Analysis of Major Characters
Katherine

Widely reputed throughout Padua to be a shrew, Katherine is foul-tempered
and sharp-tongued at the start of the play. She constantly insults and
degrades the men around her, and she is prone to wild displays of anger,
during which she may physically attack whomever enrages her. Though most of
the play's characters simply believe Katherine to be inherently
ill-tempered, it is certainly plausible to think that her unpleasant
behavior stems from unhappiness. She may act like a shrew because she is
miserable and desperate. There are many possible sources of Katherine's
unhappiness: she expresses jealousy about her father's treatment of her
sister, but her anxiety may also stem from feelings about her own
undesirability, the fear that she may never win a husband, her loathing of
the way men treat her, and so on. In short, Katherine feels out of place in
her society. Due to her intelligence and independence, she is unwilling to
play the role of the maiden daughter. She clearly abhors society's
expectations that she obey her father and show grace and courtesy toward her
suitors. At the same time, however, Katherine must see that given the
rigidity of her social situation, her only hope to find a secure and happy
place in the world lies in finding a husband. These inherently conflicting
impulses may lead to her misery and poor temper. A vicious circle ensues:
the angrier she becomes, the less likely it seems she will be able to adapt
to her prescribed social role; the more alienated she becomes socially, the
more her anger grows.

(Source: http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/shrew/canalysis.html)





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