The character of Katharina in The Taming of the Shrew In Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, the character who caused much debate and discussion was Katharina, the Taming of the Shrew. Usually the topic was whether she was tamed, liberated, or whether she was simply a good enough actress for everyone to believe she was tamed. In this essay I will present arguments for and against each of these points, as well as discuss a television adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew that presents Katharina not as the expected shrew, but as Petruchio's tamer. Katharina: The Whipped ShrewThere is evidence that Katharina was tamed by Petruchio. For example, at the beginning of the show, Katharina is very vocal and aggressive. Men, women and children trembled whenever she approached, including her father and sister. At the end of the play, however, she is presented as meek and submissive to Petruchio, leading to her greatest speech in the play's dialogue: Your husband is your lord, your life, your guardian, your boss, your sovereign. ; one who cares for you, and for your maintenance engages his body in painful labor both on sea and land, to watch the night in the storms, the day in the cold, while you lie warm at home, safe and protected; and craves no other tribute at your handsBut love, good looks, and true obedience; Too little payment for so great a debt. (5.2.146-154) Looking at this excerpt from Katharina's speech, you can see that she was...... center of paper ......r, Shirley Nelson. “The Taming of the Shrew: In or Out of Joke?” In “Bad” Shakespeare: Reevaluations of the Shakespearean Canon. Ed. Maurizio Charney. London: Associated UP, 1988. 105-19.Hibbard, G.R. “Introduction.” The Taming of the Shrew. Shakespeare the penguin. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1968. 15-40. Hodgdon, Barbara. “Katherina Bound, or Pla(k)ating the Restrictions of Everyday Life.” PMLA 107 (1992): 538-53. Huston, Dennis J. "The Hero: The Power of Play in The Taming of the Shrew." In Shakespeare's theatrical comedies. London: Macmillan, 1981. 58-93. Leggatt, Alexander. Shakespeare's comedy of love. London: Methuen, 1974. Morris, Brian. "Introduction", The Taming of the Shrew. Arden Shakespeare London: Methuen, 1981. Novy, Marianne L. “Patriarchy and Play in The Taming of the Shrew.” English Literary Renaissance 9 (1979): 264-80.