Isobel Reed
Analysis of Petruchio’s Soliloquy – Act 4, Scene 1 At the end of act 4 scene 1 in ‘The Taming of The Shrew’, Petruchio has a soliloquy in which he tells the audience of his plan to tame Katherina. The aim of the soliloquy could be seen as a way of letting the reader understand why he is acting in such a wild manner, although it may be seen by some audiences as a continuation of Petruchio’s almost dictatorial rule over Kate, and just confirms his misogynistic motives to control her. The metaphorical and modal language used in the passage portrays Petruchio’s objective view of Kate, and his determination to tame her to become ‘socially acceptable’. Petruchio calls Kate ‘My falcon’ early on in the soliloquy, and the use of a metaphor comparing Kate to a wild animal implies her wild nature and how Petruchio sees she needs to be tamed. By calling her an animal, it could also be seen as Petruchio objectifying Kate, and this could suggest that he doesn’t care for her as a wife, and merely she’s her taming as a game and a toy to play with. However, by calling her a ‘falcon’, some may view this as Petruchio showing Kate of, as a ‘falcon’ is a majestic animal, and by calling Kate a ‘falcon’ instead of a more lowly animal may portray a pride in Kate from Petruchio. Shakespeare also uses modal verbs here to portray to the audience Petruchio’s determination to tame Kate. Petruchio aims to make sure Kate ‘not be full-gorged’ and to not sleep in his company until she learns to obey his orders and conform to social ideas. By saying ‘none shall eat’ and ‘she shall not’, Petruchio is showing his determination to tame Kate and he ‘shall’ make her conform. As well as this, at the very end of the soliloquy, Shakespeare writes a rhetorical statement from Petruchio to the audience, asking them if any ‘knows better how to tame a shrew’. This blunt statement shows Petruchio’s confidence in his methods, and also shows his purpose to the audience, as he clearly states how he sees taming Kate as a form of schooling, and this may again imply that he sees it as a game. It also implies a self confidence and arrogance in Petruchio that he feels he can tame Kate by himself. Although, in contrast, this could also show a caring side to Petruchio, as he is taking Kate to a taming school, he is taking the time to care for her and aid her to become a more socially acceptable woman. The affect this forceful language has on the audience may vary. Some audiences may view this soliloquy as a technique to outline the purpose of Petruchio’s taming of Kate, and tells the audience of his methods to show that his state of mind is not deteriorating. This will make the audience feel more secure in Petruchio’s seemingly out-of-control actions, and will then make them seem more comic later on in the play as they know he is not being cruel to Kate for the pleasure of seeing her suffer. However, other audiences could see Petruchio’s soliloquy as a display of lack of respect towards Kate, and maybe in turn women (having a misogynistic quality). The impersonal manner of his speech could imply how Petruchio sees Kate as a goal, not a relationship and in turn, makes the audience resent Petruchio and sympathise with Kate.
