mself qualifies. When contented by Katerina’s yielding, Petruchio declares “thus the bowl shall run,” invoking the image of a ball in the game of bowling (4.5.24). This image parallels to the game he stages in which Katerina is played toward at target of a woman tamed. However, she does not submit blindly to his intentions; she plays toward achieving her own goal of returning home.Continuing to prove her aptitude for dissembling, Katerina plays along with Petruchio’s labeling of Vincentio as a maid in the following scene. Never flinching, she runs to this withered man, praising his “budding beauty” and “sweet virginity.” She not only falls into her part with ease, but lies to the point of unbelievable exaggeration. Her speech characterizes this man as the most wonderful maiden ever seen; one who makes her parents delighted and her suitor thank heaven. By describing this old man in bed beside his adoring young husband, Katerina renders the entire scene ridiculous. She not only demonstrates her ability to deliberately lie, but seems also to enjoy the employment. Did she not enjoy her act, she would not have extolled the old man so fervently, nor would she have excused herself with such eloquent ardor. Rather than admit her mistake to Vincentio, Katerina lies again, claiming she was “so bedazzled by the sun, / That everything [she] looks on is green” (4.5.46-47). In light of this gross over-embellishment of her part, it remains important that Katerina begins her act in order to fulfill her own aim, in spite of Petruchio’s wishes to tame her. By continuing fill the role her husband desires of her, she is able to appease her own desires and return to Padua. If Katerina continues to focus upon her own wants, she cannot be the tamed shrew Hortensio labels her. Instead, she classifies herself as a manipulator in the same manner as Petruchio.Considering that Katerina...
