Here is my email in a live link: stapletm@ipfw.edu

Could I ask you all to nominate some plays for us to read? Maybe email me some suggestions? Thank you.


i.e., comedy: Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, Tempest;
history: I Henry IV, Richard III, Henry V;
Sonnets (fun!!!);
tragedy: Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear, Julius Caesar.

Thursday 19 May (The Taming of the Shrew)

A-D  What is the point of Petruchio's wedding behavior in 3.2? Which lines strike you as important for determining the answer?

     

Within The Taming of the Shrew, I believe that Petruccio decides to act worse than Katherina has ever been in order to stun her into being a submissive wife that he has ownership over.
     Gremio, the teller of what happens during the wedding ceremony, states that “…she’s a lamb, a dove, a fool to him” (3, 2, 151). Not only does Petruccio regard Katherina as an animal, but so do the other male characters. A lamb may be considered a soft, yielding, and innocent creature, but it is still an animal that is owned by a man. The sheep is also considered a stupid animal. A dove, a symbol of peace, is easily hunted. Katherina is said to be these peaceful animals, yet Petruccio acts animalistic during the wedding ceremony. Katherina is a “fool to him”: she is a jester that is only there for Petruccio’s pleasure, just as pet animals would, such as a horse or a bird.
     To explain his behavior, Petruccio tells the other characters that “I will be master of what is mine own” (3, 2, 222). Petruccio makes it seem as if he is protecting Katherina from the other men, yet, really, he is saying that he will be the overlord, while she is just the prized animal. Petruccio, by his behavior has made Katherina look like an innocent, peaceful creature. Perhaps he acted in such a way to make her believe that she was a “lamb” or a “dove”; therefore, creating her to be so.
     Through this interpretation, Petruccio is clearly stating that this will not be a marriage in which Katherina will have an equal say with him. Petruccio has ownership over Katherina now that they have been wedded. Women were considered to be property of their husbands; therefore, it is not unlikely that a man would have compared females to lambs, birds, or “chattels” (3, 2, 223).

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Petruccio’s soliloquy (4.1.169-92), from Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, exudes a supreme confidence on the antagonist’s part that is indicative of the play’s central theme of dominance. To take a Marxist perspective on this motif, the character’s monologue outlines a relationship between the “haves” and the “have-nots” sketched out by his plan to make the “shrewish” Katherina fully obedient. With the rather inhumane comparison of Katherina as a falcon and him as the falconer, Petruccio illustrates how those with power clout it over the less-fortunate in order to make them submit to the authority of the powerful.

Furthemore, in his soliloquy, Petruccio is upfront about the self-serving motivations of his plot, opening his aside with the line, “Thus have I politicly begun my reign / And ’tis my hope to end successfully.” Being the only soliloquy in Taming of the Shrew, and being such a candid one, this monologue may be designed to show the true id of mankind. In other words, it may be Shakespeare’s display of the true intentions behind many human interactions in society. Or, at least, most of them in the play. This interpretation is supported by Petruccio’s line at the conclusion of the monologue, “He that knows better how to tame a shrew / Now let him speak; ’tis charity to show.” The antagonist implies that developing obedience from a shew is a universal problem of which he happens to have a special insight. Obviously, any actor portraying Petruccio should approach this soliloquy with a self-assured tone, suggestive of a well-established privilege held by the character and others like him: men, or more specifically, aristocratic men.

Petruccio’s comparison of Katherina to a falcon that he purposely deprives of nourishment is not only barbaric, but it also shows how he possesses control over her basic abilities to survive: “My falcon now is sharp and passing empty / And till she stoop she must not be full gorged / For then she never looks upon her lure.” His dominion over her is paralleled in the play by the various servants who rely financially on their masters, such as Tranio, Grumio, and Biondello. And this dominion also exhibits displays of tyranny, just as with Petruccio and his wife. For example, Grumio and Biondello are both physically abused by their masters (or at least, the father of their master in Biondello’s case) in different parts of the play. Grumio has his ears wrung by Petruccio in scene 2 of Act 1, and Biondello is beaten by Vincentio in the first scene of Act 5. Even the beggar from the play’s inductions is being physiologically tormented by the Lord’s cruel jest. Not to mention the Lord’s page who is forced to act as the beggar’s wife. In conclusion, the most profound illustration of the power dynamics underlining the actions of the play comes from Katherina’s soliloquy-like speech near the very end of scene 1 of Act 5. In this speech she, essentially, explains how women were meant to be obedient to men because of how much “weaker” they are to them.

