t the play takes place in what seems to be just a few days. One must ask the question: Is it possible to cause such a great change in a person's behavior in such a short amount of time as this? It is very unlikely that it is possible, since Katharina, by the opening of the play, is at least 20 years of age and is very much set into her ways. It would take much longer to cure Katharina of this attitude problem she possesses.With this in mind, it is very likely that Katharina was either liberated by Petruchio in how to control her temper, or she acted as if she had been tamed to get everyone off of her back.Katharina: The Liberated ShrewSince it is not possible for Katharina to have been tamed by Petruchio in the short time period of the play, it is possible that she was liberated by Petruchio's actions. In the movie version of Taming of the Shrew, starring Elizabeth Taylor as Katharina and Richard Burton as Petruchio, the ending sequence is presented with the widow and Bianca refusing to come out at their suitor's request. Petruchio then sends for Katharina, and with the expressions on everyone's face, it can be assumed they weren't expecting her to come out either. Instead, Katharina does come out, with Bianca under one arm and the widow under the other. It was at this point she delivered her speech quoted above.Now, if she was tamed, it is doubtful she would have come out with the other women in her grips. It is more likely she would have come out alone, saying something along the lines of "Yes, my darling Petruchio, what can I do for thee?" Instead, she forces the other women to be obedient to their spouses, still showing some of the fearful aggressiveness at the beginning of the play.I see this as evidence that Petruchio has liberated Katharina in a sense that she no longer needs to be brash and aggressive at all times, but more she can use her assertiveness for her husband's advantage, and more importantly for her own advantage, as ...
