What are the figures of speech in Taming of the Shrew?

Answer 1

In the Taming of the Shrew, Mr. Minola has two daughters: Bianca who everyone wants to marry because she seems so nice and well-behaved, and Katherine, who is bad-tempered and wilful, and who nobody wants to come within a mile of. Mr. Minola says that nobody can marry Bianca until Katharine is married. One of the guys interested in Bianca, Hortensio, gets his pal Petruchio to apply for the job of Kate's husband. Petruchio says he doesn't care about her disposition, he is only interested in the money.

Meanwhile Lucentio, another guy interested in Bianca, disguises himself as a tutor in order to get near her while his servant pretends to be him in order to square the deal with Minola. Hortensio also disguises himself as a tutor to Bianca.

Petruchio studiously ignores Kate's bad temper, and since he seems like a good match, Minola allows him to court Kate. Things get pretty rough but Petruchio keeps his cool, says he finds her delightful and that they would like to get married next week, thank you.

The wedding is a wild affair. Petruchio comes in an insane costume, swears at the priest, and does not even let Katherine stay for the reception. She goes fighting all the way. They get back to Petruchio's place and he won't let her eat because he says the food is too badly cooked, won't let her sleep because he says the bed is bad, and won't let her have any new clothes because they don't look good. This he calls "killing a wife with kindness" although of course he doesn't mean to kill her. By now Kate is so hungry and sleepy that she'll take anything. She learns that if she goes along with whatever Petruchio says, she is more likely to get what she wants, even if it means calling the sun the moon or an old man a young maiden. In other words, what she used to get with bullying she can now get with guile.

Lucentio has succeeded in his project to marry Bianca, and Petruchio and Katherine are of course invited to the wedding. At the wedding feast, Katherine proves that she is a more obedient wife than her sister and also Hortensio's new wife. She seals it with a speech in praise of wifely obedience. (But does she mean it?)

The surface idea of the ideal wife being totally obedient to her husband is one which causes many people grief these days. Some consider Petruchio's conduct to be abusive and appalling. Some productions which emphasize this can be very dark. On the other hand, the possibility that Kate learns how to pretend, so her last speech is tongue in cheek, adds a suggestion that Kate (or any other "obedient wives") is not really subservient at all, just good at pretending.

Answer 2

Shakepear uses puns and animal imagery as a comedic technique.

Answer 3

Kates' last speech

blots thy beauty

a fountain troubles

graceless traitor

Answer 4

NO BODY KNOWS D'UH