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Nat Nah
Kaplan
English 10
8 January 2013
Impossible is Not Impossible
In order to tame someone, the tamer must build a relationship with the one to be tamed as
he learns to behave, and, like a falcon, once tamed, one may still retain his wild nature. William
Shakespeares play The Taming of the Shrew tells the story of the suitor Petruchio and his
attempts to tame Katherine, a woman known in Padua for her sharp tongue. Petuchio wins her
fathers favor and marries Katherine, and though she is reluctant to obey her husband at first,
Petruchio tames her, and Katherine assumes the role of the subservient wife. Throughout the
course of the play, Shakespeare demonstrates how Katherine is ultimately tamed through her
depiction at the beginning of the play as a rude shrew, her responses to Petruchios actions in the
middle of the play, and her actions toward the plays conclusion.
When the play begins, Shakespeare portrays Katherine as a rude shrew; she is known by
all in Padua as a quick-tempered shrew, and taming her is an impossible task. Biancas suitors
remark how if any man marries Katherine, he is a fool to be married to hell (1.1.127).
Katherines sister has many suitors of her own, but Katherine herself has none due to her infamy
as a bad tempered woman. They all find Katherine unattractive, and marrying her is comparable
to living in eternal agony in hell. Even Tranio, before confronting Katherine, notes how harsh her
words are: mortal ears might hardly endure the din (1.1.175). He comments that humans are
not capable to dealing with Katherine, and only immortal gods may stand a chance. Tranio
continues to call Katherines scolding a din, comparing how she talks to noisy clamor. Even
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strangers unfamiliar with the town and Katherines reputation there speak poorly of Katherines
attitude. Her own father, when asked whether or not he has a fair and virtuous daughter named
Katherine, merely answers, I have a daughter, sir, called Katherine (2.1.46-47). One of
Katherines only family does not think of her as fair and virtuous but rather a sour shrew,
refusing to compliment her. Katherine is infamous throughout Padua as a wild and untamed
woman, but evidence towards the middle of the play show how Petruchio begins to tame her.
At the middle of the play, Katherines responses to Petruchios actions indicate how she
begins to be tamed, becoming calmer and more civilized. When Petruchio complains to the
servants about how their meal is burnt, Katherine tells him, I pray you, husband, be not so
disquiet (4.1.168). Katherine sees how her husband acts and is forced to be calmer and more
composed in order to calm him. Petruchio is effective in using this method to tame her. By
starving her, Petruchio forces Katherine to plead with Grumio for food: I prithee, go, and get
me some repast (4.3.15). Katherine is unable to stand her hunger and must beg Grumio for food.
However, she learns to be polite in asking so there might be a higher chance of success of
obtaining food. Her polite words with Grumio further prove how Katherine becomes tame. When
Petruchio and Katherine argue over the visit to her fathers house, Petruchio commands them to
let t alone and not head over. Katherine finally obeys her husband, learning that opposition
would lead to her own misfortune. It is evident that Petruchio has full control of Katherine and
their actions, and Katherine learns how to submit. By the end of the play, Petruchio fully tames
Katherine.
Katherines words and actions towards the conclusion of the play show how she is finally
tamed. When Petruchio commands her to kiss him in the middle of the street, she complies after
he threatens to return home, and then begs him, pray thee, love, stay (5.2.154). Katherines
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words display how she has truly been tamed. She calls Petruchio, a man she once despised,
love, and wants him to stay with her. At the wedding banquet, Petruchio wins against Lucentio
and Hortensio as Katherines new-built virtue and obedience is tested and proven when
Katherine is the only wife to willingly obey her husbands summons (5.2.131). Her submission
towards her husband is stronger than the others; through his methods of taming her, Petruchios
relationship with Katherine deepens to the extent that she readily obeys him. When Katherine
tells the other wives of the respect and deference women owe their husbands, she adds how
women are that seeming to be most what we least are (5.2.191). Her words demonstrate how
Petruchios taming is successful; Katherine proves she has learned that the way women act
strong and tough is merely an act, and women are in reality quite the opposite. She accepts that
her role as a shrew earlier in the play is merely a faade, and she is but a vulnerable maiden who
needs protection and sanctuary within her husbands arms. Katherine becomes truly tamed at the
end of the play.
Through the progression of the play, Shakespeare reveals how Petruchio is ultimately
successful in taming Katherine at the end of the play by emphasizing how she develops between
her depiction at the beginning of the play, her responses in the middle of the play, and her words
and actions at the plays finale. Through Petruchios harsh methods, Katherine, once an
uncivilized shrew one could not dream of taming, is eventually tamed and complies with her
husbands demands. Though at times she may still act in a wild manner, Katherine is still tamed
because she understands and assumes her role as the woman of the household and is faithful
toward her husband. Though some tasks may seem impossible to accomplish, following through
may yield a worthwhile outcome.

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