KATE'S METAMORPHOSIS--
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare is a comedy
about how to tame a shrewish woman and make her a civilized member of
society. The woman in particular is named Katherine Minola, one of
Baptista Minola's daughters. Baptista's other daughter, Bianca, is a
woman with many suitors. However, she is unable to marry any of them
unless the elder daughter, Katherine, finds herself a husband. Alas,
Katherine happens to be both "stark mad" and "wonderful froward," known
by the rest of Padua as a crazy, stubborn shrew (I.1 69). Indeed, the
only person who seems to be up to the challenge of taming Kate is a man
named Petruchio, who immediately tells Kate that he is the man who is
"born to tame [her].../ And bring [her] from a wild Kate to a Kate/
Conformable as other household Kates" (II.2 277-279). For the rest of
the play, Kate, under Petruchio's guidance, slowly experiences an epic
transformation from a shrew to an obedient, civilized woman. But the
question must be posed: does Kate really want to become compliant?
Kate's public persona conflicts with her private persona. Her
usual outward behavior consists of throwing temper tantrums, making
threats, and even breaking a lute over someone's head. Most of the men
in Padua are terrified of her, and the thought of courting her is like a
joke: "To cart her rather, she's too rough for me" (I.1 55). However,
from the first words Kate utters, it becomes clear that she cares about
appearances: "I pray you, sir, is it your will/ To make a stale of me
amongst these mates?" (I.1 57-58). She asks the question immediately
after Baptista tells some of Bianca's suitors that Bianca will not be
married until Katherine has a suitor. Presumably, Katherine is upset at
the fact that "she has become nothing but an obstacle or a means to her
sister's advancement" (Nevo 256). When she finally does get married,
Kate still cares what people think, because her future husband is late
to the event: "No shame but mine... Now must the world point at poor
Katherine..." (III.2 8, 18). Bianca and her three conservative suitors
contrast sharply to Kate, the elder daughter with one quirky suitor.
Kate's lack of suitors leads her to believe that no one loves her.
Therefore, to avoid embarrassment, Kate, who obviously cares deeply
about appearances, fashions herself a makeshift armor through which she
is invulnerable. "So determined is she to make herself invulnerable
that she makes herself insufferable, and finds in insufferability her
one defence" (Nevo 256). By making herself seem like she does not care
whether she has any suitors or not, Kate avoids any potential
embarrassment, and is able to establish control over society's reactions
to her shrewishness. Though Kate leads a predictable life through this
situation, she is at least able to control society's feelings toward
her in this manner.
After Petruchio meets Kate, he slowly penetrates her defenses
with his unpredictability and complete disregard for society's feelings
toward him. "Petruchio is not trying to be what others expect or desire
him to be. He insists on making his own decisions and is impervious to
both ridicule and solicitous advice" (Slights 6). In doing so,
Petruchio effectively baffles Kate with both compliments and insults: "I
find you passing gentle...yet sweet as springtime flowers..." (II.1
243, 247) and "When you are gentle you shall have one too,/ And not til
then" (IV.3 71-72). In the first quote, Petruchio is complimenting Kate
during their first meeting, but in the second quote, he is insulting
Kate by denying her a cap that gentlewomen often wear. Though he falls
in love with Kate's "vivacity and nimble wit," Petruchio is careful to
note that she is "insecure and resentful but always painfully aware of
how others see her" (Slights 7). Kate's pride and insecurity stand in
the way of Petruchio's taming process. Though she has a reputation to
uphold, a small part of her must certainly wonder what it would be like
to be married. Kate's pride keeps her from expressing her desire to
free herself of the trap that has been designed for her. She would
rather not marry and be content "in [Bianca's] discontent" than take a
chance and risk having her pride hurt (I.1 80). When she finally does
take a chance, her pride is hurt. Petruchio is late to their wedding
and Kate's pride takes a serious blow. She regrets "Would Katherine had
never seen him though!" while running off weeping (III.2 26). Kate's
pride is still an obstacle even after marriage:
KATE [Advancing] Husband, let's follow, to see the end of this ado.
PETRUCHIO First kiss me, Kate, and we will.
KATE What, in the midst of the street?
PETRUCHIO What, art thou ashamed of me?
