Obviously Kate is the main character whom the play is named after. Kate is the shrew, who in the end is tamed by her husband. Bianca on the other hand is the complete opposite of Kate. Bianca is Kate’s younger sister, who unlike Kate has men fighting over her hand in marriage. In contrast to Kate, Bianca would be considered the ideal wife. She is attractive, quiet, and obedient.

At the beginning of the play, Kate is seen as the forceful sister and Bianca as the clever one. Kate is describes by Grumio as the “fiend of hell”. He tells Baptista, “ Why will you mew her up, Seignior Baptista, for this fiend of hell and make her bear the penance o

The relationship between Kate and Petruchio is completely different from the love of Bianca and Lucentio. Kate has a fiery disposition and a reputation for reacting violently to people. The challenge of capturing her is Petruchio’s real attraction to her. He can be seen as a rough, unfeeling, and greedy, who cares nothing for Kate’s feelings.

In contrast to Bianca’s and Lucentio’s love, Kate and Petruchio’s relationship is not built around romance. At the beginning, the two do not even like each other. Their marriage is unusual because they are forced to have this harsh relationship. The differences between the two couples contribute towards the element of irony in the play. After both marriages, the couples begin to make drastic changes in there previously, ever so constant personalities. Now the characters seem to make a total switch in behaviors. Bianca becomes a disobedient wife, and disregards Lucentio’s wishes. This is shown at a banquet where three of the men there make a bet that each of them has the most obedient wife. Kate wins the bet for Petruchio and the other men are angry with their wives. Lucentio chides his wife saying, “I would your duty were as foolish too. The wisdom of your duty, fair Bianca, Hath cost me five hundred crowns since suppertime.” (V, ii, 126-129) She snaps back by saying, “The more fool you for laying on my duty.” (V, ii, 130)

Kate and Petruch

Some topics in this essay:
Kate Petruchio’s, Lucentio Bianca’s, Bianca Kate’s, Bianca Hath, , Kate Bianca, Lucentio Kate, Bianca Lucentio, Conversely Baptista, Seignior Baptista, development play, love grounded reality, irony play, main character, taming shrew, bianca kate’s, baptista tells, kate describes, bianca’s lucentio’s, kate petruchio’s, play kate,