Taming of the Shrew Commentary

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Park 1 18 December 2013 Thy King, Thy Lord, Thy Soveriegn In the play, Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare, a prominent character by the name of Katherine is a shrew in the beginning but after her marriage with Petruchio and his determination to tame his wife, in the very end she delivers a speech condemning Bianca and the Widow for not fulfilling their duties as wives. Shakespeare’s diction, imagery, and organization convey a condescending manner as Katherine addresses the wives and an adoration manner when addressing her husband as she openly states that she is willing to submit herself to her husband. In her speech, Kate uses a condescending tone when talking to the wives because they did not come when their husbands asked. In the beginning when Kate drags the wives to their husbands she tells them to “dart not scornful glances from those eyes” and to “unkit that threat’ning unkind brow.” By ordering the wives around, Katherine shows that she is in a higher position than them and therefore has the right to look down on them for their actions. She calls the women “foul contending rebel[s]” and “graceless traitors” to their husbands. The fact that Katherine insulted the wives is another way she shows her dominance among the women and the unkind, look downed upon, nature that is put upon the wives. Ironically, Katherine also states that a women who do not obey her husbands are “muddy,” “ill-seeming,” and “bereft of beauty” implying that these wives are these characteristics because of their disobedience to their husbands. Using these words, Katherine patronizes and reprimands these wives publicly almost as if she was teaching them a lesson on how to be true wives. The condescending tone that Kate uses on these wives is a basically a scolding for their disobedience and also a lesson on why wives should submit to their husbands so humbly. Also in the
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