In Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, one topic that has been debated, interpreted, discussed, reinterpreted and adapted into different forms has been the character of Katharina, the shrew, and whether she was tamed, liberated, or just a good enough actress to make Everyone think she was in fact, tamed.

In this essay, I will present arguments for and against each of these points, as well as discuss one television adaptation of Taming of the Shrew that presents Katharina not as the expected shrew, but as Petruchio’s tamer. Katharina: The Whipped ShrewThere is evidence that supports Katharina was tamed by Petruchio. For instance, in the opening of the play, Katharina is very vocal and aggressive. Men, women and children trembled whenever she came around, including her father and sister.

By the end of the play, however, she is presented as being mild and submissive to Petruchio, leading up to her greatest speech in the dialogue of the play:Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee,And for thy maintenance commits his bodyTo painful labour both by sea and land,To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe;And craves no other tribute at thy handsBut love, fair looks and true obedience;Too little payment for so great a debt. (5. 2. 6-154)

In looking at this outtake of Katharina’s speech, it can be seen that she has been tamed by Petruchio’s actions throughout the first four acts. It is difficult to take Katharina’s message here and say, “She is still the same person. ” Her monologue reveals that she now sees it is her duty to respect her husband and to be submissive to him. Her speech leads the audience to see that this duty of the wife is one that is a repayment to the husband for all the hard work he does to support her, a debt that the wife could never possibly repay.

Reasons why Katharina might not have been tamed can be found in the fact that the play takes place in what seems to be just a few days. One must ask the question: Is it possible to cause such a great change in a person’s behavior in such a short amount of time as this? It is very unlikely that it is possible, since Katharina, by the opening of the play, is at least 20 years of age and is very much set into her ways. It would take much longer to cure Katharina of this attitude problem she possesses.

With this in mind, it is very likely that Katharina was either liberated by Petruchio in how to control her temper, or she acted as if she had been tamed to get everyone off of her back. Katharina: The Liberated ShrewSince it is not possible for Katharina to have been tamed by Petruchio in the short time period of the play, it is possible that she was liberated by Petruchio’s actions. In the movie version of Taming of the Shrew, starring Elizabeth Taylor as Katharina and Richard Burton as Petruchio, the ending sequence is presented with the widow and Bianca refusing to come out at their suitor’s request.

Petruchio then sends for Katharina, and with the expressions on everyone’s face, it can be assumed they weren’t expecting her to come out either. Instead, Katharina does come out, with Bianca under one arm and the widow under the other. It was at this point she delivered her speech quoted above. Now, if she was tamed, it is doubtful she would have come out with the other women in her grips. It is more likely she would have come out alone, saying something along the lines of “Yes, my darling Petruchio, what can I do for thee?

Instead, she forces the other women to be obedient to their spouses, still showing some of the fearful aggressiveness at the beginning of the play. I see this as evidence that Petruchio has liberated Katharina in a sense that she no longer needs to be brash and aggressive at all times, but more she can use her assertiveness for her husband’s advantage, and more importantly for her own advantage, as when dragging in the two women.

In other words, together, they made a great team with Petruchio’s great wit and ability to play word games at the drop of a hat and Katharina’s strong will and stubbornness. I find that they no longer use these on each other, except for amusement, but to influence and gain stature and control to those around them. Katharina: The Acting ShrewIn the performance done by the Sanderson High School for last year’s State UIL One-Act Play, they chose to do scenes from Taming of the Shrew.

This interpretation of the play was an interesting one compared to the other interpretations I had seen before. Instead of presenting Katharina as being tamed at worst (I say tamed at worst because if Katharina was tamed, she would have truly lost most of her spirit) or liberated at best, Karina Mendoza portrayed Katharina as being an actress pretending to be tamed. In the scene where Katharina and Petruchio are returning to Padua for Bianca’s wedding, they are shown arguing along the road, as to whether the globe in the sky was the sun or the moon.

Instead of realizing Petruchio was trying to free her from her anger and join him in his witty word-play, and instead of giving up everything to allow Petruchio to have full dominion over her, Katharina pretends to go along with him and starts agreeing with everything he says. What Petruchio doesn’t see is that when Katharina turns away and faces the audience, she rolls her eyes at him, revealing that even though it appears she has conceded to him, she still retains her personality.

