AQA A-Level English Literature A Paper 1: Love through the ages, June 2025: Question 2

25 marks · Hard difficulty · Extended Response

Discuss how Shakespeare presents Petruchio in the given extract and elsewhere in The Taming of the Shrew in light of the view that audiences enjoy the ways in which he takes charge.

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02 The Taming of the Shrew – William Shakespeare

‘Audiences enjoy the ways in which Petruchio takes charge.’

In the light of this view, discuss how Shakespeare presents Petruchio in this extract and

elsewhere in the play.

[25 marks]

PETRUCHIO

Now, Kate, I am a husband for your turn,

For by this light whereby I see thy beauty,

Thy beauty that doth make me like thee well,

Thou must be married to no man but me.

For I am he am born to tame you, Kate,

And bring you from a wild Kate to a Kate

Conformable as other household Kates.

Enter Baptista, Gremio, and Tranio

Here comes your father. Never make denial;

I must and will have Katherine to my wife.

BAPTISTA

Now, Signor Petruchio, how speed you with my daughter?

PETRUCHIO

How but well, sir? How but well?

It were impossible I should speed amiss.

BAPTISTA

Why, how now, daughter Katherine? In your dumps?

KATHERINA

Call you me daughter? Now I promise you

You have showed a tender fatherly regard

To wish me wed to one half lunatic,

A madcap ruffian and a swearing Jack,

That thinks with oaths to face the matter out.

PETRUCHIO

Father, ’tis thus — yourself and all the world

That talked of her have talked amiss of her.

If she be curst, it is for policy,

For she’s not froward, but modest as the dove.

She is not hot, but temperate as the morn.

For patience she will prove a second Grissel,

And Roman Lucrece for her chastity.

And to conclude, we have ’greed so well together

That upon Sunday is the wedding-day.

KATHERINA

I’ll see thee hanged on Sunday first.

GREMIO

Hark, Petruchio, she says she’ll see thee hanged first.

TRANIO

Is this your speeding? Nay then, good night our part.

PETRUCHIO

Be patient, gentlemen, I choose her for myself.

If she and I be pleased, what’s that to you?5

’Tis bargained ’twixt us twain, being alone,

That she shall still be curst in company.

I tell you ’tis incredible to believe

How much she loves me – O, the kindest Kate!

She hung about my neck, and kiss on kiss

She vied so fast, protesting oath on oath,

That in a twink she won me to her love.

O, you are novices! ’Tis a world to see

How tame, when men and women are alone,

A meacock wretch can make the curstest shrew.

Give me thy hand, Kate, I will unto Venice,

To buy apparel ’gainst the wedding-day.

Provide the feast, father, and bid the guests.

I will be sure my Katherine shall be fine.

BAPTISTA

I know not what to say – but give me your hands.

God send you joy! Petruchio, ’tis a match.

GREMIO and TRANIO

Amen, say we. We will be witnesses.

PETRUCHIO

Father, and wife, and gentlemen, adieu,

I will to Venice – Sunday comes apace.

We will have rings, and things, and fine array,

And kiss me, Kate, we will be married o’ Sunday.

Exeunt Petruchio and Katherina

(Act 2, Scene 1)

Mark scheme

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Question 02

02 The Taming of the Shrew – William Shakespeare

‘Audiences enjoy the ways in which Petruchio takes charge.’

In the light of this view, discuss how Shakespeare presents Petruchio in this extract and

elsewhere in the play.

[25 marks]

Possible content:

Please refer to pages 4 to 7.

AO5 Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations

Students might consider:

• the view that Petruchio taking charge and his ability to win over both Katherina and Baptista is part

of his charm and energy which the audience enjoys

• the ways he directs events and also the course of his relationship with Katherina

• the ways he addresses Katherina – complimenting her, directly addressing her as his confidante,

etc

• the ways in which he talks about Katherina to others – turning negatives about her as a shrew into

positive attributes as a woman, insisting that she is loving and that she seduced him in private

• that their love is their private business, etc

• the ways in which he is ‘speeding’ and eager to announce their forthcoming marriage

• the theatricality of Petruchio as ‘director’/‘stage manager’ and ‘performer’

• the apparent enthusiasm of Baptista, Gremio and Tranio by the end

• the apparent compliance of Katherina, suggested by her silence in the second half of the scene