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In class, we spoke of some of the early actions and behaviors displayed by Petruchio were misleading. Trickery is an overlapping theme by numerous characters in this play. “You lie in faith, for you are called plain Kate, And bonny Kate, and sometimes Kate the curst” (2,1,79).  Petruchio comes out the gates running, making bold statements and bold moves towards Katharine. Petruchio acts like a 12-year-old boy, equally insulting and complimenting her. He’s trying to make her into something she’s not, but he also likes her. However, I also believe that he is testing her “shrewdness.” And it is well-received. Though he and Kate go back and forth, it’s clear that they are both getting something out of their arguments, which, at times, led to Kate punching “striking” him.

Though she claims to hate him, I feel as though that is possibly the only way that she can find happiness in being bought and sold like cattle. If she’s going to submit to the idea of marriage, she’s going to make the man work for it.

The wedding behavior on both Petruchio and Katharine struck me as odd. By this point in the play, I wondered whether Petruchio had any true feelings towards her at all. He embarrassed her and her family. He appears to be the equivalent of a drunk uncle on Thanksgiving who you loathe, but at the same time can’t turn your attention away. Petruchio commands and yearns for this attention. He does however want others to know that he will come and go as he pleases, when he pleases, and with whom he pleases.  He has bought the “lamb” and will go to whatever lengths necessary to prove to Baptisto that Katharine is both his wife and his property.

Petruchio states, “But what a fool am I to chat with you, When I should bid good morrow to my bride And seal the title with a lovely kiss!” (3,2,111). Again, his word choice is tricky. He doesn’t want to speak to anyone about why he is late and made his bride and the guests left to wait, but makes it as though this statement is about tending to her. And at the same time, refers to their union of marriage as a “title,” as though he is literally “sealing the deal.” And later stating that he is the master in command of both objects and Katharine.

In Petruchio’s speech, I think a lot of his behavior can be summed up with “Be mad and merry, or go hang yourselves” (3,2,215). To me, this is saying, “Hey. We know we are both a little bit nutty, but it works out for us. So get really wasted on this free wine or F off. Either way, we don’t care.” He treats her poorly, and though she is tough, she still is a human being with feelings. But with that being said, she’s difficult. And he realizes that in order to keep her on her toes and still be able to get what he wants, he must continue to be colorful, creative, and sometimes crude.

E-G  Petruchio's soliloquy (4.1.169-92) is the only one in Shrew.  In what tone should the actor deliver it? Which lines seem important, and why?

     In Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”, we witness a soliloquy spoken directly to the audience by Petruccio in regards to his plan to tame Katherina to become a future wife. The purpose of the soliloquy is to inform the audience of his attitude and mannerisms towards Katherina and what he plans to do in order to tame her attitude and demeanor.
     At the end of scene four act 1, the audience receives a soliloquy from Petruccio as he describes how he will tame his falcon, Katherina, in order to make her an excellent wife. He states these lines confidently as if he has already succeeded in taming her. He references Katherina as a falcon, stating she is hungry and he will keep it that way to ensure she doesn't look past his control. Instead of looking for something on her own, he expects Katherina to address him if she is in need of something. Petruccio references Katherina as a falcon, which is a respected species of bird, therefore I believe although he wants to change certain aspects of her, he still respects her for the woman that she is. If he did not have much respect for her, he could reference a different animal when discussing the process of taming her.
     On line 172 in scene four act one, we see the word “stoop”, in reference to a falcon flying to its bait. In this situation, Petruccio is referencing Katherina as being submissive to him and his authoritative nature. He speaks this entire soliloquy with great confidence that it will not be difficult to tame her and change aspects of her personality that is more admirable to him and other individuals around them. On line 189 in scene four act one, we see Petruccio stating he will kill his wife with kindess by his actions. To the audience, we see his hidden motive in his kind and generous actions, yet Katherina will just receive these actions with the thought of Petruccio truly loving her and having a kind heart. Although I believe Katherina is a very bold and dominant woman, I believe the constant love, affection, and admiration that Petruccio will portray to her will cause her to change some of her ways, especially due to the entire family’s blessing on a quick marriage.       Towards the end of his speech, we see Petruccio state he will lower her mad and headstrong humor with his constant kindness.  He is stating he will calm her wild and make her easier to be around.  By the kindness he gives, it will cause her to become more kind and soft herself.  In my opinion, I do not see Katherina changing into a kinder individual.  She is mad and headstrong to her core, which is something you just cannot change in a human being.  At the very end of his soliloquy, he asks those in the audience if anyone knows a better method to taming a shrew, and if so, he is open to advice.  This statement could create some doubt from the audience in Petruccio’s confidence in taming Katherina, or it could represent his pure confidence in taming Katherina by stating this in a joking matter, almost as if he knows he is the best candidate for the job,

