Is Katherine Tamed?
Taming of the Shrew is one of the well known plays of William Shakespeare and the “shrew” of the play who gives the book her adjective is Katherine. On this paper, some of the arguments which are supporting the idea of Kate is tamed by Petruchio will be given. If the characteristic properties of Kate at the beginning of the play are examined, it can be said that the difference between two characteristic values that are seen at the beginning and at the end can be accepted as solid evidence for whether she is tamed or not. If the initial characteristic values of Kate are examined, the list of the values can be stated as: shrew, self-centered, selfish, stubborn, irritable, angry, impatient and tactless. On the other hand, if a list of final characteristic values of Kate can be written, it would contain the adjectives: complaisant, pleasant, serene, and able to obey and someone with gratitude. Without taming her, that much change on the characteristics of person would be impossible.
By the progress of the play, she starts to accept everything that is said by Petruchio is true. She was so stubborn at the beginning. How a stubborn girl became a complaisant one? Petruchio didn’t give her the food she wants, the rest she needs and she have weakened by her husband. He showed only way to escape from staying in hunger as obeying what he says right after the word is finished.[1]When it was surely sun, Kate says “And be the moon, or sun, or what you please;/An if you please to call it a rush-candle,/Henceforth I vow it shall be so for me”( 224). This part was a solid evidence of how her mind was focused on what Petruchio was thinking and even though it can be illogical, she was focused to accept t what is said by her husband as real and true.
In addition to the Petruchio-focused life of her, she always tries to be near to her husband as much as possible and she wants to keep him near her by obeying what he says. She wants her husband to stay with her and to pay attention to her when a decision becomes given about the issues related to her but only from on the basis of what Petruchio thinks or decides.[2] If she wants her ideas to be considered, Petruchio shows only two ways to achieve this to her: obeying what he says, doing what he wants by being the “wife” of him. So, Kate tries to do her best to carry out the things expected from her and to keep her husband near to her, interested in her situation. For example, when Petruchio wants a kiss at a public place, even though Kate was ashamed to kiss in front of the public, she kissed him and demanding him to stay with her by saying “Nay, I will give thee a kiss; now pray thee, love, stay”(246). As it can be seen, she obeys him, she does exactly what he expects from her and after this, she demands something from him.
Moreover she focused her life at Petruchios as she doesn’t have an individual life for her, at the end of the book, the concept “husband” becomes everything of her and she devotes her life to do her “job as a wife”. If Katherine’s last monologue of the play is examined, one part gets attention at most: “Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,/ Thy head, thy sovereign; on that cares for thee”(262). This part shows everything that has a big value in life for her became her husband. At that point, the idea of what if she was using irony at this part can be proposed. However, she was surrounded by the people that she new and she would probably feel comfortable enough to say or state what she thinks, what she feels without hiding them under some bombastic words.
Overall the play, it can be said that Katerine became a puppet whose ropes are in the hands of Petruchio whereas before marrying, she was a sat up car which gets its energy from a little movement of a dial and runs on its way until her energy that she provided from her anger becomes finished. She was definitely tamed and controlled by Petruchio at the end of the play.
Works Cited
1. Shakespeare,William. The Taming of The Shrew. New York: Printed at USA.
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