Petruchio's Provocation: Analyzing 'The Taming of the Shrew'

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In the play “The Taming of the Shrew” written by William Shakespeare, the character Petruchio shows that he is a provocative and Abusive person as he tries to “tame” Katherine. The story starts out with an induction in which a lord fools a drunken man into thinking that he is the lord. During the trick the lord puts on a play for the drunken man. The play they put on is called “The Taming of the Shrew.” The play follows the relationship between Katherine, and Petruchio. Katherine is displayed as the unpleasant and vile daughter of the rich Baptista Minola. Baptista declared that until Katherine is married, no one would marry the younger and more pleasant daughter Bianca. That’s when Petruchio comes and claims that he will marry Katherine and …show more content…

Being provocative means, to cause annoyance, anger or another strong reaction, by being ill behaved and disruptive. Petruchio first shows his irritating side when he not only arrives late to his wedding to Katherine, but also come dressed terribly. In the following quote Biondello (a servant) recounts how Petruchio is dressed for his wedding: “Why, Petruchio is coming in a new hat and an old jerkin, a pair of old breeches thrice turned, a pair of boots one buckled, another laced.” This means that petruchio was dressed in a old jacket and dirty pants that have not been washed, with miss matched shoes. He is deliberately disrespecting Katherines wedding day by coming in, (as Tranio calls it) “Unreverent robes” Petruchio once again shows his rudeness by disrupting the wedding service and as Gremio says, “he swore so loud that, all amazed, the priest let fall the book” In the quote Gremio is saying that Petruchio was so loud and rude that the priest was so shocked he dropped the bible that he was holding. Petruchio does all this to show Katherine how her shrewd behavior looks, but petruchio takes it to another level. He doesn’t just stop after cusing. Gremio continues to say, “And as [the priest] he stooped again to take it up, This mad-brained bridegroom took him such a

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