Essay on Taming of the Shrew: Petrucio’s Desire for Katherine :: Taming Shrew Essays

The Taming of the Shrew Petrucios Desire for Katherine In the play The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, Petrucio recognizes, respects and desires Katherines strength of character. Petrucio is a clever man who sees beyond facades because he uses them himself. (II, i 46) (II, I 283 - 89) He is stimulated by Katherines sharp tongue and harsh actions. He proves this some times throughout the play. Petrucio is not in desperate need of money, but comes to Padua to find a rich married woman. He says To wive and thrive as scoop I whitethorn, when he is telling Hortensio why he came to Padua. He means that he has come to find a wife and get richer. From Petrucios response to his conversance Hortensio (I,ii 64 - 75), it might be said that Petrucio came to Padua to make himself richer by marriage no matter how wretched the woman. I dont believe this is true. He to a fault tells Hortensio that his father has died and that he is out in the world to gain experiences he cannot at home, and to find a wife secondary. (I,ii 49 - 57) Petrucio enjoys verbal frisk and a non-conventional sense of humor. Petrucio surrounds himself with neither tame nor conforming people. You can even see this in his servants. His servants like him very much and enjoy his entertainments. An example of this is when Petrucio and his servant man Grumio get into a disagreement about knocking on the gate. Reflective of this is Petrucios methods to woo Katherine. His methods are game like and outrageous. Such as when he beats up Grumio because Kates horse stumbles, or showing up late to the wedding. While showing Katherine how ridiculous she is about things, he is also making her feel special, which is something she never felt in life. He also says that This is the way to kill a wife with kindness. (IV,i 211) This is his courting method of when he makes the wife feel to good for everything surrounding her. When they eat dinner once he complains Endanger choler planteth anger. since of ourselves are choleric. (IV, I 177) While Petrucio may not agree with what society has determined to be proper, he is aware of the importance to conform. He knows the ways of society and that he must demonstrate this to Katherine, who has no regard for public presentation.