What also aids in this view is that when Katharina and Petruchio arrive in Padua, after Katharina gives the above speech, Petruchio scoops her into his arms and carries her into the church, all the men applauding him. It is at this point Katharina looks out to the audience and gives the crowd a knowing wink and signs the word for “Okay,” as if she is the one who got him instead of the other way around. I find this evidence plausible as well, since it is difficult to see Katharina willing to give in to Petruchio and find a middle ground with him, even if their aggressive nature is so much alike.

After all, if Katharina is just acting as if she were tamed, then it is likely she would still have her shrewish attitude. If this is the case, then Petruchio is in for a big downfall when she decides to remove her disguise and unleash herself upon her unsuspecting husband. Katharina: The Tamer of the ShrewSo far, all the examples I have given have presented Katharina as the tamed, liberated or acting shrew. I would like to present a different view of Katharina as something other than the one being tamed, and look at a modern interpretation that displays her as the tamer.

I recently had an opportunity to see a recording of the 80’s television comedy Moonlighting, starring Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd. In this show, a special was done on a revision of Taming of the Shrew with Willis’ character as Petruchio and Shepherd’s as Katharina. For the first part, this version follows the original Shakespeare text, with some liberties taken by the writers of the show, showing some tongue-in-cheek humor – Petruchio rides in on a horse with both of them wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses, the saddle has the logo for BMW on the side, and Katharina has a closet full of “cheap” vases to throw at her suitors.

But, as the comedy progresses, an interesting twist is given – beginning when Petruchio and Katharina return to Padua for the wedding of Bianca and Lucentio. Petruchio is confronting Baptista about receiving the promised dowry for wedding Katharina, and Baptista demands proof that Katharina has been tamed, a part of the bargain for receiving the dowry, because he had heard rumors that Katharina was not tamed or liberated, but that Petruchio was the one that had given in to Katharina’s aggressive nature.

To prove he had tamed Katharina, Petruchio states to her the globe in the sky is the moon at noon-time. Katharina turns to the blazing sun, and after a few moments of silence from the whole town waiting for her response, says “My husband, you are mistaken. For it is the sun. I beg you, look again. “The shocked crowd turns to Petruchio who, instead of getting mad and threatening they return to his home as in the other performances when they are on the road to Padua, stares back at the sun, and says, “Why, you are right.

How foolish of me. ” The rest of the tale ends with a variation of Katharina’s speech in an 1980’s fashion – that man and woman are to be equals and should not try to be dominant over the other, and that it was Petruchio’s kindness towards her that won her heart, for she was still the same opinionated woman. She states that what women truly want is for men to treat them with respect and they will receive the same respect in return. In other words, Katharina was not the one needing to b e tamed, but the brash attitude of Petruchio.

Final ArgumentsThroughout this essay, I have presented four different arguments about the subject of Katharina’s taming. In analyzing the text of the play and seeing how different interpretations have presented the taming, I find that I have to agree with two of the interpretations, the first that Katharina is acting tamed, and second that she was liberated. First, I feel that she was just acting on the road to Padua, that she was still just pretending to be tamed so she could see her family one more time. I feel this with how quickly she changed her attitude when Petruchio threatened to return home and forego the wedding.

But, I also feel that her acting job here backfired against her emotionally. When she saw that by being obedient to Petruchio he treated her as an equal, she realized she needed to compromise her nature to keep this man she was falling in love with, which leads to her being liberated. I say Katharina is liberated because she still displays some of her shrewish attitudes during the feast for Lucentio and Bianca’s wedding, when she drags out the two stubborn women, who refused to come out when the husbands called for them.

If she was tamed at this point, she would not have been aggressive towards the two ladies. If she was acting, she would have risked being discovered if she showed herself being aggressive with the ladies. If she was liberated and able to be as an equal with Petruchio, she would have acted the way she did – aggressive towards those who were being stubborn about their husband’s authority. I see it as Katharina was trying to show them that if they are obedient to their husband, the husband would treat them as an equal.

I also find I have to agree with the Moonlighting version of the play, in a sense. It has to be seen that if Katharina gave in some of her attitude towards Petruchio, Petruchio also had to give in some of his own attitude. The attitude of show respect and obedience and receive respect and equality, although carried to an extreme in the Moonlighting episode, can be seen in all the versions of the play discussed. In conclusion, I believe that Katharina is not the only one who became liberated through the course of the play, but Petruchio as well, from his own super-masculinity.

In Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, one topic that has been debated, interpreted, discussed, reinterpreted and adapted has been the character of Katharine, the shrew, and whether she was tamed, liberated, or just a good enough actress to make everyone think she was in fact, tamed. There are many arguments for and against each of these points, as well as an argument that discusses one television adaptation of Taming of the Shrew that presents Katherine not as the expected shrew, but as Petruccio’s tamer. In addition to the television show, two different movies also discuss the present different adaptations of Katherine.

The first movie is the Franco Zaffirelli adaptation staring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. This movie presents an adaptation in which Petruccio tames Katherine, but leaves it open for the viewers to interpret whether or not Katherine is just acting. The other example I am using is a movie called 10 Things I Hate About You. This movie is a 1999 adaptation of the Taming of the Shrew. Although the directors have changed almost every part of the Shakespearean play, the underlying story is mostly the same. Kat and Patrick are thrown together, and it becomes Patrick’s job to tame Kat.

In this adaptation, both Kat and Patrick learn and change from each other. Though there are many adaptations and interpretations of Katherine and the way she turns out, she is not tamed, and she does not tame, instead she is liberated, and learns to live and love. There is much evidence, which supports the argument that Petruccio tamed Katherine. For instance, in the opening of the play, Katherine is very vocal and aggressive. Men, women and children trembled whenever she came around, including her father and sister.

An example of this is when Katherine is talking with her father about his love for her sister. “What, will you not suffer me? Nay, now I see/ She is your treasure, she must have a husband. / I must dance barefoot on her wedding day, / and for your love to her lead apes in hell. / Talk not to me. I will go sit and weep/ Till I can find an occasion of revenge” (Act 2 Scene 1, Lines 31-36). From the moment that Katherine and Petruccio meet, Petruccio vows to tame the shrew. He begins the taming process immediately.

In looking at this outtake of Katherine’s speech, it can be seen that she has been tamed by Petruccio’s actions throughout the first four acts. It is difficult to take Katherine’s message here and say, “She is still the same person. ” Her monologue reveals that she now sees it is her duty to respect her husband and to be submissive to him. Her speech leads the audience to see that this duty of the wife is one that is a repayment to the husband for all the hard work he does to support her, a debt that the wife could never possibly repay.

Reasons why Katherine might not have been tamed can be found in the fact that the play takes place in what seems to be just a few days. Is it possible for such a person’s behavior to change so drastically in such a short amount of time? It is very unlikely that it is possible, since Katherine, by the opening of the play, is at least 20 years of age and is very much set into her ways. It would take much longer to cure Katherine of this attitude problem she possesses. With this in mind, it is very likely that Petruccio either liberated Katharine in how to control her temper, or she acted as if she had been tamed to get everyone off of her back.

Since it does not appear possible for Katherine to be tamed by Petruccio in the short time period of the play, it is possible that she was liberated by Petruccio’s actions. In the movie version of Taming of the Shrew, starring Elizabeth Taylor as Katherine and Richard Burton as Petruccio, the ending sequence is presented with the widow and Bianca refusing to come out at their suitor’s request. Petruccio then sends for Katherine, and with the expressions on everyone’s face, it can be assumed they were not expecting her to come out either.

Instead, Katherine does come out, with Bianca under one arm and the widow under the other. It was at this point that she delivered her speech quoted above. Now, if she was tamed, it is doubtful she would have come out with the other women in her grips. It is more likely she would have come out alone, saying something along the lines of “Yes, my darling Petruccio, what can I do for thee? ” Instead, she forces the other women to be obedient to their spouses, still showing some of the fearful aggressiveness at the beginning of the play.

I see this as evidence that Petruccio has liberated Katherine in a sense that she no longer needs to be brash and aggressive at all times, but instead she can use her assertiveness for her husband’s advantage, and for her own advantage. In other words, together, they made a great team with Petruccio’s great wit and ability to play word games at the drop of a hat and Katherine’s strong will and stubbornness. I find that they no longer use these on each other, except for amusement, but to influence and gain stature and control to those around them.

In the 1999 move 10 Things I Hate About You, there is much evidence which suggests that Patrick does not tame Kat as he is supposed to, but instead they learn and change from each other. Patrick is a rough and unyielding delinquent who is paid to take out and tame Kat. As Patrick is working to complete the job, he begins to learn and understand why Kat is the way she is, a bitch. He realizes that she is not quite as awful as others make her out to be, and instead is just looking for someone who would understand what her.

