Imagine marrying an uncontrollable woman and receiving the challenge to tame her. How strenuous would that be? As difficult as it sounds, it became reality in Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew." The notorious shrew changes her behavior from being the rude and unmanageable Katherine to the obedient wife Kate! Katherine's unexpected and sincere transformation was the result of her heart's desire to be loved and respected by Petruchio.
             Katherine is called the "shrew" by many, including her father. Being the ultimate uncontrollable woman, she fits that description very well. Constantly responding with rejection and violence, she is rude to anyone and everyone. Katherine is filled with words of violence in the first act. "To comb your noddle with three-legged stool/And paint your face, and use you like a fool (Shrew I.i.64:65)." After being scolded by Hortensio for her temper, Katherine defends herself and threatens to hit him on the head with a stool. Katherine's temper continues through the following act. She binds her sister's hands and torments her. Accused of jesting, Katherine strikes Bianca. "If that be jest, then all the rest was so. Strikes her (Shrew II.i.22)." Later, she becomes irritated during music lessons and strikes Licio with the lute, "breaking his head." Katherine is clearly a total shrew, as violent as can be, and very not lady-like. She has to have her way, doing whatever she needs to get what it is that she wants. At this point, it does not seem that even God can control her.
             Katherine is emotionally a shrew but does not dare to act on it. She strikes Petruchio during their first conversation, and Petruchio responds quickly saying, "I swear I'll cuff you if you strike again (Shrew II.i.216)." Although she is angry with Petruchio, Katherine does not respond with her usual shrewish mann...