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     In his soliloquy, Petruccio is describing how he will continue to “tame” Katherina. The reason that this information is disclosed in a soliloquy, and not in conversation like the rest of the play, is because this is the peak moment of the play; the moment that gives meaning to the play’s title and evidence that it will be accomplished.
     Petruccio’s attitude during his speech seems to be proud and scheming. As he has already managed to make Katherina his wife, he has no doubts that he will be able to make her conform to his ways, as well. Already she has begun to show some aspects of change, mainly by expressing shock at the manner with which Petruccio treats his servants and friends. His wilder manner causes her to speak up for those he wrongs with his rants, whether she realizes that’s what she’s doing or not.
Shortly after they’ve been wed she still seems to have a hold on her wildness, but during the journey and upon their arrival to his house she begins to act with more humility. She stands up for Grumio as Petruccio beats him on the trip home and again for the servants who have burnt dinner. While her actions in these moments are considered bold for a woman, they are a reaction to Petruccio’s boldness rather than an expression of her own.
     Since Katherina has already begun to show a slight adjustment in her attitude, Petruccio feels assured that if he continues to treat her harshly while pretending to treat her with kindness she will begin to lessen her resolve to be a shrew. This is made apparent near the end of his soliloquy, when he says:

                                          Ay, and amid this hurly I intend

                                          That all is done in reverend care of her…

                                          This is a way to kill a wife with kindness,

                                          And thus I’ll curb her mad and headstrong humor.(4.1.184-90)

Petruccio is confident that he will tame Katherina by acting this way toward her. This needs to be expressed by the actor playing his character. And not only confident, but a little arrogant as well, because not only does he believe he is about to accomplish something no other man could do, but by doing so he gains Katherina’s large dowry, the motivation for his love of her.

H-O George Bernard Shaw described Katherine's notorious speech at the end of the play (5.2.136-79) as "altogether disgusting to modern sensibility." Which lines would seem to justify such a pronouncement? 

     

The entire tone of Katherina’s speech is offensive to the modern reader’s perspective of a proper attitude for a woman, or reasonable interactions between men and women. From the very beginning we are struck with the first line that demonstrates this “dart not scornful glances from those eyes To wound thy lord, thy king, thy governor. It blots thy beauty as frost do bite the meads,” (5.2,136-139). To call ones husband a lord, king or governor, implies his unquestionable sovereignty over the woman, which is in opposition to modern views of marriage as a partnership. Continuing to look at this passage we see Katherina speak of how scornful looks make women appear less beautiful physically. This is troubling in two different and distinct ways from a modern perspective, first there is the issue that a woman's lack of appreciation for a man directly affects her attractiveness. The second issue comes from the concept that a woman is simply a being that is to be valued for her submissiveness, and her beauty.

            Katherina compares a woman in anger to a befouled fountain in the following passage, “A woman moved is like a fountain troubled, Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty” (5.2, 142-143). Here again we see a characteristic that in a man would be tolerated, in a woman viewed as being wholly ruinous to them. The use of terms, such as muddy, ill-seeming, and thick when used to refer to women in a simile such as this does everything possible to make women appear undesirable if they are not meek. This is in strong opposition to modern conventions where a strong sense of identity is not only accepted, but found desirable in a woman.

