Evaluate the different Interpretations of the Taming of Katherina.

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Jon Walker

Evaluate the different Interpretations of the Taming of Katherina.

One of the main points of interest surrounding the play is its ambiguity. The play can be interpreted in many different ways. Many historians disagree as to the way the play ends, for example. Some feminists believe Katherina ends strongly having the last word. Others believe that Petruchio is made out to be stronger as he manages to tame Katherina. In Act 4 Scene 5, however, we see Katherina and Petruchio's relationship in a new light, but has Katherina been tamed? Is she conscious of the taming and playing up to it? Is the taming beneficial to Katherina? Also if the taming were successful or unsuccessful then surely it would provide a viewpoint, which is more favourable to one of the sexes. If she is tamed then Petruchio is stronger. If she is using the taming for her own advantages then she is stronger.

The first interpretation would be that Petruchio is seen as the 'comic hero' - one to be admired by the audience - and that Shakespeare has 'sold out' - writing a play about perhaps the most talked about topic of the