her. Though Katharina seems heartless and unemotional, her one true fear is losing Petruchio. “ It is surely worth remarking that Kate has only one true moment of agony, when Petruchio’s deliberately tardy arrival for their wedding makes her feel jilted” (Bloom 30-31). Their mutual roughness seems to be their way of flirtation. Though Katharina feels that Petruchio is “a mad rudesby full of spleen,” she realizes that she is truly in love and is lucky to have any husband at all, and will not, as the villagers say, “lead apes to hell” (Draper 95). The ironic counterpoint of their relationship is that while Katharina is easily tamed, Bianca, who needs no taming, is difficult for Lucentio to tolerate.“Kate the curst” and “lusty wench” are just few of the many names used by the villagers to describe Katharina (Draper 93). Her sarcastic attitude and violent temper ruin all of her ladylike qualities. In order to tame her, Petruchio must act in the same manner in which Katharina acts. “Their war begins as mutual sexual provocation, which, after marriage, is replaced with childish tantrums” (Bloom 29). Petruchio plans to deprive her of what she is accompanied to, such as sleep and food; he does this in such a cunning manner in which she cannot possibly be mean to him, for he is acting the way in which she acts. Petruchio counterpoises his method of fighting fire with fire by constant praise of those virtues which she conspicuously lacks throughout the play: modesty, gentleness. This is proof that Katharina is not so much tamed, as she is educated. Virtually, Petruchio has exaggerated the behavior by which Katharina distinguishes herself as different. He now has a better understanding for her, and she understands both herself and him. “When Katharina’s transformation began, her first reaction was self-pity” (Draper 98). Her steps of r...
