Madeline on Katherine's speech (5.2)

Katherine's speech in 5.2 (Madeline Cripe)

Katherina’s speech at the end of the Taming of the Shrew, is by far her most important within the entire play. Before Katherina even gives her final speech, we see Petruccio literally being applauded by the other suitors for how great of a job he has done to “tame his shrew of a wife.” Petruccio is so confident in Kate’s loyalty to him that he even places a bet on her with Lucentio and Hortensio, saying she’ll obey whatever order he gives. Which leaves the audience quite puzzled, because we are given an entirely different Kate from what we saw in the beginning. Petruccio goes out of his way to parade Kate around as his obedient wife leaving everyone at the wedding amazed in the change of Kate’s attitude/behavior. Petruccio then demands Kate to give a lecture to her own sister and the widow of why they need to become obedient to their own husbands, and uses herself as an example. Kate gives the longest speech within the entire play applauding her husband and over exaggerating why women need to become submissive to their husbands. At the end of Katherina’s speech in Act V, Scene II it is obvious to the audience that Petruccio’s methods of taming Kate have been successful. The reason why Kate’s speech is so important to the play, besides showing the audience that Petruccio has won, is that the audience is left unknowing how much Kate actually stands by her own words. On one hand Kate could completely believe everything she is saying and has just become brainwashed by Petruccio. Which would mean that Petruccio’s methods have worked Kate into a wife suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Although, one on the other hand maybe the good ole stubborn Kate is still in there somewhere and is just telling Petruccio what he wants to hear to survive.