The San Francisco call., 1899-11-27

this merely in a play; elsewhere she could
simply be a misery; only in a play was such
ugress ever tanned: only in a play 7 trust
such an incarnate virulence ever had existence
Schlegel calls Katharine "a young and
untamed girl, possessed Of none OF the
attractions Of her sex; and yet Hortenslo
tells us, early in the play. that she Is
young and beauteous. brought up as best
becomes gentlewoman."
Petruchio, too. has suffered at the hands
or certain critics, who make him coarse,
brutal and sord1d- thinking only OF money
in the match. and tanning the wife whom
he does not love as he would break
vicious horse
All this is most superficial and most
unjust. and Shakespeare has carefully
guarded against giving us any such idea
OF the shrew and her conqueror. While
he has retained most OF the incidents OF
the old play. he has recreated the actors.
The coarse vixen becomes a true woman.
who owes her shrewishness 20 her bring
ing up. and is capable Of being tanned"
and reformed by the man who under
stands and loves her: and Petruchlo.
though he prefers a fortune with his wife,
and is frank in saying so. after the man
ner OF the time. is no brutal and buster
ing tyrant, like Fernando. but gOOd-na-
tured with all his rough whimsicality, and
heartily enamored OF the willful girl
whom he courts and carries of in such
unconventional fashion.
We must not suppose that Kate Is
merely bullied into marrying PetruchiO,
or that the tanning is accomplished BY
sheer persistence in the homeopathic
treatment which the husband adopts. The
attempt to ''cure like with like would not
have been SO promptly successful If the
lady had not been half-willing patient"
from the very first. She wants 10 be
married, as she frankly admits in her
il nr
primarily due to her dislike TO see her
sister get a husband first, though that
feeling has its influence In her matrino-
nial aspirations. Like Beatrice, whom she
resembles in many ways. though inferior
TO that spirited and witty lady, she has a
loving nature beneath her sarcastic and
shrewish outside, and will make a good
wife for the man who can win her heart.
AT the same time she knows that her
chances are not so good as her sisters.
as her father also sees, and therefore re-
fuses to let Blanca be married until Kate
is of his hands. Under these circum-
stances IL is natural that she should take
liking TO PetruchiO at the outset, In
spite of-perhaps We should say on ac-
count of-his blum, free-and-easy WoOing.
She sees that he is genuine man and in
some respects kindred spirit. She can
not help recognizing his superiority 70 the
rival suitors for her sister hand She
resents his advances at first as too con-
ndent and presumptuous, but she is not
insensible TO his praises OF her beauty.
When he says that IL is reported that she
limps, and asks her to let him see her
walk. she instinctively desires to show
him that she does not limp. and obeys him
before IL occurs 10 her TO refuse IL Is a
most significant little touch mot found in
the old play) and Petruchio sees at once
that his suit is half won already.
When ner father comes In. she affects
to hold off from the match, but IL Is only
for the moment. and the formal betrothal
fashion. She and Petruchio toin hands
with her fathers approval, and GremiO
and Tranio are the witnesses TO the cere-
mony.
1t is important that the formal char
acter Of this betrothal should be noted.
as showing that Kate here accepts
contract could not afterward be abro-
gated without the consent OF both the
parties. II Kate seriously intended to
resist or decline the match. this was the
time 10 do II, or ever after 10 hold her
peace. IL may be said that she yields
TO her fathers authority but this is not
the case. In the preceding scene he has
discouraged the suit OF Petruehio rather
than urged IL on. When asked IL he has
not a daughter called Katharina fair
and virtuous.' he replies, Il have a
daughter called Katharine" and i'm the
next speech he says:
But for my daughter Katherine. this I know
She Is not for your turn. the more my grief:
and later. when the arrangements con-
cerning the dowery are being made and
Petruchio proposes TO draw UP the legal
papers, Baptista says:
Ay. when the special thing is well obtain'd.
That is her love; for that Is all in all.
Much as he desires 10 see Kate married
he assumes that her love, or at least her
consent, must first be gained
IL is clear, then, that Kate IS betrotned
not against her will, though she saws
nothing at the time. We are to imagine
her taking Petruchio's hand in a sulkv
sort of way and accepting him thus bv
act rather than word. IL she had NOT ac
cepted him We should not have the
prompt acknowledgment OF her father
and the witnesses that the ceremony was
complete and valid.
The passage IS a good illustration of the
necessity In certain cases OF reading he
tween the lines of the text-for the read
er, l mean. as distinguished from The
spectator II. the theater. where the actn
OF course. fills the gap. or should do 40
Here We Rave only three lines OF taxt
but there is very important action he