Taming of the Shrew

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Recommended: Depiction and treatment of women in Shakespeare plays

A principal theme throughout Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew is the battle of the sexes. The battle primarily focuses on the relationship between Petruchio and Katherine, otherwise known as Kate. They each struggle for supremacy in a classic confrontation between male and female until Kate succumbs to Petruchio's dominance for the first time during Act IV, Scene V when she states "What you will have it named, even that it is. And so it shall be so for Katherine." In this first act of deference to her husband it remains unclear if Kate simply decides to play along and behave as the traditional Elizabethan wife so they can continue on their travels, or if she has an epiphany and realizes her preordained role in the traditional relationship between husband and wife. Whatever her motive, Kate's submission to Petruchio diffuses their previously competitive relationship by altering the relational dynamics to one of cooperation.

Kate is introduced as a character that speaks her mind and acts instinctually. From the moment Petruchio and Kate interact until she scolds the other two wives at the end of the play a transformation occurs within and she completes her conversion to obedient wife. However, this does not imply she has no independence apart from that which is allowed by Petruchio; quite the opposite. It is in her decision in surrendering her autonomy that she is able to continue her faithfulness to the values and ideals that had guided her life prior to the marriage. It is because she makes the complete conversion to believing a wife should be obedient, as articulated in her eloquent defense of the submissive wife, that she is able to remain true to herself and continue speaking her mind and behaving instinctually whe...

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...s and allowed Kate to retain her independence and freedom. Kate's decision to submit herself to her husband was already a part of her character. The change Kate underwent was the result of a decision to live differently, free from the usual obstacles encountered as a result of the battle between sexes, and was instantaneous. Ironically Kate's decision restores the independence and freedom that was temporarily lost to the battle by surrendering her autonomy. Bianca and Lucentio, and Hortensio and the widow, are casualties on the battlefield of the war between the sexes. In their pursuit of independence, Bianca and the widow are enslaved by the competition to gain a level of supremacy and sway over their mates. Kate and Petruchio stand alone as the premier example of how to succeed in upgrading a relationship to a desirable companionship that others yearn for.

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