Something that really struck me
during this read was the first exchange between Petruccio and Katherine in Act
II Scene 1. The conversation
reminded me of an intense verbal boxing match; when one opponent swung, the
other fired back swiftly and fiercely. Both characters were hit ‘below the belt,’ yet didn’t
let the blow shake them. This
resilience requires a tough exterior and a very strong will that both Katherine
and Petruccio maintain throughout.
Upon entering this “match,” Petruccio knew exactly what he wanted and
he wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of his quest for victory.
Throughout Act II, the readers
become very acquainted with the fiery nature of Katherine. We see her beat her helpless and bound
sister, swear revenge on her father, and smash a lute over the head of
Hortensio. She has certainly
proven herself to be the top contender.
When Petruccio comes into the picture, I definitely questioned his
ability to hold his ground with Katherine. After the first few lines of the conversation my doubts are
completely squashed. Petruccio
absolutely proves himself a worthy opponent for the “shrew.” After each of Katherine’s quick and
witty jabs, Petruccio knows exactly what to say to keep him self in the running. I can vividly imagine the confident
smirk on his face while Katherine grows red with fury. When it comes to witty comebacks, it
seems Katherine has met her match.
One of my favorite exchanges between the quick-witted duo is lines
218-220, where Kate first exclaims, “What is your crest? A coxcomb?” and Petruccio insinuatingly replies,
“A combless cock, so Kate will be my hen.” And Kate fires back with “No cock of
mine. You crow too like a
craven.” Needless to say, I was
very entertained during Petruccio’s “chase.”
In today’s world, I think we can
see a conversation much like Petruccio and Katherine’s in our local P&G’s
on any given Friday night. There
are plenty of persistent, smoothing-talking guys today that love a challenging
hook up. If a girl doesn’t give
seem to be interested, these guys, like Petruccio, do not back down just yet. Sometimes, a girl may be impressed
with this persistence and confidence.
Other times, however, a girl may react in the same way Katherine does—with
swift slap in the face.
Fortunately for women today, we are not forced into a marriage with
these guys that wont take no for an answer. Katherine, however, was not so lucky. Even though she had to give in and
marry Petruccio, she certainly put up a solid fight and showed her future
husband just whom he was dealing with.
2 comments:
I quite agree with your post! Furthermore, I must add that perhaps deep down inside Katherine was longing to meet her match all along and that is why her responses to Petruccio's advances became silenced after a while. I mean come on, for someone of a strong character it is probably a huge turnoff to be presented with suitors who can't even stand properly in your presence. Coincidentally, although she has the fiery nature to turn down Petruccio's forceful proposal she doesn't object to agreeing to live with Petruccio for the rest of her life.
I also agree with your argument. There is definitely a sense that These Katherine and Pertruccio are fighting with each other, one hoping to get the edge on the other and beat them down and determine who is superior. In their first meeting while there is no clear winner, it is clear that as Sammo said she has met her match. This is entire argument is even further supported by the video we watched in class today of Petruccio and Katherine's verbal sparring portrayed as an actual fight.
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