            Katherina goes even further to offend modern views by speaking of the debt that women owe to their husbands in the following passage, “ craves no other tribute at thy hands But love, fair looks, and true obedience—Too little payment for so great a debt” (5.2, 152-154). This makes the woman indebted to the man as his inferior, establishing love as something that could be purchased for the cost of lodging. This idea that relationships between men and women would be so very businesslike, and deal in matters of debt and repayment is reprehensible to modern perspectives, though it was not even remotely odd historically.

            Finally one of the most offensive bits of Katherina’s speed to the modern reader comes in the following passage.

            Or seek for rule, supremacy, and sway

            When they are bound to serve, love and obey.

            Why are our bodies soft and weak and smooth,

            Unapt to toil and trouble in the world, (5.2, 163-166)

The first couplet admonishes women who assert themselves and put forward ideas for establishing rules, or standards, and dictates the proper places for them is to serve, obey, and love the men in their lives. This devalues the women by tying who they are to a male figure and vilifying any attempt to seek individual recognition. The final couplet reinforces the first by stating that women are weak, and do to this weakness unfit to toil and struggle in the world. This encourages them to leave such endeavors to men, who are depicted as being more capable of such things. When combined these lines show women as both incapable of independence, and immoral for even contemplating seeking to attain it, making them some of the most adorable lines spoken by Katherina in her entire speech. 

     

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The first thing to be considered is what is meant by “modern sensibility.” What makes the final speech in The Taming of the Shrew that Katherine gives “disgusting?” Simply, it is the way in which she surrenders all that she was to this bland and docile woman that only emerged because of abuse, manipulation, and societal expectations of her time. Even worse, no one came to her aid because of those societal expectations. As far as they were concerned, she was being corrected or fixed.

      There are a few lines in Katherine’s final speech that illustrate her transformation and how it was not once born of encouragement, love, or affection. Immediately, she scorns the other women present at the gathering for not gazing upon their husbands as if they were “…thy lord, thy king, thy governor.” For a woman to reprimand her fellow women this way in a modern setting would most likely be met with either offence or indignant laughter – by the men as well as the women. In a society that values individuality as much as Americans in this day and age, the scolding woman would be thought to be very-old fashioned, degrading of her gender, and probably not invited back to the next dinner party.

       As if proclaiming that the other women at the event should be obedient to their superior husbands, Katherine goes on to speak ill of womankind as a whole. Her saying that she is “…ashamed that women are so simple. To offer war where they should kneel for peace.” Would probably get her many dirty looks and a talk from the host telling her that she should probably go home and sleep it off. It is true that there is still gaps to be closed between the privileges that men have over women in modern society, but for a modern woman to say that her kind are foolish and irrational to put up any kind of resistance to, well, anything. They should instead be on their knees and plead for peace and authority. This kind of attitude would be a grave insult to the women in the past who have fought for the rights we have in 2016. Women are finally being recognized as people – rational people with ideas, knowledge, and ability that will be a valuable asset towards progress in our modern society. If we were to listen to a speech such as the one Katherine gives after her horrific transformation, it would be setting us, and progress, back hundreds of years.

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There are many lines throughout this speech that clash with ideals held by modern societies. In act 5 scene 2, Katherine states “A woman moved is like a fountain troubled, Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty”, and this line alone presents many ideas that conflict with modern society. It is presented that a woman is not allowed to have negative emotions, because if they do they will not be attractive. First, in modern society it is expected that everyone will have negative emotions and be mad about something at one point or another, it would be strange to think otherwise. The fact that it is only women that are supposed to control their emotions also depicts a level of control that the men in this play have over the women, the women generally want to be desirable and therefore will do what men say. In modern relationships it is expected that both partners will speak their mind about something they might see as an issue, regardless of topic. In fact, modern sensibility dictates that most relationships would fail without this type of communication, so for women masking their feelings is not something that can fit into how we view relationships today. Lastly, being an individual is important in modern society, and if all women acted in the same manner because it made it easier for the men, it would strip individualism away from them. In modern society, if anyone, regardless of sex, were to act in such a restrained and false manner then their potential partner would most likely just find them boring or not genuine. Continuing on the topic of couples, Katherine also says “Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper, Thy head, thy sovereign, one that cares for thee” (5, 2, 146-147), which also conflicts greatly with how couples are viewed in a modern society. Couples are now viewed as equal; many people would feel uncomfortable if they saw that one of the partners had some type of power over the other. Katherine makes it seem as though a woman cannot live without a man, which is obviously untrue in terms of a modern society.

