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Motifs
Definition of Satire
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians, are often the subject of satire, but satirists can take... read full definition
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians, are often the subject of... read full definition
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians... read full definition
Act 3, Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—Kate as Property:
In the following passage from Act 3, Scene 2, Petruchio uses metaphor to compare Kate to several physical objects, all to describe her as his property:
PETRUCHIO: 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 anything.
And here she stands, touch her whoever dare.
I’ll bring mine action on the proudest he
That stops my way in Padua.
Petruchio compares Kate to as many examples of physical property as he can think of: his field, his house, any number of his material goods. On a surface level, this passage reads as incredibly misogynistic. Petruchio appears to buy into the age-old tradition of regarding his wife as his property and treating her accordingly.
Alternatively, one could view this passage as tonally ironic or satirical. Petruchio's overblown and unnecessary declaration almost draws attention to Kate's plight as a married woman—that is, being treated as no more than an object to be owned and passed from father to husband. In line with a central theme in The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio's speech appears more performative than sincere, comically drawing the audience's attention to the constructed (rather than intrinsic) nature of gender roles.
Related Themes:
