The Taming of the Shrew

Taming of the Shrew 2

In the Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio recognizes, respects and

desires Kate's intelligence and strength of character. He does not

want to conquer or truly tame her. He is a man who is very

confident in himself and does not want or need someone to

massage his ego. Petruchio seems to me to be a man of sport

and challenge and likes to surround himself with witty, challenging

people. He wants in a mate what Kate has - fire.

From Petruchio's response to his friend Hortensio (I.ii.64-75), it

might be said that Petruchio came to Padua to make himself

richer by marriage, to any woman, no matter how wretched.

Petruchio is not in desperate need of money (I.ii.56-57). He tells

Hortensio (I.ii.49-57) that his father has died and that he is out in

the world to gain experiences he cannot at home and only

secondarily to find a wife. Also, immediately before this

declaration, is the scene of misunderstanding between he and his

servant Grumio about knocking on the gate (I.ii.5-43). I see this

exchange as demonstration of his enjoyment of verbal sport, a

good example of Petruchio's sense of humor and his appreciation

of things non-conventional. Though Petruchio may not agree with

what society has determined to be proper and dignified, he is

aware of the importance of appearing to conform. In what he

says to Hortensio, I feel he is simply extending this sport and

humor into the ironic.

It is in Hortensio's description of Kate that I believe Petruchio's

interest is captured. Hortensio describes Kate (I.ii.85-89) as

wealthy, young, beautiful, properly brought up intolerably cursed,

shrewed and froward. Though Hortensio finds the last three traits

negative characteristics, Petruchio appears to be a man who also

posses, and is proud of, these negative qualities. That the

qualities are considered negative in Kate and not Petruchio is a

reflection of the societal standards of the fifteen hundreds. It was

okay for a man to be that way, but not a woman. Petruchio is the

kind of man who would want a mate with similar qualities to his

own to challenge him, sharpen his wits and keep his interest. If he

had wanted someone who was conformed to societies

expectations, or who had already determined to deceive by

concealing opinions and views, he would have chosen someone

more like Bianca. However, Petruchio is a clever man who sees

beyond faÐ"§ades because he uses them, in addition to a lot of

irony himself (II.i.46), (II.i.283-289).

It is clear in Grumio and his other servants (as demonstrated in

the opening of act 4 (IV.i.1-113) that Petruchio prefers the

interesting to the conventional. But because Petruchio

understands the ways of society, he knows he must demonstrate

to Kate the importance of proper public appearance. To

Petruchio it is appearance rather than genuine conformance that