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Katherina's speech at the end of The Taming of the Shrew is one long example of things that easily disgust modern sensibilities. The speech begins by Kate explaining how a bad mood should not be had because “it blots thy beauty as frosts do bite the meads” (5.2.139). Women are often told tamper or completely hide what they are feeling and thinking because to show them is a sign of their weakness or loss of control. While this is still a thought that effects women today, most would agree that is an outdated and sexist idea.

            Later, Kate speaks about how a wife is expected to show obedience to her husband and to make it worse she says this expectation is “too little payment for so great a debt” (5.2.154). In today's society the ideal marriage is generally a partnership with compromises coming from both sides. The speech only gets worse towards the end when Kate says “And place your hands below your husband's foot – / In token of which duty, if he please” (5.2.177-178). The passage has Kate saying that a wife is meant to serve her husband and clearly has her placing a woman beneath the man.

            Finally, Kate insists a woman should not be seeking power or prestige in lines 162-163, “To offer war where they should kneel for peace, / Or seek for rule, supremacy, and sway / When they are bound to serve, love, and obey”. The whole thought that a woman should back down and simply obey is a disgusting thing to say and in modern society the idea would be shot down with either a few choice words or a simple display of a middle finger. While we still have some distance to go with women's rights today, we do have women with both power and prestige. There will probably always be a select few who would agree with everything Kate has to say in her final speech of the play, but most will find her words utterly distasteful.

P-R For the sake of argument, even if you don't believe it: which lines in the speech could you use to counter Shaw's argument?

     Katherina’s speech is one of complete defeat. It contains the instructions for how to be a Stepford wife and the dos and don’ts for being the perfect spouse. George Bernard Shaw said that the speech was “altogether disgusting to modern sensibility” because the rationale behind the speech was so anti-feminist and disgusting in nature. Shaw may have misinterpreted the speech because there are a few lines that Katherina says that support modern sensibility and proves she did not totally give in to the mindset that Petruccio was trying to get her to succumb to.
     When Katherina says, “My mind hath been as big as one of yours,/my heart as great” (5.2.170-171) she is saying how her mind and spirit are just as good as a man’s. This goes against the rest of the speech that suggests women are a lesser and weaker species than men. This one fragment of a sentence is Katherina’s way of giving a subtle wink at the audience to suggest the entire speech is in jest. Her speech can be taken as one of a devout anti-feminist whose only purpose in life is to please her man but this one piece of a sentence is a hint that Katherina does not mean anything she is saying.
     Katherina has proven she has a brain; she is able to keep up the lively and witty banter with Petruccio. She has also proven she has spirit through her many passionate actions. In her speech she says her brain “hath been” suggesting that her brain is no longer as big as a man’s brain. Her brain is still just as big, if not bigger, because she gives this entire speech and has all the men completely fooled into thinking she is completely brainwashed. It is because of her big brain and her proud spirit that has kept Katherina from breaking and, instead, has chosen the best way around the psychological torture that Petruccio inflicts. Katherina is smart enough to know what she needs to say and do so she can eat a steak and get a good night’s sleep.

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    Katherine goes against everything that she once stood for in her speech.  Shaw believes that this is “altogether disgusting to modern sensibility” because she is portraying that it is okay to be treated like an object by your husband and that you should still ‘obey’ him and essentially kiss the ground that he walks on.  The strong-willed, anti-love woman that she was is now an obedient wife who succumbs to her husband.  The woman who would participate in argumentative banter with Petruccio will now let him walk all over her.  The modern idea is that women are equal to men and men should respect women just the same as women should respect men.  Her speech completely disagrees with this idea. 

