Katherina and Bianca serve as narrative foils for one another, both in their projected and actual natures. At the beginning of the play, Katherina's aggression—particularly towards men—is juxtaposed with the behavior of her sister, Bianca, whose mannerisms and personality align with what was considered appropriate feminine behavior for the time period. In the following passage from Act 1, Scene 1, Tranio and Lucentio discuss this sisterly difference in an aside:
TRANIO: [aside to LUCENTIO ]
Husht, master, here’s some good pastime toward.
That wench is stark mad or wonderful froward.LUCENTIO: [aside to TRANIO ]
But in the other’s silence do I see
Maid’s mild behavior and sobriety.
Peace, Tranio.
By the end of the play, however, Katherina acquires a more level-headed temperance, while Bianca reveals the "shrew-like" aspects of her personality after securing a husband. At the end of the play, in Act 5, Scene 2, Petruchio lauds Kate as the perfect, obedient wife while stating that Bianca is not so agreeable:
LUCENTIO: Well, go thy ways, old lad, for thou shalt ha ’t.
VINCENTIO: 'Tis a good hearing when children are toward.
LUCENTIO: But a harsh hearing when women are froward.
PETRUCHIO: [To LUCENTIO]
Come, Kate, we’ll to bed.
We three are married, but you two are sped.
'Twas I won the wager, though you hit the white,
And, being a winner, God give you good night!
When Petruchio uses the word "sped" in this passage, he means to imply that Lucentio and Vincentio's marriages are doomed by their respective wives' disobedience. Kate and Bianca's roles are now flipped: Kate, in contrast to her "shrew"-like nature at the beginning of the play, takes on Bianca's position as the "ideal" wife figure. Bianca, on the other hand, is revealed to be disobedient, though at the beginning of the play she obeyed her father's orders without complaint. Kate and Bianca remain foils throughout, but by the end, they've swapped roles.
Katherina and Bianca serve as narrative foils for one another, both in their projected and actual natures. At the beginning of the play, Katherina's aggression—particularly towards men—is juxtaposed with the behavior of her sister, Bianca, whose mannerisms and personality align with what was considered appropriate feminine behavior for the time period. In the following passage from Act 1, Scene 1, Tranio and Lucentio discuss this sisterly difference in an aside:
TRANIO: [aside to LUCENTIO ]
Husht, master, here’s some good pastime toward.
That wench is stark mad or wonderful froward.LUCENTIO: [aside to TRANIO ]
But in the other’s silence do I see
Maid’s mild behavior and sobriety.
Peace, Tranio.
By the end of the play, however, Katherina acquires a more level-headed temperance, while Bianca reveals the "shrew-like" aspects of her personality after securing a husband. At the end of the play, in Act 5, Scene 2, Petruchio lauds Kate as the perfect, obedient wife while stating that Bianca is not so agreeable:
LUCENTIO: Well, go thy ways, old lad, for thou shalt ha ’t.
VINCENTIO: 'Tis a good hearing when children are toward.
LUCENTIO: But a harsh hearing when women are froward.
PETRUCHIO: [To LUCENTIO]
Come, Kate, we’ll to bed.
We three are married, but you two are sped.
'Twas I won the wager, though you hit the white,
And, being a winner, God give you good night!
When Petruchio uses the word "sped" in this passage, he means to imply that Lucentio and Vincentio's marriages are doomed by their respective wives' disobedience. Kate and Bianca's roles are now flipped: Kate, in contrast to her "shrew"-like nature at the beginning of the play, takes on Bianca's position as the "ideal" wife figure. Bianca, on the other hand, is revealed to be disobedient, though at the beginning of the play she obeyed her father's orders without complaint. Kate and Bianca remain foils throughout, but by the end, they've swapped roles.
