabled to accurately predict what will happen in Kate and Petruchio’s
relationship as although Kate is aggressive and Bianca somewhat masochistically
urges her to “content you in my discontent” (1,1,80) it seems that Kate is pushed to
these actions by those around her rather than gaining any real sadistic pleasure. It is
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obvious then that Kate must eventually submit to Petruchio as she is the more
versatile partner. She is therefore forced into this role, and although she performs it
well she is soon to be forced into another role by Petruchio, exemplifying that sadistic
and masochistic roles do not always have to be as concrete as is the case with her
dominator.
The balance of power in these relationships is also explored in The Merchant of
Venice where we see Shylock take control over an increasingly submissive Antonio.
Shylock, like Petruchio, immediately takes advantage of a situation in which he can
gain pleasure through sadism. He confesses of Antonio, “I hate him for he is a
Christian” (1,2,39) and as Antonio symbolically renders his money, and therefore his
power as a guarantee, Shylock can then become the dominant partner and sadistically
demand “an equal pound / of [his] fair flesh to be cut off and taken / In what part of
[his] body pleaseth me”. Instantly after this Antonio falls perfectly into the role of the
submissive and potential masochist as he claims, “content, in faith. I’ll seal to such a
bond. / And say there is much kindness in the jew” (1,3,149-150). Our prediction
here may be that as with Petruchio, Shylock will have his way, however our
prediction is incorrect as the dominant-submissive relationship of Portia and Bassanio
interferes in act four and sees Shylock cast aside.
Shakespeare also establishes roles quickly in Romeo and Juliet in a series of dialogues
between Romeo, Benvolio and Mercutio. Here the emphasis is interestingly placed on
love as the sadist and Romeo the reveling masochist, speaking of love as “a madness
most discreet, / A choking gall, and a preserving sweet” (1,1,191-192). It is this
contradictory tension between pleasure and pain that is the governing star of the sado-
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nasochist’s world and Romeo again expresses the torment of love with the antithetical
“She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow / Do I live dead, that live to tell it now”
(1,1,221-222). Benvolio too heralds this message, suggesting that love is a cure for
itself “one pain is lessen’d by another’s anguish” (1,2,46) and therefore pleasure
satisfies pain and pain satisfies pleasure in a cyclical symbiosis.
Now that Shakespeare has established roles of power and suggested dominance and
submission in all three plays, we see their sadistic or masochistic qualities furthered
and more thoroughly explored. One of the most sadomasochistically suggestive
scenes in The Taming of the Shrew is act two scene one where we meet Bianca tied
and bound by Kate. Although Kate is a worthy sadist here, Bianca is an unsuccessful
masochist pleading:
Good sister, wrong me not, nor wrong yourself,
To make a bondmaid and a slave of me;
That I disdain: but for these other gawds,
Unbind my hands, I'll pull them off myself,
Yea, all my raiment, to my petticoat;
Or what you will command me will I do,
So well I know my duty to my elders. (2,1,1)
This is a misplacement of submissive and dominative roles, and as Nina Taunton
suggests in her essay, Patterns of Sadomasochism and Fashion-fetishism in The
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Taming of the Shrew1, “Kate is experimenting with the role of dominant, and is
forcing Bianca into the submissive's part. That this is a false position for both sisters
is shown by Bianca's 'disdain' for the bondage and slave set-up. Her aim is to effect
release for herself, not to gratify the deep-seated urges of the masochist for shame and
chastisement, and Kate's violence has neither the control nor the judgement required
for the sadist's part”. The suggestion that Kate strikes and then later flies at Bianca is
a probable expression of her inability to successfully control Bianca and gain pleasure
for as soon as Baptista enters Kate drops her pursuit and loses interest.
Interestingly this extravagant wielding of dominance by Kate is juxtaposed to the
previous scene where Petruchio, in turn, has flaunted his. This structure creates a
tension and anxiety as to how Kate and Petruchio will interact with one another in the
later scenes.
