The Taming of the Shrew

17 February 2005 The Taming of the Shrew Textual Commentary Act 4, Scene 2, Lines: 169-192

169 The word "politicly" used in this line means cunningly. Petruccio uses the word "reign" to describe his authority over Katherine. This use of the word reign denotes a very strong hierarchical relationship between them. This suggests that Petruccio isn't trying to win her love but rather to force her into subject like obedience.

170 The use of two similar sounding words such as "and" and "end," give this line a pleasing rhyming pattern. This combined with the fact that "successfully" is so similar in sound to the word "politicly" from the previous line gives both lines 169 and 170 a pleasing rhyming like quality when read aloud. The use of monosyllabic words for the whole of this line with one polysyllabic word at the end of the line which is also the end of a sentence gives this line an interesting rhythmic pattern as well.

171 This line likens Katherine to a falcon which is extremely hungry. The fact that this is the first soliloquy Petruccio or any character has is significant in that this is the first time which Petruccio really explains what he is doing. He is taming Katherine and he creates a metaphor between taming Katherine and how a falconer would tame a falcon.

172 "Till she stoop" means until she takes the bait, and "full-gorged" means fully fed. Like the falcon who is starved, Katherine must "stoop" to her masters food before being fed or she will go hungry. The double meaning of the word "stoop" is important because its not only a falconers term for a bird descending to its "lure" but can mean to condescend or voluntarily descend from a level of superiority or dignity.

173 The word "lure" is the term used for the bait or food used to tame falcons. This and the previous two lines are significant because earlier in this scene Petruccio refuses the dinner that is offered them saying it is ill-prepared and Katherine ends up going to bed hungry.

174 "To man" is to tame and "haggard" is the word for a female hawk. 175 The use of alliteration in the repetition of the "k" or hard "c" sound is important as it highlights the important phrases "make her come," and "keeper's call."

176-177 The phrase "to watch her" means to keep her awake, the word "kite" is another noun for hawk, and the phrase "bate and beat" refers to hawks which "flutter and flap their wings"(Howard p180). The use of alliterative sounds in line 177 in the form of the sounds "b" or "be" makes this line stand out. One could imagine an impassioned delivery in live performance resulting from the mere propulsion of the poetic nature of these words. Also, lines 176-77 go together because they both begin with "that" and are linked by the fact that they are the continuation of a line of thought which seeks to describe not only hawks but in a metaphorical sense Katherine.

178 It should be noted that in other versions of this play the word "ate" was instead written "eat."1 Although this is less grammatically correct, this difference could actually be of some significance because eat would then appear twice in the line and would provide an obvious assonant function with the word "meat." Since the previous line and the following line both contain forceful alliterative or assonant tendencies then these three lines together would build up substantial rhythmic flow in live performance; more so than if the word "ate" were used.

179 The poetic nature of this line is very important in that there are two alliterative rhyming phrases which are alliterative to themselves, rhyming to each other and are also semantically linked in meaning. The phrases, "Last night she slept not," and "tonight she shall not," both contain consonance between the "s" and "n" sounds in the same syllabic pattern and have either similar ending words or the same words. This serves to make memorable how Katherine is tamed. This becomes important later on in Act 4, Scene 6 when she is delirious from hunger and lack of sleep but completely submissive to Petruccio’s will.

180-181 Alliteration and assonance between these lines is used with matching consonant sounds in the phrase "fault I’ll find" and assonant sounds between the words "fault" and "about." This serves to link together these two lines which are all one idea and add to the aesthetics of the passage.

1 Craig, W.J., ed. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. London: Oxford University Press: 1908. This very same text can be found online at: http://absoluteshakespeare.com/plays/plays.htm 182-183 The catchy use of paired phrases in these two lines brings out the meaning in the words themselves. The "here" and "there" in line 182 links the two phrases that contain them. The same happens in line 183 with the word groups "this way" and "another way." This causes the lines to sound like they are in motion just like the objects in them which will be "flung" about. This property of these words animates these lines in a way more conducive to an actors delivery of them because it caters to the actions an actor might perform while reciting them on stage.

184 "Hurly" means a commotion or tumult, and "intend" at the end of this line means will pretend. Because Petruccio is pretending, it raises the question of whether he is pretending just what he states in the next line or if he really isn't as shrewish as he seems and rather is pretending all along in order to tame Katherine.

185 The phrase "reverent care" is important because it displays the real cleverness behind Petruccio’s method of taming. It's important not only to note that he keeps her awake and hungry but that he displaces any responsibility for his behavior by claiming all that he does is done for her. It is also important to note that his "care of her" connotes the idea of superiority or authority over Katherine displayed throughout this passage.

186-188 In line 186 "watch" means to stay awake. These three lines are linked by the return of explanation of his method of keeping her awake and by the repeated use of "and" at the beginning of each of these lines. This is a common poetic tool of Shakespeare's, the begining of a series of lines with the same word, and serves to not only group them together, but gives a purposeful flow to their eloqution.

189 Again, alliteration is used to highlight important phrases and link lines with one another. The phrase "kill a wife with kindness" makes use of the "k" sound and so does the end of the previous line with "clamour keep her still awake." The phrase "kill a wife with kindness" is of particular importance because in a way it is the culmination of all that Petruccio is doing to tame Katherine. He is killing Katherine the shrew in such a way that he feigns kindness and in this way creates the new Katherine which we see at the very end of the play.

190 The word "humour" in this line stands out because it is a common motif in this play. In Shakespeare's time it was believed that people's emotions were guided by different "humours." These humours supposedly originated from the idea that there where four chief fluids in the body which were responsible for certain mental and physical characteristics. This motif is often used to refer to Katherine’s disposition or shrewness. Even right before Petruccio enters and recites this passage the word "humour" comes up in much the same context. Peter says in line 161, "He kills her in her own humour." This is significant because the pairing of the word "kill" with "humour" in Peter's line carries much the same meaning as it does here with the word "kill" used in line 189 and the word "humour" found in line 190. In other words Petruccio is using Katherine’s own attitude or shrewness against her. This suggests that he too is a shrew.

191.192 These ending lines state that if Petruccio is wrong in his methods then someone should show him the better way. This conclusion of Petruccio's soliloquy is proud and almost triumphant in tone. It's as if Petruccio is challenging the audience to prove him wrong and with that interaction persuading them to his cause. Another way of looking at it is he is making a statement which he expects no reply to thereby making it rhetorical in a way, and in this he displays his prowess similar to the way a cock holds reign over its domain (or hens). These last two lines characterize Petruccio as prideful or arrogant, and authoritative, which is in the same vein that this soliloquy began: "Thus have I politicly begun my reign."