tells us what is about to happen in the following scene.
Try Again. Monologues sometimes do this, but not in this case.
Source: ShrewKatePetrucio, Smatprt, Wikimedia
A monologue is a speech where one character speaks at length to another character who can be either on or off stage. Think of it this way: a monologue is literally half of a dialogue (mono- = one and dia- = two). Often monologues enhance a dramatic text by providing direct information from a character. In addition to reading monologues in a text or seeing them performed in a play, maybe you’ve heard them in late night television openers or solo comedy acts. Your task in this section is to recognize a monologue and think about the role it plays in a drama or comedy.
In the next scene you will read from The Taming of the Shrew, Katharina is convinced that she has been left at the altar by Petruchio, her husband-to-be. There are other people around her onstage, but she’s really thinking aloud in order to let the other characters and the audience know how she feels. Her monologue helps to prepare the audience for what is about to happen.
If we take Katharina’s speech literally, we hear her complaining to her father, the other wedding guests, and the audience about Petruchio’s late arrival to their wedding. She thinks he is playing a game and has no intention of marrying her. Katharina didn’t want to marry Petruchio in the first place, but the wedding plans succeeded and were quickly thrown together because he couldn’t wait to marry her, and now he’s taking his time. Perhaps she fell for him, after all, and is angry that he isn't going to show up. There is another possible interpretation.
Knowing that Shakespeare liked to tease his audiences, we could read between the lines and interpret the last lines of Katharina's monologue, “If it would please him come and marry her!” another way. Could Katharina be suggesting that she will not be made the fool? Is she warning Petruchio that he had better show up for their wedding? Is she acting like the shrew she is known to be rather than being tamed by Petruchio? Read this excerpt from Katharina’s monologue and see what you think.
Source: Lily Brayton as Katherine in Taming of the Shrew in 1904, Emory.edu, orig. published 1904, photo by Rita Martin
The Taming of the Shrew, Act III, Scene 2
KATHARINA:
No shame but mine; I must, forsooth, be forc’d
To give my hand, oppos’d against my heart,
Unto a mad-brain rudesby, full of spleen,
Who woo’d in haste and means to wed at leisure.
I told you, I, he was a frantic fool,
Hiding his bitter jests in blunt behaviour;
And, to be noted for a merry man,
He’ll woo a thousand, ’point the day of marriage,
Make friends invited, and proclaim the banns;
Yet never means to wed where he hath woo’d.
Now must the world point at poor Katharina,
And say ‘Lo, there is mad Petruchio’s wife,
If it would please him come and marry her!’
Petruchio eventually does show up. His tardiness and attitude are intentional tactics meant to “tame” Katharina and show her that he can do as he pleases.
Read the scene that follows Katharina’s speech, as the wedding party enters the stage and Petruchio announces that he and Katharina are leaving immediately. He adds that the guests should enjoy the wedding reception without them. Seeing that Katharina is reluctant to leave, Petruchio repeats that everyone should enjoy the reception or go “hang themselves.” He goes on to proclaim that Katharina is going with him because she is now his wife and his property and, as such, is no different than his house, his household items, his field, his ox, or anything else that he owns.
Source: Debbie Reynolds Auction - Douglas Fairbanks Sr "Petruchio" complete costume with boots from “The Taming of the Shrew,” PopCultureGeek, Flicker
The Taming of the Shrew, Act III, Scene 2
PETRUCHIO:
They shall go forward, Kate, at thy command.
Obey the bride, you that attend on her;
Go to the feast, revel and domineer,
Carouse full measure to her maidenhead,
Be mad and merry, or go hang yourselves:
But for my bonny Kate, she must with me.
Nay, look not big, nor stamp, nor stare, nor fret;
I will be master of what is mine own:
She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house,
My household stuff, my field, my barn,
My horse, my ox, my ass, my any thing;
And here she stands, touch her whoever dare;
I’ll bring mine action on the proudest he
That stops my way in Padua. Grumio,
Draw forth thy weapon, we are beset with thieves;
Rescue thy mistress, if thou be a man.
Fear not, sweet wench, they shall not touch
thee, Kate:
I’ll buckler thee against a million.
At the end of his monologue, Petruchio makes a show of warning the guests not to interfere when he and Grumio pretend to be attacked by thieves. To add further comedy to the scene, Petruchio draws his sword and swears to defend Katharina but then leaves with her in tow. The guests at the reception get a big laugh at this dramatic production and joke that Katharina has married someone just as crazy as she is.
These monologues enhance the dramatic text by letting the audience in on what the character is feeling to reveal important character traits. Katharina’s monologue allows insight into her character that we were not aware of until this moment. She is introduced as an unfeeling, shrewish woman, but after her monologue, we understand that she does have feelings. Her monologue helps us to sympathize with her problems.
Petruchio’s monologue sets up the next act and allows us to see that he is serious about this “taming” business. Until his monologue, we see him teasing and poking fun, so it’s hard to know if we should take him seriously. His monologue also enhances the text two ways: it tells us what Petruchio means to do, and it creates tension for the audience; we want to know how Katharina will respond to Petruchio’s stated intentions.
See if you can answer the following questions about the two monologues:
1. Katharina’s monologue in act III, scene 2 is a good example of a monologue because it—
lets us know how she feels and gives us deeper insight into her character.
Correct! This monologue helps us understand that Katharina is hurt by Petruchio’s antics and that she cares more than she initially lets on.
2. Petruchio’s monologue in act III, scene 2 is meant to—
let the audience and other characters know that he means to “tame” Katharina by treating her like his property.
Correct! There is evidence in his monologue to show that this is what he means to do.
show us his softer side by letting the audience and other characters know that he is really a
kind man at heart.
kind man at heart.
Try Again. It could be that this is true, but we are not told this information in the monologue.
3. Which of the following lines tell us about Petruchio's intentions?
“And here she stands, touch her whoever dare;
I'll bring mine action on the proudest he
That stops my way in Padua
I'll bring mine action on the proudest he
That stops my way in Padua
Try Again. This is a threat he makes, but it does not tell us of his intentions.
“I will be master of what is mine own:
She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house
My household stuff, my field, my barn
My horse, my ox, my ass, my any thing;”
She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house
My household stuff, my field, my barn
My horse, my ox, my ass, my any thing;”
Correct! These lines indicate that she is to be no more than a possession.