            There are two different lines, however, that I believe agrees with the ‘old’ Katherine, or with the modern day idea.  When Katherine says, “My mind hath been as big as one of yours,/ my heart as great” (5.2. 170-171) she is pretty much saying I was once just like you girls, I argued and disobeyed and was equal, if not stronger than any man.  I think this gives an insight to her real personality, and that deep down she knows that women should be equal to men.  Also when she says, “Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot,/ and place your hand below your husbands foot” (5.2. 177-178) I think she is almost being sarcastic by saying take your pride and throw it out the door because it’s useless anyway.  I think this is a low blow to the men in a sense, or even to the idea that women are supposed to be obedient to their husbands.  She’s pretty much saying, we don’t matter, so we might as well listen and obey in order to have somewhat of a normal life.        

S-Z 4.3 seems important for determining Katherine's behavior, personality, and motives. Which lines strike you as particularly important for this purpose?

The very first line that Katherina says that seems important is “The more my wrong, the more his spite appears.” This seems important because this line is telling us that anytime Katherina does that Petruchio doesn’t like, he then punishes her in a way. For example when they are eating Petruchio says that the meat isn’t cooked right or it is terrible and that it should be taken away. Another example would be that Petruchio keeps her up all night so she can’t get any sleep. At this point she is hungry for meat and is very tired. Petruchio wants to see Katherina suffer and to start becoming what he has envisioned her to become.  

Another line that seems important would be when Petruchio says Pluck up thy spirits, look cheerfully upon me… Here, take away this dish.” This seems important because Petruchio is saying that he had made the meat and asking Katherina to say thank you but she doesn’t say anything. From that Petruchio then gets upset and has it taken away from Katherina so she can’t eat.

When Petruchio says “The poorest service is repaid with thanks…” it seems important because he is basically saying that no matter what happens I will get a thank you. He is also saying that she can’t have the meat until she says thank you. From this it is showing us that Petruchio is taming her and working on making her the woman who she is supposed to be. When she finally says thank you his plan is working and she is rewarded with the meat.

Another line would be when Petruchio says “When you are gentle, you shall have one too, and not till then.” This seems important because he is saying that Katherina is not the ideal woman who would wear that hat. Only a woman who is obedient wears that hat and Katherina is not obedient, at least not yet.  Petruchio is also saying that she has a long way to go before she is able to wear that hat.

When Katherina says “Belike you mean to make a puppet of me.” This seems important because it is showing us that Katherina might be thinking that Petruchio is up to something, that he is trying to change her, but then Petruchio comes back and says that it is the tailor who is trying to make a puppet of her. What he means by that is how the style of dress that the tailor had made for Katherina. It looked as though you could attach strings and then there is your puppet.

Another line that seems important would be when Petruchio says “It shall be seven ere I go to horse… It shall be what o’clock I say it is.” This seems important because he is telling Katherina that they won’t be there until seven and that he is the boss and he can do whatever he wants, no one can tell him what to do. Petruchio is telling Katherina that she is pushing it and that she needs to stop or there will be problems later on.

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Katherine's behavior transforms from malicious and jealous to obedient and malleable as Petruchio steadily and diligently knocks her down from the rungs of Maslow's pyramid. This starts in Act 2 Scene 1 where he steals away her identity, then he isolates her, and he finishes up by deprecating her of her physiological needs.  Act four scene three is where he tosses her to the bottom rung, which is physiological needs. This place is where Katherine's personality changes dramatically for she must build up Maslow's pyramid all over again. She is motived simply by means of survival, willing to do anything for food and sleep.  

The top of Maslow's pyramid is self-actualization or identity. In WWII, Jewish people were dehumanized, exchanging their names for numbers so when Petruchio first meets Kathrine and gives her the nickname Kate it simultaneously degrades her and violates her privacy. Katherine doesn't allow anyone to get to close enough to her to call her anything but Katherine for a name is very personable, it is where people place their identity. She tries to fight him off, but he steals her name away anyway. This puts her in a position where she is not herself, but a new person with a different name and the person controlling and dominating that name is Petruchio. When he marries her, her last name to changes. This gives him full control of who she is as a person.  

