Tuesday, March 28 ~ How did the taming work out?

Go over Act 4.

Journal 5: Act 5

1. What is Vincentio’s response  to Tranio’s clothing, and why?
2. Gremio thinks he recognizes Vincentio to be who he says he is, but he can’t help Vincentio. Why? What does this say about Gremio?
3. What is the history of Vincentio’s relationship with Tranio? What does it suggest about the status  of servants in some Elizabethan households?
4. How does Tranio and Biondello’s treatment  of Vincentio echo Petruchio’s treatment  of Kate and the lord’s treatment of Christopher Sly?
5. How might Petruchio’s kiss suggest something other than a game of obedience that he must win?
6. Bianca makes fun of Gremio, and then she makes several lewd jokes. How has she changed? What might explain the change in her behavior?
7. What metaphor  does Tranio use to describe himself, and why? What motif does this metaphor  il- lustrate? What idea does it convey?
8. Lucentio “bids” his mistress  come to him, Hortensio “entreats,” and Petruchio “commands.” What differences do these words reflect about the balance of power in the three relationships?
9. Describe Kate’s speech about a wife’s role. What arguments  does it offer for why a woman should obey her husband?
10. Early in the play, Petruchio predicts what will happen when he and Kate marry: “Where two rag- ing fires meet together / They do consume the thing that feeds their fury.” Explain how Petruchio’s prediction seems to have come true by the end of the play.