Kate and Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew by William...

Kate and Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew An exploration of the way Shakespeare presents the characters and relationships of Kate and Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew. The relationship between Kate and Petruchio is central to the development of The Taming of the Shrew, as both characters clearly represent and are centrally involved in the main theme of the play, the taming of the shrew, Kate. The audience is first introduced to Kate by other characters opinions of her, such rather than from Kate herself. Language such as Gremios, shes too rough for me, and Hotensios, Unless you were of gentler milder mould, gives Kate her reputation as a shrewish character. When Kate first speaks, she speaks rudely,†¦show more content†¦Kate is equal to Petruchio linguistically which also displays an aspect of her character, that she feels that she is easily the equal of any man. During their first exchange, Petruchio immediately sets about Kate, that he will, woo her with some spirit when she comes, and that he will describe her as the opposite of everything she is in order to confuse her and break her down. In Petruchios first exchange with Kate, it is clearly he who comes off better, immediately setting about her with short witty lines, and puns, for dainties are all Kates. This gives the effect if making Petruchio seem very confident and sure of himself, if he begins his taming with such good humour and interest. In contrast to this, Kate is very angry and frustrated by the Petruchio, and immediately becomes shrewish, resorting to insults, A joint stool, and violence. This gives the effect of Kate being much less in control of what is going on, and perhaps reflects the direction their relationship is going to take, that Petruchio will be the one in charge, and Kate will not have any control. This could however also demonstrate Kates intelligence and wit, that she is able to keep up and match Petruchios wordplay. However Kate feels the need to resort to violence, again demonstrating Petruchios intelligent wordplay and calm attitude, as he does not react violently towards Kate, but simplyShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare1088 Words   |  5 Pages The Taming of the Shrew, written by William Shakespeare, is historical proof that flirting and temptation, relating to the opposite sex, has been around since the earliest of times. Because males and females continue to interact, the complications in this play remain as relevant and humorous today as they did to Elizabethan audiences. This is a very fun play, full of comedy and sexual remarks. 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