• the alternative view that these qualities are tools of control and manipulation to ensure that he wins

the dowry and control of his wife

• the view that an audience of the time may have enjoyed his behaviour but increasingly he may be

viewed by audiences as a repellently controlling patriarch

• the alternative view that he is ‘railroading’ the situation by using lies and exaggerations

• the view that Petruchio is, in fact, the ‘madcap ruffian’ and ‘swearing Jack’ Katherina claims him to

• scenes elsewhere that arguably present Petruchio as a cruel abuser

• scenes elsewhere in the play that facilitate the debate about Petruchio’s possible effect on the

audience and the other characters

• the use of ‘audiences’, ‘enjoys’, ‘the ways’, ‘takes charge’ in the given view

• the comic genre

• the possible impact of particular production(s) on the interpretation of the question

• the possible impact of recent debates about the exploitation of women and the controlling nature of

men

• etc.

AO4 Explore connections across literary texts

Focus might be on (in the literature of love):

• representations of: (male) control of a love partner; a lover’s use of charm, wit and energy to get

their own way; lovers’ preparations for marriage; enthusiastic lovers, or the opposite; boastful

lovers; family scenes involving parents

16• the comedic genre

• etc.

AO3 Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which

literary texts are written and received

Focus might be on:

• how attitudes to the following might have changed over time: the expectations of husbands, wives

and love within a marriage; ideas about patriarchal dominance; the importance of parental approval

• the comedic context

• etc.

AO2 Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts

Focus might be on:

• the comedy genre

• possible stage effects and interpretations

• structural issues relating to this stage of the plot: the early stages of the ‘taming’ process where

Petruchio appears to believe that the force of his will and personality will ensure early success

• the ways in which the verse reflects the subject matter and attitude of the speakers, particularly:

Petruchio’s dominance of the stage and conversations; the different techniques and styles he

adopts towards Katherina, Baptista, Gremio and Tranio; Petruchio’s relentless enthusiasm,

boastfulness and idealism in the face of Katherina’s sarcasm, the joking of Gremio and Tranio, and

Baptista’s questions

• the ways in which Petruchio uses language to take charge and exercise control

• the use of enjambement and caesurae to reflect the arguments of the speakers

• the rhetorical devices used particularly by Petruchio, such as: patterns of repetition; the wordplay

around epithets for Katherina (echoed by her descriptions of him); his use of superlatives,

apostrophe, etc.

• Petruchio’s quick-fire ripostes and commands to others while he builds an idealised narrative of his

wedding to Katherina

• the various ways in which Petruchio conveys the briskness, simplicity and certainty of his plans

• the bathos created by juxtaposing Petruchio’s enthusiasm with the realism of Katherina’s

responses

• the ways in which he fluctuates between ‘Katherine’ and ‘Kate’

• the various ways in which the syntax of statements, questions, exclamations and commands, along

with various forms of repetition, are used to underline thoughts, feelings and attitudes

• the roles of Gremio and Tranio in providing a bantering chorus

• irony and dramatic irony

• etc.

AO1 Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated

concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression

• quality of argument

• organisation of ideas 17

• use of appropriate concepts and terminology

• technical accuracy.

Accept any valid interpretations, any valid comments on contexts and any valid discussion of

authorial methods.

How to answer it

AQA A-Level English Literature A • Paper 1 Section A

The Taming of the Shrew: Petruchio's Dominance and Audience Pleasure

What this question tests

Assessment Objectives: AO1 (Argument & Expression), AO2 (Authorial Methods & Dramatic Form), AO3 (Context of Production & Reception), AO4 (Connections to Aspects of Comedy/Love Literature), AO5 (Different Interpretations / Debate).

Core Challenge: Evaluating the proposition that audiences "enjoy" Petruchio taking charge. You must analyse his verbal manipulation, stage dominance, and theatricality in Act 2, Scene 1, then synthesize this with evidence from elsewhere in the play (e.g., Act 3 wedding, Act 4 country house, Act 5 banquet), weighing comedic vitality against uncomfortable domestic coercion.