If this development can be seen as an offshoot of the theme, there too is a similar
diversion in The Merchant of Venice with the character of Portia. She herself is under
a somewhat sadistic control from her father who forces her to be suited in such a way
as the suitors must choose one of three chests correctly. This is extended further into
an even more unnecessary realm as if the suitors choose wrong, they must vow never
to woo or marry another women ever. This is somewhat reminiscent of Antilochus in
Shakespeare’s Pericles with his control over his daughter and the execution that
awaits those suitors who cannot guess his riddle correctly. Portia is not, however, a
simple victim, she seems to ooze all the sadistic potentiality that her father has done,
1
Nina Taunton - Patterns of Sadomasochism and Fashion-fetishism in The Taming of the Shrew
(piece originally published in ‘Skin Two’ Issue 15)
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scorning the suitor Morocco, “A gentle riddance. Draw the curtains, go. / Let all of his
complexion choose me so” (2,7,78-79). Portia’s desire to be dominant gradually
increases throughout the play and eventually, like Petruchio’s, manifests itself in the
final act where her true sadistic prowess radiates as she toys and paws mercilessly
with her husband.
Juliet’s character too develops, forming the dominant role. Here however it appears
almost accidental as it is the love Romeo has for her that turns him into her
submissive counterpart. Thus Juliet appears to become the dominative although it is
hard to argue that she is a true full-blown sadist. She laments, “My only love sprung
from my only hate” (1,5,138) and ties together the concepts of pleasure and pain once
more. It is not until act two scene two that we see her dominative capabilities seep
out, here she rather forcefully asks of Romeo “deny thy father and refuse thy name”
(2,2,34) and eventually she repeatedly interrogates him, the most emphatic of her
questions “How cam’st thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?” (2,2,62). These are
indicative of some form of control and as the goal of this is to ensure her happiness
with the man she loves, it can be said her motive is one of pleasure and is therefore
sadistic. However, it is not so simple; Juliet agrees she will denounce her name if he
will not and asks him to “take all myself” (2,2,49), this having distinctly masochistic
undertones. Juliet is neither wholly a sadist nor a masochist then, but a victim of love
who unwittingly wields immense control over Romeo. Her tendencies place her in the
sadomasochist bracket- a fence sitter who enjoys receiving pain as much as she enjoys
delivering it.
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All characters discussed also struggle with their roles during the plays. Petruchio’s
and Kate’s argument in act two scene one becomes a comedic tango as to who will
become the dominative character, and ultimately it is Petruchio. His measures are so
extreme and he is so sure in himself that it becomes a battle of wills in which Kate is
the weaker of the two:
Kate: If I be waspish, best beware my sting
Petr: My remedy is then to pluck it out (2,1,211-212)
Kate once again, as with Bianca, strikes out in an act of physical violence as a resort
to control Petruchio, unfortunately Petruchio is stronger both physically and mentally
being unaffected by the thought of hitting a woman, “I swear I’ll cuff you if you strike
again” (2,1,222). Petruchio has set out to “tame” his shrew and he does not relent
commanding ,“will you, nill you, I will marry you” (2,1,270). This is a greatly
important point in the play and in their submissive-dominative relationship as Kate
here becomes silent and does not protest to her father that Petruchio is lying in saying
she has agreed to marry him. She has momentarily lapsed into the role of the
masochist and allows Petruchio to humiliate her as he later does even more publicly at
their wedding.
Shylock is also challenged in his role, Salorino questions and pushes him as to why he
wants Antonio’s flesh but Shylock is steadfast in his decision, “It will feed my
revenge” (3,1,51) and in his monologue reaffirms that his pleasure in Antonio’s pain
is natural and just:
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If you prick us, do we not bleed?
if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison
us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not
revenge? (3,1,60-63)
Shylock’s sadistic attitude is furthered yet still in this scene as he proclaims “I’ll
plague him, I’ll torture him. I am glad of it” (3,1,109-110) and we are therefore left to
assume that given Antonio’s weak state of mind in the beginning of the play, he will
submit to Shylock’s intense resolve. This and the ensuing scene are fertile with
sadomasochistic references and it is perhaps Bassanio, who is now submissive to
Portia’s dominance, who expresses the masochistic mentality most clearly:
O happy torment, when my torturer
Doth teach me answers for deliverance! (3,2,37-38)
Juliet’s character is tested similarly and her role develops further still. Our first
indication of an increased awareness of her domination is the eerie confession of love
she gives to Romeo, “yet I should kill thee with much cherishing” (2,2,83). This once
again mingles ideas of pleasure and pain, life and death and through her increased
frustration with her situation we see Juliet become increasingly fickle as her nurse
reports upon her opinion of Paris, “but she, good soul, had as lief see / a toad, a very
toad, as see him. I anger her some- / -times” (2,5,198-200). This challenge to her love
of Romeo forces her to defend her position and even extends to cursing her nurse
whom she is particularly reliant upon, “Blister’d be thy tongue / for such a wish”
(3,2,90-91). Juliet shows a degree of sadism in these and her later comments to Paris,
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she is willing to dominate in order to gain her pleasure, Romeo. She is also willing to
be masochistic as she essentially cuts off her only other sources of love and affection
and in her feigned death she closes off and kills her entire world for the man she
loves, hence the character of Juliet continues to display the qualities of a
sadomasochist.
Once roles begin to fall into place the relationship between the sadist and the
masochist is more acutely explored. This exploration takes the form of several tests
which Shakespeare’s characters establish, thus defining their roles. In The Taming of
the Shrew Petruchio’s methods of taming are brutal and sadistic, but performed with
such a degree of flamboyance and panache that we may relate to them in some way.
He objectifies Kate telling us he “will be the master of what is [his] own” (3,2,231)
and initiates his testing. He presents Kate with a banquet upon arriving at his home,
however he denies it her through the guise of kindness, suggesting it is too “overroasted” (4,1,163) for her and not good enough. Here we see a further weakening of
Kate, previously she remained silent in her submission, here she defends a servant
gently to her master, “patience, I pray you, ‘twas a fault unwilling” (4,1,141).
Petruchio’s sway of power holds fast as he soliloquises on his “reign” (4,1,175) over
Kate. By likening her to a hawk Petruchio draws in the connotations of obedience and
control associated with sadomasochism but also explicitly shows us that his pleasure
in sadism will increase as he achieves his result in “kill[ing] a wife with kindness”
(4,2,195). We see then that Kate’s dominative role is being corroded and although she
occasionally retaliates, “I trust I may have leave to speak / and speak I will” (4,3,7374), she is now enough broken to fit into the masochistic mold her husband has
created for her.
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Portia too, as the dominant, prepares to test her partner:
I give them with this ring,
Which when you part from, lose, or give away,
Let it presage the ruin of your love
And be my vantage to exclaim on you (3,2,171)
She is setting up a hypothetical situation within which she may always have the
power and control over their relationship. By using the word “vantage” we see her
true desires- she does not give the ring hoping he will never break her trust, but gives
it in full knowledge that if he does so she can assert her dominance over him and gain
pleasure in his punishment.
Juliet too undergoes two forms of a test, firstly from her father’s excessive cruelty
upon realizing she will not marry Paris, and secondly in her courage to abandon her
life and pretend to be deceased. Her father refers to her as a “disobedient wretch”
(3,5,160) commanding her to “hang! Beg! Starve! Die in the streets” (3,5,192). Juliet
as the indecisive sadomasochist now must choose a route, either she is sadistic and
cuts herself off from her family in order to have her pleasure with Romeo, or she is
masochistic and concedes to her fathers rule. This way however her pleasure is
minimal as her true motive is her love for Romeo and thus does she reject Capulet’s
offer to be submissive and asserts herself as the true dominant. She, as Kate
eventually does, succeeds in her second test, not being phased by her fear that the
drug may be poison, she performs an act of sacrifice in order to be with her love,
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“Romeo, here’s drink! I drink to thee” (4,4,57) interestingly Romeo will make the
exact same choice at the end of the play.
