Gremio: To cart her rather! She’s too rough for me…”
(1:1)
This is a severe insult towards Katherine as Gremio is referring towards her as a prostitute. The phrase ‘cart her’ was one used when talking about transporting prostitutes (stales) to prison, in a cart. This displays the way in which the male characters of this play are fearful of her and avoid contact with her. Shakespeare is showing how they respond towards Katherine even before we meet her. The realm of insults suffered by Katherine is continued.
“Hortensio: … No mates for you
Unless you were of gentler, milder mould.”
(1:1)
Yet, as opposed to taking his advice and becoming calmer, she does quite the opposite, she becomes annoyed.
“Katherine: …To comb your noddle with a three-legged stool
And paint your face and use you like a fool.”
(1:1)
Shakespeare is displaying the way in which she consciously tries to oppose the stereotypical, accepted manner of women in her position within the society of the time.
Shakespeare displays the fact that Baptista prefers Bianca to Katherine, whom he is trying to ‘sell’, by the way in which he speaks to her.
“Baptista: …-- Bianca, get you in.
And let it not displease thee, good Bianca,
For I will love thee ne’er the less, my girl.”
(1:1)
This is the tone used by an adoring father who cherishes the child to whom he speaks; yet it is also a father who displays contempt towards the elder.
“Baptista: For shame, thou hilding of a devilish spirit!”
(2:1)
This is the way in which the audience is informed of his treatment of Katherine, which may be partly to blame for her outward behaviour. She may feel she has to ‘play up’ and be the “Katherine the curst!” of her nickname in order to get the attention of her father.
Another way in which Baptista may be to blame for the way Katherine acts is the way in which he makes it obvious of his intention to ‘sell’ her. As Sean McEvoy states, “Katherine’s father is very happy to get her off his hands, even though she positively refuses the match. In this comedy, the desire of a woman to reject all suitors who are not to her liking is the female need which is to be brought under male control. It is done in the most domineering way possible, short of actual violence.”
I suppose the way she refuses to meet with suitors or entertain any ideas of spending time with them is a sort of revenge towards Bianca who is eager to court, and preventing that from happening must give Katherine some satisfaction.
Bianca on the other hand is mild, obedient and subservient as Bartholomew shows us is expected, this is compared with the outlandish behaviour of her sister.
“Tranio: … The one as famous for a scolding tongue
As is the other for beauteous modesty.”
(1:2)
This may be the cause of the number of suitors willing to court her, they find her attractive and she appears to fulfil all the criteria wanted and expected in a wife. Yet, Shakespeare shows us that this is not the case.
“Bianca: … Good master, take it not unkindly, pray,
That I have been thus pleasant [teasing] with you both.”
(3:1)
Bianca is displaying the shrewish side of her character, which until this point her father, and the audience were unaware of. She knows that she has many suitors, so she can afford to play them off against one another. Baptista only becomes aware of her ‘shrewish’ nature on the day of his elder daughter’s wedding.
“Baptista: … And let Bianca take her sister’s room.”
(3:2)
This is more than just an instruction, it shows that Baptista has become aware that Bianca is likely to turn out like her elder sister; ‘shrewlike’ and despised. Shakespeare shows the most deceived character in the play to be correct by making this point.
“Biondello: Sir, my mistress sends you word
That she is busy, and she cannot come.”
(5:2)
This is displayed upon her reaction to scolding from her husband; she states she has her own ideas about a woman’s duty.
“Bianca: The more fool you for laying on my duty.”
(5:2)
By this point in the play Shakespeare may be showing the audience the way in which people can change, which makes us question the change in Katherine, whether it was real or just an act to show to the people of Padua. Petruchio would like to believe that the change was real, as it was his energies, which caused the apparent change.
We are first introduced to Petruchio upon his arrival in Padua, whereby he visits Hortensio, his friend. One of the first impressions Shakespeare gives of Petruchio is one of someone who cares much about money; and believes that money will create happiness.
