At the end of the play, Katharina gives a monologue that has been performed by many famous actresses. There is little critical consensus as to the definite meaning behind Katharina’s final speech. Did Petruchio tame her, did she tame Petruchio, or something in between? Part of the speech’s text has been provided below. Watch each video that follows and decide what lines from the monologue support each interpretation. Record your response using your notes. When you’re finished, check your understanding below to see a possible response. 
Source: Kiss Me, Kate, RL Johnson, Flickr
The Taming of the Shrew, Act V, Scene 2
KATHARINA:
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.
Such duty as the subject owes the prince
Even such a woman oweth to her husband;
And when she is froward, peevish, sullen, sour,
And not obedient to his honest will,
What is she but a foul contending rebel
And graceless traitor to her loving lord?
I am ashamed that women are so simple
To offer war where they should kneel for peace;
Or seek for rule, supremacy and sway,
When they are bound to serve, love and obey.
Video 1: In the first video, Meryl Streep interprets Kate's final speech as a testament of love for her husband. She smiles and dotes on Petruchio, who playfully disagrees with some of her statements. Streep's performance is complex because she manages to interpret the text in a way that derides neither Kate nor Petruchio. Instead, her performance reveals tenderness in their relationship.
Source: Kate and Petruchio Meryl Streep and Raul Julia, byesica, YouTube
Video 2: In the second video, Mary Pickford performs a portion of Katharina’s final speech. She interprets the text sarcastically and winks to let the audience in on her joke.
Source: Clip: The Taming of the Shrew (Film), setonhall, YouTube
VIDEO 1
In the first video, Streep recites this speech with love, humor, and adoration toward her husband. We can see that she is not so much giving up her power and identity as she is declaring her love for her husband.
Katharina becomes a little silly, and Petruchio gestures her to stop going on and on. She continues with, “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.” Katharina then finishes her speech using a serious, sincere, and adoring tone.
VIDEO 2
In the second video, Pickford performs the speech very dramatically and winks to indicate that she doesn’t actually mean what she is saying. Her interpretation could be supported by the following text, which could be interpreted as a little “over the top”:
“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;”