Petruchio

Petruchio ( ; an anglicisation of the Italian name Petruccio, ) is the male protagonist in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew (c. 1590–1594). Plot In the play, Petruchio comes to the town of Padua in the hopes of marrying a wealthy woman. Hortensio suggests that he marry Kate Minola, the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the city, particularly because Hortensio can not court her sister Bianca until Kate is married. Petruchio takes an interest in Kate, owing to the dowry he could potentially receive, and agrees. During his first encounter with Kate, he matches her fierce temper and manages to convince her father that she passionately loves him but only pretends to hate him in public. The two are married, with Petruchio arriving at the wedding late and forcing Kate to leave the ceremony feast early. Petruchio then starts to try to "tame" his wife in a variety of ways. He frightens Kate by yelling at the servants, and he prevents her from eating by insisting that the dishes are not good enough for her. He then offers Kate dresses and jewellery, only to return them saying that they too weren't good enough. When Bianca and Lucentio are married, Petruchio refuses to let Kate go to the wedding unless she agrees with everything he says, regardless of the validity of his claims. He puts her to the test by telling her that a man is a woman and that the moon is the sun – she agrees with both statements. At the wedding, Petruchio is taunted by Hortensio and Lucentio for having married a "shrew". Petruchio proposes a contest to see which man has the most obedient wife: The three men are to call for their wives to see which ones respond. Of the three women, only Kate comes, and a triumphant Petruchio is the winner. Petruchio then orders Kate to bring the other wives and give a speech telling them to honour their husbands always.