It has been a tradition for hundreds of years: a woman changes her maiden name to her husband's last name after marriage. It has been a point of discussion in the last few decades. I personally think that the woman should be able to make this decision for herself. If a woman feels inclined to change her name, she should change it. If she doesn't feel comfortable changing her name or wishes to keep her maiden name simply for personal reasons, this is acceptable too. I can see why this may be seen as
"ridding of the woman's identity" but I think if the name change is made for the right reasons and has the consent of the woman, I don't think it really matters.
In regards to The Taming of the Shrew, when Petruchio renames Katherine, "Kate," it does change her identity. Katherine protests to this new name, and to her dislike, he decides to permanently rename her which robs her of her identity. Her name gives her power. Her name reminds her peers of her great talent with language, something that she is proud of. "Kate" is an unfamiliar name to her and her peers, bringing feelings of ownership and confusion. In comparing the play to current times, it is important to consider how time period plays a part in this dilemma. During Shakespeare's time, women were objects to marry off, pawns on a chess board, waiting to be taken by a knight. Although in some cases this is true of women today, generally, women have the right to decide whether or not to change their maiden name or not, a power that should not be taken away.
I agree that women should have the right to either change their last name or keep it the same. While personally I feel that Petruchio calling Katherine, Kate, can be interpreted as his attempt of giving her a nickname, I can appreciate and understand that you feel as though he robbed her of her name and therefore her power. I also was impressed by your comparison of women in Shakespearian times and their suitors to pieces on a chess board. I really enjoyed your post!
ReplyDeleteI really agree with what you said here. It should be a woman or any person's right to change their name if they want to. It shouldn't necessarily mean that one's spouse is taking ownership by having them change their last name. I feel like it is a kind of ceremonial thing that the man and woman or any gender should be able to do. It is all a matter what the individual decides.
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