Taming Of The Shrew

In the book "The taming of the shrew" all the characters have certain relationships with each other called power relationships. Power relationships are when one person in a relationship has more power than the other. 3 examples of power relationships are master and servant, father and child, and husband and wife. These power relationships are very important to the story and gives the characters and the plot interesting qualities to overlook.

The first and one of the most important power relationship is the one between Katherine and Petruchio. This power relationship is very important because as in most relationships the male is usually the dominant one but in this relationship at first Katherine is so obnoxious to petruchio and petruchio is just as obnoxious which makes the balance of the power equal. Later on as the story progresses petruchio makes a bet with other men that his wife is the most loyal wife, when petruchio calls his wife Katherine she obeys him and says this quote. "Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,

Thy head, thy sovereign, one that cares for thee,

And for thy maintenance commits his body

To painful labour both by sea and land,

To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,

Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe,

And craves no other tribute at thy hands

But love, fair looks, and true obedience,

Too little payment for so great a debt.

. . .

My mind hath been as big as one of yours,

My heart as great, my reason haply more,

To bandy word for word and frown for frown;

But now I see our lances are but straws,

Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare,

That seeming to be most which we indeed least are.

Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot,

And place your hands below your husband's foot,

In token of which duty, if he please,

My hand is ready, may it do him ease." Katherine pg 221

This quote is very important to the story and is discussed the most throughout all of Shakespeare's plays. This quote is very important because