We are left then to consider how the balances of these relationships stand as the plays
close. In The Taming of the Shrew we see the results of Petruchio’s testing, and this is
done through yet more tests- this time public ones. Petruchio extends his dominance
over Kate as he declares the sun to be the moon and vice versa, and we see she is now
submissive, “What you will have it named, even that it is, / And so it shall be for
Katherine” (4,5,21-22). Here we see that the field truly is won, as Hortensio states and
Kate appears to gain pleasure from the thought if she complies Petruchio will treat her
with respect. To test Kate’s mettle even further Petruchio address Vincentio as a
“gentle mistress” (4,5,27) and Kate plays along. Petruchio however then cruelly
changes his opinion and Kate is left appearing as a fool:
Why, how now, Kate! I hope thou art not mad:
This is a man, old, wrinkled, faded, wither'd,
And not a maiden, as thou say'st he is. (4,5,42-44)
This public humiliation and shaming is both sadistic on Petruchio’s part, and
masochistic on Kate’s as she allows herself to be shamed, gaining pleasure in her
master’s approval. This image of a near perfect sadomasochistic relationship is held
up for further marvel in the final scene of the play as Petruchio tests the mens’ wives
in a wager of their obedience. When Petruchio sends for Kate she comes immediately
and responds in the terms of a submissive masochistic slave, “What is your will, sir,
that you send for me?” (5,2,100). Not only does the humiliating physical act of
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stomping on her own hat project an image of obedience and pleasure in doing so, but
her language is reminiscent of a sadomasochistic relationship.
She 'kneel[s] for peace' (5,2,162) and no longer 'seek[s] for rule, supremacy' (5,2,163)
opting to cast away her dominant former character chooses to lay aside her former
self. She acknowledges her 'soft condition' (5,2,167) and her 'weakness' (174), and
declares herself 'bound to serve, love, and obey' (164). David Holt explains the story
of an experimental couple in terms that may equally be applied to the couple in this
play as Kate and Petruchio have “moved into their scene of humiliation and
punishment…using words of love and tenderness which add…to the sadomasochistic
enjoyment”2. Here amidst this register of domination and submission she suggests an
action that is perhaps the most explicitly masochistic in the entire play, telling Bianca
and the Widow to:
Place your hands below your husband’s foot.
In token of which duty, if he please,
My hand is ready, may it do him ease (5,2,177-179)
In Roger Hodgman’s production in 1991 Pamela Rabe, playing Kate, actually placed
her hand under her husband’s foot and tried “‘to be as seductive as possible doing it ,
to be as sexy as possible’ and when Petruchio raised his booted foot…Katherina
prostrated herself on the floor, face down… then turned over on her back, moving
sexually and appearing to enjoy herself hugely”3. The possibility of interpreting and
performing the text in this way certainly exists although it may be somewhat strained
2
3
David holt – ‘Skin Two’ Issue 9
Elizabeth Schafer- The taming of the shrew
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and idealistic, it cannot be denied however that Kate is ultimately dominated by
Petruchio and that there is a mutual enjoyment in this domination.
The Merchant of Venice also ends with sadomasochistic roles being fulfilled. The
court scene in act four scene one allows one final display of sadism and masochism
before the play’s closure in act five. Shylock continues to pursue his bond as it is his
“humour” (4,1,42) and Antonio remains submissive:
I do beseech you,
Make no more offers, use no farther means,
But with all brief and plain conveniency
Let me have judgment and the Jew his will. (4,1,79-82)
This masochistic submission has not been forced over time as with Kate but has
gradually settled down upon Antonio. Throughout the play he appears meek and
submissive, allowing events to carry him along and therefore when his submission
and Shylock’s domination collide a partnership is created. The Merchant of Venice
poses yet more problems as Bassanio, submissive to Portia, submits now to Antonio
also, stating, “The Jew shall have my flesh, blood, bones and all, / Ere thou shalt lose
for me one drop of blood” (4,1,111-112). The flaw with this is that Shylock is bound
to Antonio and Antonio alone in his sadomasochistic relationship and therefore
Bassanio is of no worth and cannot feature, Shylock still pursuing his pound of flesh.