Katherine also learns from Patrick. She learns that though it is easy to be disappointed and hurt in life, she is not able to live life without feeling. Katherine had, refused to let anyone get close enough that he or she would be able to hurt her. When she let Patrick in, she realized that although someone has the ability to hurt her, it is not a reason to go through life without feeling. She does, in some ways, become tamed as result of her relationship with Patrick, but not tamed in the sense that she looses her identity.

She is still her own person, and can still live her life they way she wants to, but is now able to let love and other people into her life. So far, all the examples I have given have presented Katherine as the tamed, liberated or acting shrew. I would like to present a different view of Katherine as something other than the one being tamed, and look at a modern interpretation that displays her as the tamer. I recently had an opportunity to see a recording of the 80’s television comedy Moonlighting, starring Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd.

In this show, a special was done on a revision of Taming of the Shrew with Willis’ character as Petruccio and Shepherd’s as Katherine. For the first part of the show, the version follows the original Shakespeare text. There are some liberties taken by the writers of the show, showing some tongue-in-cheek humor. Some of that humor includes Petruccio riding in on a horse with both of them wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses, the saddle has the logo for BMW on the side, and Katherine has a closet full of “cheap” vases to throw at her suitors.

However, as the comedy progresses, an interesting twist is given – beginning when Petruccio and Katherine return to Padua for the wedding of Bianca and Lucentio. It specifically occurs as Petruccio is confronting Baptista about receiving the promised dowry for wedding Katherine. During this scene Baptista demands proof that Katherine has been tamed, a part of the bargain for receiving the dowry, because he had heard rumors that Katharine was not tamed or liberated, but instead that Petruccio was the one that had given in to Katherine’s aggressive nature.

To prove he had tamed Katherine, Petruccio states to her that the globe in the sky is the moon at noontime. Katherine turns to the blazing sun, and after a few moments of silence from the whole town waiting for her response, says “My husband, you are mistaken. For it is the sun. I beg you, look again. ” The shocked crowd turns to Petruccio. Who, instead of getting mad and threatening that they return to his home, stares back at the sun, and says, “Why, you are right, how foolish of me.

The rest of the tale ends with a variation of Katherine’s speech in an 1980’s fashion – that man and woman are to be equals and should not try to be dominant over the other, and that it was Petruccio’s kindness towards her that won her heart, for she was still the same opinionated woman. She states that what women truly want is for men to treat them with respect and they will receive the same respect in return. In other words, Katherine was not the one needing to be tamed, but the brash attitude of Petruccio. Throughout this essay, I have presented four different arguments about the subject of Katherine’s taming.

In analyzing the text of the play and seeing how different interpretations have presented the taming, that Katherine was not necessarily tamed, but instead realized that Petruccio was not going to accept her shrewish behavior. She realized that in order to make an awful situation work, she had to accept what Petruccio was offering, but on his terms. Katherine realized that by being obedient to Petruccio he treated her as an equal, she also realized she needed to compromise her nature to keep this man she was falling in love with, which leads to her being liberated.

I say Katherine is liberated because she still displays some of her shrewish attitudes, during the feast for Lucentio and Bianca’s wedding and dragging the two ladies to their husbands. If Katherine had been tamed at this point, she would not have been aggressive towards the two ladies. In the play it would also be difficult for Katherine to pretend she was acting, she would have risked being discovered if she showed herself being aggressive with the ladies. If she was liberated and able to be as an equal with Petruccio, she would have acted the way she did – aggressive towards those who were being stubborn about their husband’s authority.

I see it as Katherine was trying to show them that if they were obedient to their husband, the husband would treat them as an equal. I also find I have to agree with the Moonlighting version of the play, in a sense. It has to be seen that if Katherine gave in some of her attitude towards Petruccio, Petruccio also had to give in some of his own attitude. The attitude of showing respect and obedience and receive respect and equality, although carried to an extreme in the Moonlighting episode, can be seen in all the versions of the play discussed.

She realizes that she does not have to compromise what she believes in, just how she goes about doing and saying something’s. In conclusion, I believe that Katherine is not the only one who became liberated through the course of the play, but Petruccio as well. Both Katherine and Petruccio change throughout the play. Their characters grow and expand throughout the play and in the end, they both become better people, Katherine released from her shrewish ways, and Petruccio released from his overbearing, dominating masculine personality.