How to Tame a Shrew

Act IV, Scene I

Petruchio

Thus have I politicly begun my reign,

And 'tis my hope to end successfully.

My falcon now is sharp and passing empty.

And till she stoop she must not be full-gorg'd,

For then she never looks upon her lure.

Another way I have to man my haggard,

To make her come, and know her keeper's call,

That is, to watch her, as we watch these kites

That bate and beat, and will not be obedient.

She eat no meat to-day, nor none shall eat;

Last night she slept not, nor to-night she shall not;

As with the meat, some undeserved fault

I'll find about the making of the bed;

And here I'll fling the pillow, there the bolster,

This way the coverlet, another way the sheets;

Ay, and amid this hurly I intend

That all is done in reverend care of her-

And, in conclusion, she shall watch all night;

And if she chance to nod I'll rail and brawl

And with the clamour keep her still awake.

This is a way to kill a wife with kindness,

And thus I'll curb her mad and headstrong humour.

He that knows better how to tame a shrew,

Now let him speak; 'tis charity to show.

Shakespeare Refined

my reign:

Petruchio's meaning of reign is himself trying to "tame" Katherine and gain control over her. His reign over her is being attained through reverse psychology in order to gain his "fortune" promised in marrying Katherine.

falcon:

The Falcon directly refers to Katherine. It is a symbol of her because it references a falcon's sharp talons and witty attitude. A falcon is also a very proud bird, just as Katherine a proud woman, that can be tamed by declining it food and sleep until it "bows down" to him. This is exactly how he plans on "taming" Katherine.

stoop:

Stoop refers to Katherine giving in to Petruchio's plan and becoming "tamed." Until she surrenders, Petruchio will keep her from food and sleep.

full-gorg'd:

Petruchio is denying Katherine food of any kind because "nothing is good enough for her" and that she cannot eat his inferior food. Denying her these necessities, supposedly showering her with love and doting, is his form of reverse psychology to make her miserable.

lure:

Lure is the bait that Petruchio wants Katherine to take. If she is fed and happy, she will continue to be a shrew, but denied of her necessities, she will do anything for Petruchio.

haggard:

The term haggard refers again to Katherine, but it does not allude to the modern definition used today meaning "run-down," but rather "wild" or "untamed." This returns to the symbolism in falconry, where haggard is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as, "a wild (female) hawk caught when in her adult plumage" (OED). With this, Petruchio strengthens his male dominance over Katherine.

Definition:Haggard

kites:

A kite is a type of bird of prey, which again alludes to both Katherine and falconry. Petruchio is comparing her to a young kite because he has to watch over her to make sure she stays in line and is obedient.

bate and beat:

Bate and beat refers directly back to the falcon or young, disobedient bird, Katherine, who flaps and flutters her "wings," unwilling to be "tamed."

undeserved fault:

Since Petruchio has to deny Katherine sleep and meat in order for her to believe "nothing is good enough for her," he must find fault in everything even if there truly is not. Therefore, he claims the perfectly cooked meat is overdone and that the bed was made incorrectly.

fling:

This sequence is an interesting view on marriage, showing the violence Petruchio portrays toward Katherine. The themes of male dominance and violence again appear as Petruchio takes advantage of his bride.

bolster:

A bolster is literally a big pillow or cusion, but in this scene, Petruchio explains how he will cause great havoc in the bedroom. He will throw the cusions and the blankets everywhere and scream that the bed was made wrong, and that Katherine is worth more than an unkempt bed. With this, he will not allow her to sleep.

hurly:

This hurly refers to the fighting, screaming, and confusion that will ensue as Petruchio throws the room into disarray. He wants Katherine to weak and tired so she will fall into his trap of "false love."

reverend:

Petruchio claims that there is a "reason for the madness," and that he is not allowing her sleep and food because he adores her greatly. She is worthy and deserving of his reverence.

watch:

Watch meaning Katherine will be sitting up all night, being deprived of the sleep she needs on an empty stomach. This simple torture tactic is a way for Petruchio to again gain dominance over Katherine.

nod:

Nod meaning "nod off" or falling asleep. Since he is restraining Katherine from sleep, if she begins to nap, he plans on making a disturbance that will wake her back up immediately.

rail and brawl:

Railing and brawling are literally the things Petruchio will do to keep Katherine awake. He will rant and yell, while still swearing it is out of his undeniable love for her.

curb:

If Petruchio claims that all of his mad and absurd denials of Katherine's necessities are merely out of his true love for her, than he will be able to curb and extinguish her "untame" attitude toward him and the world.

headstrong humour:

Headstrong humour refers to Katherine's willful and wild nature that Petruchio is "taming." Her unruly behavior is sure to be curbed after this abominable honeymoon night.

charity:

If anyone has a better plan to tame a shrew, now is the time to come forward. Petruchio wants the easiest and most supreme way of getting Katherine into his trap; therefore, he asks his loyal servants if they know of another way because he would greatly appreciate it.

A Reasonable Choice

I chose this excerpt from Shakespear's, Taming of the Shrew, because this is where the title of the play and the plot line literally come together. Petruchio explains in great detail exactly how he plans on "taming" Katherine and transforming her into a loyal wife in order for him to receive his fortune.

I love the use of rhetorical strategies Shakespeare employed, such as symbolism and allusion. The reference to falconry and the comparison to the "taming" of Katherine to the taming of a young, unruly bird was extremely clever. The breakdown of how Petruchio plans on tricking Katherine is not completely and adequately explained to the servants before he acts the scenes out to the shrew, which makes the play funnier when the perfectly cooked meat is denied for being "overcooked" and the when the flawless bed is deemed unsuitable for the "worthy" Katherine.

Through this hypertext close reading, viewers can take the Shakepearean style of writing that is often complicated to read and understand and have an interactive dictionary of sorts. They can click on certain terms and phrases that may be either forgotten or antiquated in this modern. Readers have the chance to see a common thread of symbolism and themes that Shakespeare utilizes in several of his plays, such as falconry and male dominance, that may have been originally overlooked.