Similarly to The Taming of the Shrew, language here is suggestive of our theme,
Portia sadistically tempting Shylock, “Prepare thee to cut off the flesh” (4,1,320),
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before viciously turning on him, “thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture / To be so
taken at thy peril, jew” (4,1,340). Portia uses the language of the sadist here and
masterfully brings Shylock under her control adding him to her trophy cabinet of
sadistic conquering along with Antonio and Bassanio.
As with Kate, the most explicit example of Portia’s role comes in the final scene as
she has convinced Bassanio and Graziano to part with their rings. She now chides and
ridicules them for having a “false heart of truth” (5,1,189), the crescendo of her
sadism occurring as she lies “For by this ring the doctor lay with me” (5,1,259) falsely
confessing to adultery. There is no justifiable reason for this overtly sadistic action:
although in the court scene Bassanio and Grazziano imply there are things more
valuable to them than their wives, the extent to which Portia pursues this is
unreasonable. Nerissa here too mirrors Portia but is less convincing, she too is under
Portias dominance and is merely a wannabe sadomasochist, lacking the ingenuity and
standing to be truly dominant above her mistress.
Romeo and Juliet, as we have seen has a more ambiguous sadomasochistic subtext,
this also being expressed in the closure of the play. Throughout act five scene two
Romeo, like Portia and Kate, uses language that is demonstrative of his role. He
repeatedly uses imperatives, ‘must’ appearing most frequently, “Come cordial, and
not poison, go with me / To Juliet’s grave, for there must I use thee” (5,2,84-85). Here
he refers to the poison with the euphemism ‘cordial’ meaning both a medicine or
bottle and punning on ‘to be cordial’ as warm or friendly. Romeo admittedly takes a
step beyond masochism here as he plans to kill himself but the undertones of
submission (to his situation and Juliet’s death) hold strong. These imperatives indicate
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that Juliet still has control over Romeo as he seemingly allows himself no choice and
the relationship of dominance and submission continues. Romeo dies in a
sadomasochistic fashion then, “thus with a kiss I die” (5,3,120), the conflicting ideals
of love and oblivion balancing upon the edge of his life as with Juliet and her “happy
dagger” (5,3,167). Their deaths are neither sadistic nor masochistic but born from the
tragedy of love, and although Romeo has been submissive and to an extent
masochistic, and although Juliet has been both sadistic and masochistic, these roles
are lost in the confusion of their deaths. We see however in the final line that Juliet
was always the dominative by the fact that Romeo is hers “Juliet and her Romeo”
(5,3,309).
The roles performed in these three plays are varied and wide affecting. Be a character
submissive or dominative, sadistic or masochistic their pleasures and pains are all
interwoven. We see in Kate a confused masochist who is helped into a comfortable
place of submission by the sadistic Petruchio, in Portia a powerful, dominant and
intelligent woman who ultimately controls nearly all characters in the play, even the
sadistic Shylock, and in Romeo we see the victim of the pleasures and pains of love
along with Juliet his dominant but doomed lover. Such a reading of the plays as this
depends, as do all readings, on subjective opinions as to the way particular words are
to be read; whether we view these plays as simply depictions of power, or as sexual
explorations of the roles of men and women. One observation is sure however, and
that is within any of these relationships there is always a struggle for power and one
partner will always be more dominant than another, how deeply we analyse this
depends upon our belief whether it is truly, as the Marquis de Sade suggests, "always
by way of pain one arrives at pleasure".
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