KATE No sir, God forbid, but ashamed to kiss (V.1 132-136).
Katherine is both insecure about
what people will think at the two of them kissing in public and
reluctant to abandon her pride in being independent and in control.
Kate's insecurity plays a role in the taming process as well. When
Hortensio tells Kate she will not get any mates until she is of
"gentler, milder mold," Kate is immediately on the defensive, assuring
him that marriage "is not halfway to her heart" and that if it were, she
would "comb [his] noddle with a three-legged stool/And paint [his] face
and use [him] like a fool" (I.1. 60, 62-65). Kate is also insecure
when it comes to being loved; she feels that her father prefers Bianca
over her, and has decided to make Bianca's life miserable as revenge.
Envious and miserable, she can only snivel "[Bianca] is your treasure,
she must have a husband;/I must dance barefoot on her wedding day..."
(II.1 32). From this quote, one can easily see Kate's insecurity about
not being loved, along with her fear of becoming the proverbial old
maid. Though Kate portrays herself outwardly as a cold shrew, she must
certainly possess a great deal of inward emotional conflict. Perhaps
she does not like being alone in the world after all.
Petruchio is Kate's savior from her confined lifestyle. He is
the sole person capable of saving her from herself. Kate cannot and
will not save herself because of her pride. But if Petruchio steps in
and helps Kate, it will look like she is being tamed by force. This
scenario is precisely what Kate desires. Through a process of rigorous
sleep and food deprivation, Petruchio weakens Kate's will to resist
while at the same time teaching her vital lessons. By not allowing her
to eat, he deprives Kate of something she has taken advantage of her
whole life. She realizes she must start becoming civilized in order to
receive the things she needs, and by doing so, gradually abandons her
shrewish temperament. Petruchio also shows Kate just how horrible she
acts to other people by putting on childish displays in front of her:
PETRUCHIO What's this, mutton?
FIRST SERVANT Ay.
PETRUCHIO Who brought it?
PETER I.
PETRUCHIO ' Tis burnt, and so is all the meat. What dogs
are these! Where is the rascal cook? How durst you, villains, bring it
from the dresser, and serve it thus to me that love it not? [He throws
it at them.] There, take it to you, trenchers, cups, and all. You
heedless joltheads and unmannered slaves! What, do you grumble? I'll
be with you straight.
KATE I pray you, husband, be not so disquiet. The meat was well if you were so contented (IV.1 147-157).
In the quote, Petruchio has a tantrum about meat that is burnt
(though probably not at all) just to show Kate how she acts. In doing
so, he subdues her shrewish tendencies. She is put off by such a
display and, for one of the first times in her life, does not have
control over a situation. One of the servants notes that "He kills her
in her own humor" (IV.1 170). Kate, having no other choice, must
reverse her role; she now asks her husband not to be so alarmed, whereas
she might have earlier thrown a tantrum herself. Petruchio also
teaches Kate that self worth is not based on material things. He tempts
Kate with "silken coats and caps and golden rings" and just as soon
takes them away, teaching her that "'tis the mind that makes the body
rich," slowly dissolving away Kate's mindset of appearance determining
worth (IV.3 55, 169). Scene 1 of Act V is monumental; it marks the
first time Kate fully dismisses her pride. When told to kiss her
husband, she at first lets her pride stand in the way, but, to prove
that she is not ashamed of the man she has married, gives him a kiss,
and asks him to stay. The fact that she is not ashamed of Petruchio,
despite his unconventional ways, means that she has been tamed. She is
no longer afraid of what society will think. In addition, she knows
that for any relationship to work there must be some give-and-take.
"Her offer of 'love, fair looks and true obedience' [V. ii 153] to
Petruchio's 'honest will,' an important qualification, confirms
her new-found humility and expresses gratitude for his freeing her from a
sterile role" (Jorgens 375).
The most important thing to realize is that Kate's conversion
from a shrew to an obedient wife is not putting her in the doormat
position. By putting Kate through her own hell and then taming her into
a subservient wife, Petruchio has given Kate the freedom to decide what
she wants. This freedom to choose is what Kate desired all along. She
wanted the choice to not be a shrew, and Petruchio has helped her obtain her goal. Kate is finally liberated from the boundaries she set for herself.
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