“Petruchio: …I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;
If wealthily, then happily in Padua.”
(1:2)
This displays his intention of finding a wife, whom a plentiful dowry would accompany. This also gives us an indication of the fact that he doesn’t really have any preferences as to what sort of person this woman would be.
“Petruchio: I know she is an irksome, brawling scold.
If that be all, masters, I hear no harm.”
(1:2)
Shakespeare shows the way in which he proceeds with this endeavour, he visits Baptista, the father, to discuss money, before even meeting the ‘devil’ he has agreed to woo, if the dowry is sufficient of course.
The marrying off of a daughter was seen as more of a business transaction rather than the modern concept of ‘marrying for love’. The father would offer a dowry, a sum of money, to all those wishing to marry his daughter; in this case we see that the dowry is what attracts Petruchio as opposed to Katherine herself.
Once the agreement has been made, that Petruchio shall marry Katherine, he attempts the challenge of creating an obedient, acceptable wife out of this ‘froward’ and ‘shrewlike’ woman.
“Petruchio: Now, by the world, it is a lusty wench!
I love her ten times more than e’er I did.”
(2:1)
Shakespeare shows how Petruchio is intrigued about this young woman, and his eagerness to speak to her displays this. In his soliloquy we are informed of his plan, whereby he says the opposite of what Katherine would expect in order to frustrate her, and hopefully make her more susceptible to his plans of ‘taming’.
“Petruchio: …Say that she frown, I’ll say she looks as clear
As morning roses newly washed with dew.
Say she be mute and will not speak a word,
Then I’ll commend her volubility”
(2:1)
As expected the confusion experienced by Katherine triggers her to be as ‘shrewlike’, ‘froward’ and ‘curst’ as we have ever seen her. The one thing that irritates Katherine the most is being called ‘Kate’.
The wedding is arranged and on the day the bride is left waiting for her groom who disgraces her by wearing ‘unreverent robes’, not suitable for any wedding, least of all his own.
“Petruchio: …To me she’s married, not unto my clothes.”
(3:2)
Shakespeare is showing us how Petruchio is beginning to make Katherine suffer humiliation and shame; this continues during the reception banquet when she is physically forced to leave by her new husband and ‘owner’.
Stevie Davies feels that, “The play is a blatant and offensive metaphor for a man as the tamer of an unruly horse or a wayward hawk. Men are masters and women are their animals to be tamed. If at the end two shrews remain, that just shows how never-ending the task is.”
While attending the ‘Taming School’, Petruchio’s country house, Katherine is deprived of food and sleep as an animal may be. Shakespeare adds that she shall be allowed all of the things expected from a husband, and ‘keeper’ once she is ‘tamed’.
“Petruchio: When you are gentle you shall have one [a cap] too,
And not till then.”
(4:3)
She constantly defies him and continues with her wild ways, until we see her behaving mildly, obedient and subservient; exactly the expected norm displayed by Bartholomew. Shakespeare shows this during Katherine’s last speech, at the wedding reception in Act 5.
She states that women are ‘bound to serve, love and obey’, which would never have been spoken by her before. This speech is given at Petruchio’s request, to inform the other women present of their newfound marriage duty. She may herself be using this opportunity to show onlookers the extent to which she has been ‘tamed’. Possibly, however, the old, ‘shrewd’ Katherine is still showing through although she believes she will be refused food and sleep if she disobeys Petruchio, she may actually enjoy insulting her sister and the widow.
I believe that Shakespeare was mocking the accepted treatment of women in the society in which he lived. We can see the way in which the stereotypical image of the sexes are portrayed throughout this play; most of the men are less that manly, and the female characters are shown to be very strong-willed. These features challenge the images conjured up in Katherine’s last speech, making me believe that she was playing to her audience, and that ‘Katherine the curst’ still lurks below the surface.
Word Count 1,977
Bibliography
“The Taming of The Shrew”
Pub. Cambridge School 1996,
Edited by Michael Fayes-Clinton and Perry Mills
