The Taming of the Shrew Katherine Minola Quotes

It's no surprise that the moment of Kate's so-called "transformation" (the moment Petruchio breaks her will and tames her) occurs when she and Petruchio transform an old man into a "budding virgin." Part of what makes Kate a new kind of person is her ability to pretend, just like an actor.

For once, Kate's public problems with Petruchio are no longer the main attraction in Padua. Here, Kate suggests that she and Petruchio follow Bianca and Lucentio in to the wedding banquet, to see how the new couple's "drama" will work out. Just as quickly, though, Petruchio demands that they draw attention to themselves again by making out in public. This reminds us that, although the attention has just been on Bianca and Lucentio, it is Kate and Petruchio who are the center of the story. It's also a reminder to Kate that her public obedience will always be tested by her husband and scrutinized by the public.

Kate compares husbands and wives to princes and subjects to assert the hierarchical power structure in marriage. Here, she implies that the home is like a mini-kingdom, which gives credence to the idea that unruly wives/subjects threaten the very fabric of the family structure and are a kind of danger to the public.

Critics point out that Kate's allusion to the male body's "painful labor" is an unusual subversion of the Genesis story, where women's bodies are subject to painful childbirth. The emphasis in this part of Kate's speech is on mutual obligation in marriage, not just one partner's obedience. On the other hand, the allusion to Eve's fall in and of itself can be seen as a reminder of women's "frailty."

This speech earns Kate a lot of criticism from the men in the play but Kate makes a good point about her father – Baptista does treat her like a "stale" (prostitute, laughing stock) when he offers to let Bianca's suitors have a run at Katherine.

Contrary to what Kate says earlier in the play, it's not entirely clear that she is uninterested in matrimony. Kate's interest in Bianca's suitors and her reaction when Bianca refuses to share details suggests that Katherine really does want to get married.

We've seen how a wife's reputation can influence and determine her husband's reputation and credit, but here, it's clear that Katherine fears marriage is yet another institute that will cause her public embarrassment and pain.

In this scene, where Petruchio breaks Katherine, we note that Kate has learned to be an actor. Here, as she pretends that Vincentio is a lovely young woman, she demonstrates his newly acquired skill and also hones her impromptu acting chops. The term "Petruchio's taming school," applies not only to Hortensio's so-called apprenticeship but also to Katherine's role as a student to Petruchio.

When Kate complains that Petruchio starves her, she suggests she's treated worse than those who begged for food at her father's door. Kate is treated like a beggar, not simply because she's denied food, but because she's powerless to do anything about it. Despite her social rank, she is just as helpless here as Christopher Sly. Or is she? We're struck by her seeming lack of awareness when she reveals that her father's household often turned away beggars, who had to find charity "elsewhere." Does this make the audience feel less sorry for Kate? Or, does it merely draw out attention to the way women are seen as second class citizens? What's this speech doing here?

Katherine and Bianca, like many sisters, have a tumultuous relationship. (Though, we don't know many women who have tied up their sisters and slapped them around, as Kate does in this scene.) We can't help but notice, however, that they never seem to make up or find any common ground and siblings or even women. Even at the play's very end, Katherine "scolds" her little sister (and the Widow). It's not just Kate, however, that can't play nice. None of the women get along, which is especially evident in a play where the men run around scheming together.

Kate's accusation that Baptista loves Bianca the most sounds a bit childish, but it's not unfounded. Baptista does treat Bianca as a "treasure." This isn't the first time that word has been used to describe the way Baptista guards his youngest child. Hortensio sees Bianca as a "treasure" as well and accuses Baptista of being miserly with his "riches" (1.2.7).

This moment suggests that a daughter's relationship with her father is a good predictor of the kind of wife she will be. Kate is disrespectful to Baptista (we assume he has tried to interrupt Kate but she shuts him down before he can get a word in edgewise) and so, we can assume that she will be just as disobedient and disrespectful to her husband.

Kate often objects to the way her father controls her every action. Here, though, Kate exaggerates the degree to which Baptista exercises his parental authority. When he says, "And so farewell. Katharina, you may stay; / For I have more to commune with Bianca," Baptista hasn't so much ordered Kate to stay put as he has dismissed her as inconsequential. Part of Baptista's power over Kate is his ability to make her feel small and insignificant in the eyes of her only parent.