The Taming of the Shrew - Blog #5

"No shame but mine. I must, forsooth, be forced
To give my hand, opposed against my heart,
Unto a mad-brain rudesby, full of spleen,
Who wooed in haste and means to wed at leisure.
I told you, I, he was a frantic fool,
Hiding his bitter jests in blunt behavior,
And, to be noted for a merry man,
He'll woo a thousand, 'point the day of marriage,
Make friends, invite, and proclaim the banns,
Yet never means to wed where he hath wooed.
Now must the world point at poor Katherine
And say 'Lo, there is mad Petruchio's wife,
If it would please him come and marry her!'"
3.2.8-20

This quote is spoken by Kate because it is her wedding day, but Petruchio has not yet arrived. The way Kate speaks highlights her cynicism and hatred towards Petruchio. Her diction is very harsh and hateful--she calls Petruchio a "mad-brained rudesby" and "full of spleen," both of which convey hatred in her speech. Kate also makes use of harsh sounding alliterations (like "frantic fool" and "blunt behavior") to further emphasize her anger. Additionally, Kate's descriptions of Petruchio as a man who'll woo any woman and then let her down in the end reveals how cynical she is, not just toward Petruchio but men in general. The way she's acted towards Petruchio from the start, along with the words she speaks in this scene highlight Kate's cynicism and distrust for men. The last three lines of this passage kind of led me to feel bad for Kate. She's extremely embarassed because Petruchio's absence is making her look stupid. When Kate laments in her self-pity (saying "poor Katherine" and expressing her embarassment), I feel like she is softening a little because she's not trying to put up her whole tough front. Seeing that hurt instead of her usual anger leads me to sympathize with her a bit.