The second level of Maslow's pyramid is esteem. In Act 3 Scene 2, Petruchio shows up to his wedding in a disrespectful manner for he is both late and dressed in a peculiar, disrespectful attire. A woman's wedding day is paramount and a life changing mile stone in life, to have it so defiled, Katherine's self-esteem must have plummeted into teary depths. In her despair, her sister and other sympathetic on lookers at the wedding begin to care and comfort her. These friendships save her later on as she climbs back up Maslow's pyramid.  

Maslow's third level is love and belonging. Petruchio isolates Katherine by demanding that they do not stay for dinner at her father's house for dinner after the wedding. He also made sure that her friends and family believe he is a madman by acting and speaking in a ludicrous fashion so as to make sure they do not wish to be acquainted with her and not to visit the married couple. He wastes no time in pushing her off the safety section of Maslow's pyramid as he plots to have horse throw her off and then have her watch him act violently to the servant so that she does not feel safe around him. This all happens in one night so she could not grasp what was happening and figure out his plan to tame and change her personality.
  The bottom of Maslow's pyramid is physiological needs and when Katherine reaches this point in Act 4 Scene 3 she breaks. Petruchio has taken away her sleep with his dangerous anger. He starves and fights with her so she cannot sleep. She begs the servants for morsels of food and receives nothing but banter. He does not allow her to have new clothes or clean apparel. By the time he is finished taking away her physiological needs, she submits to him even when he has no reason or logic, but merely to be at peace with him. She even offers thanks after he barks in demand Act 4, Scene 3 line 47 "I thank you sir."  At one point, she almost realizes his trickery. In line 104 she states, "Belike you mean to make a puppet out of me." Alas, she escapes these thoughts and becomes under his sole power as demonstrated by this quote in line 12 of Act 4, Scene 5 where she mutters to him, "Forward, I pray, since we have come so far, And be it moon, or sun, or what you please. An if you please to call it a rush candle, Henceforth I vow it shall be so for me." She would lie if only to satisfy his wild will. By this point he has destroyed her Maslow's pyramid to the barest quality and now she must build herself up again, but this time crafted by his ruthless hands. She becomes obedient and steadfast. 

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In the beginning of Act 4, Scene 3, Katherina has become fed up with the way she is being treated. She can no longer stand the way Pertruccio has been acting around her. Katherina says, “The more my wrong, the more his spite appears” (4.3.2). She is telling Grumio that she thinks the more she suffers the more Petruccio seems to be malicious towards her. She pleads Grumio for food, but he, too, ignores her requests. With each food that Grumio suggests, Katherina seems to get more and more upset. She beats Grumio for torturing her. At this point, it almost looks as if Katherina is becoming broken. The audience is able to see a vulnerable side of her, as she basically has to beg her husband’s servant for food.

            Soon after this, Petruccio enters with Hortensio. He teases Katherina—or Kate, as he calls her—with a fresh meal he had prepared. But when she does not respond, Petruccio says “What, not a word? Nay, then, thou lov’st it not, and all my pains is sorted to no proof—Here, take away this dish” (4.3.42-44) Katherina then pleads with Petruccio to allow her to eat the food. The audience can see throughout this scene that Katherina is becoming more and more upset and broken with how she is treated by her husband.

            A hat maker and tailor arrive and bring Katherina and Petruccio clothes in which they are to wear to visit Baptista. As Petruccio scolds them for his horrible designs, Katherina tries to calm him down and convince him that the clothing is perfect. At first, she tells him of her freedoms that she deserves to have. “My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, or else my heart, concealing it, will break, and rather than it shall, I will be free” (4.3.78-80). However, Petruccio continues to yell at the tailor and hat maker. For the first time, the audience can see that Katherina possesses a soft side to her and wants what is best for someone else, not just herself.

            This whole scene shows a progression of Katherina’s personality. Although she is still reluctant to give Petruccio complete control, she is becoming softer. In fact, in the end of the scene, Katherina’s last line is, “I dare assure you, sir, ‘tis almost two, and twill be supper time ere you come there” (4.3.185-186). She says this and does not argue when Petruccio disagrees with her. It is becoming more and more obvious that Katherina has become maybe a little bit more submissive.