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Taming Of The Shrew Research Paper

625 Words3 Pages

In William Shakespeare’s play “The Taming of the Shrew,” Petruchio seeks out control over Katherine and plans to “tame” her supposedly shrewish nature. Throughout the play, Petruchio uses many controversial methods to tame Katherine such as humiliation, deprivation, and manipulation. This treatment of Katherine was not ethical, but ultimately resulted in her taming. Despite ultimately achieving his goal of “taming the shrew,” Petruchio’s treatment of Katherine is unjustified as it relies on manipulation and abuse. Petruchio used public humiliation to manipulate Katherine. At Katherine and Petruchio’s wedding, Petruchio arrives late and drunk, wearing old clothing on a diseased horse. Not only did Petruchio not arrive on time for his own wedding, but he further drew attention to himself and humiliated Katherine in the process by arriving in a careless manner. Upon being criticized for his clothing by Baptista, he claims Katherine is marrying him, not his attire. “To me she’s married, not unto my clothes” (Act III, Scene 2, Line 117). His dismissal of the state he arrived at the wedding in is an attempt …show more content…

He manipulated her into being tamed. By the end of the play, Katherine is completely transformed and appears to be compliant towards Petruchio. “Such duty as the subject oweth the prince, even such a woman oweth to her husband, and when she is forward, peevish, sullen, sour, and not obedient to his honest will, what is she but a foul contending rebel and graceless traitor to her loving lord? I am ashamed that women are so simple” (Acts 5, Scene 2, Lines 155-161). Compared to the beginning of the play, Katherine has completely changed. She now has the mindset that women are meant to obey their husbands. This mindset is an effect of Petruchio’s manipulation. It is not authentic, rather a response to Petruchio’s harsh treatment of

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