Katherina's Speech in Act V, Taming of the Shrew
In Shakespeare's comedy Taming of the Shrew, the last scene of the play is a long speech by Katherina chastising Bianca and Hortensio's wife, the widow for "wounding their lords."(V,ii) The speech illustrates that Katherina is a dynamic character and changes her point of view throughout the book. In the beginning she is "Katherina Minola, Renown'd in Padua for her scolding tongue."(I,ii) In the end she has earned her husband money by being the most obedient wife. The fact that Petruchio never gave up on Katherina for the sake of being wealthy, actually turned into the true love in the end. Katherina first chastises Bianca and the widow for not obeying their husbands. Katherina tells them, "And dart not scornful glances from those eyes, To wound thy lord, thy king, thy governor: It blots thy beauty as frosts do bite the meads, Confounds thy fame as whirlwinds shake fair buds, and in no sense is meet or amiable."(V,ii) Katherina is telling the women they are ungrateful for the care of their lords, and she tells them they do not deserve the care of their king. She has learned that if she listens to her master, she will get what is best for her; and because Kate did not, Petr
uchio taught her that lesson the hard way. To bandy word for word and frown for frown; but now I see our lances are but straws, our strength as weak, our weakness past compare, that seeming to be most which we indeed least are. Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot, and place your hands below your husband's foot: In token of which duty, if he please, Thought the course of the play, Katherina is conformed into a new woman by Petruchio, and at the end, stands up for the very things she used to be the epitome of. Katherina's new outlook on life and the role of women should help her and Petruchio get along. They now have a mutual understanding of what a marriage should be. Unlike the other couples there is now a greater respect and willingness to obey on Katherina's part. She has finally transformed from a shrew into a wife. Lastly Katherina chastises Bianca and the widow again, this time for having their priorities out of order. Why are our bodies soft and weak and smooth, unapt to toil and trouble in the world, but that our soft conditions and our hearts. Should well agree with our external parts? Come, come, you froward and unable worms! My mind hath been as
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Approximate Word count = 799
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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