Lit 315
Dr. Cohen
October 24th, 2001

Was Kate's Transformation Real?

In The Taming of the Shrew, we see a very patriarchal society. The characters of the play are predominantly male, and they are in control of everything - everything, that is, excepting the shrew. That shrew was Katherina. In the beginning of the play, Katherine was a devilishly ill-tempered woman, who was sharp-tongued and thoroughly against the idea of ever being wed to anyone. Kate was elder sister to Bianca, who has a character very near opposite hers. Because of Bianca's character, she was seen as a very eligible young lady. She had men lining up to be with her, while Kate had none desiring to be with her.

Bianca had been proposed to, but her father forbade her marriage until after her older sister was married. Unfortunately, it seemed there was no one interested in Kate. However, a man named Petruchio was interested in her, seemingly mostly because of her dowry. He recognized the challenge, but had a supreme confidence in his ability to turn the shrew into a good and obedient wife. To his credit, he seems to have succeeded. By the end of the play, Kate is at his beck and call, seemingly transformed into an adoring wife, and they both seem to be quite content with the situation.

They both seem content - but are they really? We know that Petruchio is contented with her behavior, as it is what he wanted, and had been striving for. Kate, on the other hand, had been completely averse to the ideas of both marriage and submission. This is why we must question whether or not she had indeed become a loving, adoring, and submissive wife. Was it all an act? If it was, why would she deign to act in such a manner? Was she sincere in her reprimand of Bianca and Hortensio's new wife? One could explain her apparent transformation in many ways.

I think that Shakespeare may have wanted the character to evolve into two things. One of these things was a submissive wife, while the other was a loving wife. I say this because we see her stop fighting with Petruchio and give in to his tawdry demands, but we also see evidence of Katherine growing to love him through all of their bickering. She didn't want a husband, and she didn't want to live in a subservient manner. Or did she? She could have denied Petruchio at any point in his efforts to tame her.

For all Katharina's apparent resistance, perhaps she actually allowed it to happen. She did, after all, seem to realize that it was easier to just put up with Petruchio's demands than to fight them. For instance, on the way back to Padua, when Petruchio comments on how bright the moon is, Kate says that it is actually the sun. He then threatens to stop there and never go to Padua, unless she admits that it is the moon. Realizing that Petruchio will not stop unless he gets his way, she finally succumbs. Then, they come upon an old man on the road. Petruchio says that he's a young girl, and tells Kate to hug him. Instead of correcting him, she simply does as she was told. It was easier and less stressful that way.

So, Kate decides that it is best to just go along with Petruchio's demands for wifely compliance. However, I think it was more than that because of what happens later on. When Petruchio tells her to kiss him while they are out in public, she at first says that she'd be ashamed to do such a thing, but then does kiss him. What is of interest is the line that followed the kiss, which was: "…now pray thee, love, stay." She had fallen in love with him. Through all of his determination, and all of her defiance, perhaps she grew to admire his persistence and confidence. I think she gave into his demands for an obedient wife, all the while giving in to his charm.