1. Deconstructing the Prompt & Assessment Weightings

💡 AO Breakdown (25 Marks Total)

AO1 (7 marks): Cohesive, critical line of argument that explicitly interrogates the premise ("enjoy" / "takes charge").
AO2 (6 marks): Dramatic dialogue, stagecraft, verse vs prose, comedic timing, dramatic irony, rhetoric.
AO3 (6 marks): Early modern patriarchal marriage markets, humours theory, changing modern feminist & humanist receptions.
AO4 & AO5 (6 marks combined): Generic conventions of Shakespearean comedy (farce, battle of the sexes) balanced against shifting audience perspectives (delight vs horror).

🧠 Top-Grade Thesis Strategy

Never offer an absolute "yes" or "no". High-scoring essays present a nuanced double-vision:

On one hand: Audiences enjoy his charismatic role as an anarchic "stage director" who exposes the economic hypocrisy of Padua through wit and theatrical bravura.
On the other hand: Modern (and perceptive historical) audiences experience growing moral discomfort as his "taking charge" shifts from harmless linguistic banter to psychological deprivation and patriarchal tyranny.

2. Extract Analysis: Act 2, Scene 1

How Shakespeare Presents Petruchio Taking Charge

✅ Key Dramatic Methods to Cite

Metaphor of Taming & Linguistic Enclosure: "bring you from a wild Kate to a Kate / Conformable as other household Kates" punningly strips her of individuality.
Theatrical Myth-Making & Railroading: Fabricates a private intimacy ( "kiss on kiss" ) that completely gaslights Baptista and the suitors, turning Katherina's genuine anger into proof of compliance ( "if she be curst, it is for policy" ).
Dramatic Domination & Bathos: Overrides Katherina's vow ( "I'll see thee hanged on Sunday first" ) by moving immediately to mundane wedding logistics ( "To buy apparel 'gainst the wedding-day" ).

🧠 Why Audiences Might "Enjoy" This

The Comic Impresario: Petruchio operates like an actor-director on stage, outsmarting Baptista, Gremio, and Tranio, who treat marriage merely as a commercial bidding war.
Comedic Momentum & Pacing: His fast-paced trochaic commands and rhetorical flourishes ( "Roman Lucrece", "second Grissel" ) generate farcical drive and laughter.
Subverting Social Ritual: He ignores polite courting conventions, bringing vitality and sheer energy into an otherwise stale, mercantile society.

📐 Why Audiences Might Feel Discomfort / Disgust

Silencing the Female Voice: Katherina speaks only twice in this passage; Petruchio completely rewrites her reality to other men while she stands trapped on stage.
Brutal Commodity: Baptista easily seals the deal ( "'tis a match" ), demonstrating that Petruchio's charm is merely an instrument to capture dowry and control.
Predatory Framing: Katherina accurately diagnoses him as a "madcap ruffian and a swearing Jack" , yet she is entirely powerless to resist the patriarchal pact.

3. Connecting Elsewhere in the Play

Tracking the Trajectory of Petruchio's Dominance

💡 Whole-Play Textual Evidence

Act 3, Scene 2 (The Wedding): Arrives dressed in absurd, monstrous clothes, riding a diseased horse, strikes the priest. Effect: Highly enjoyable slapstick, yet deliberately humbles Katherina publicly.
Act 4, Scene 1 & 3 (Country House): Denies her meat, sleep, and fashionable gowns under the satirical guise of loving care ( "This is a way to kill a wife with kindness" ). Falconry metaphors emphasize her dehumanisation.
Act 4, Scene 5 (Sun and Moon): Compels Katherina to agree that the sun is the moon and Vincentio is a young maiden. Shows total semantic dominance.
Act 5, Scene 2 (The Final Bet): Katherina wins the wager; her lengthy submission speech ( "Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper" ).

🧠 Contrasting Interpretations (AO5)

The Farce / Romantic Complicity View: Audiences enjoy the spectacle because Katherina and Petruchio are intellectual equals playing a collaborative social game. The sun/moon scene shows Kate "learning the rules" of his wit so they can unite against the foolish world.
The Coercive Abuse / Dark Realist View: Modern audiences see classic psychological abuse (sleep deprivation, gaslighting, isolating her from family). Taking charge is not charming; it is domestic tyranny framed as entertainment.
The Meta-Theatrical Framing (Sly Induction): The entire play is a staged illusion for Christopher Sly, distancing the cruelty into satire of male fantasy.

4. Examiner Commentary: Traps & High-Mark Distinctions

❌ Common Errors (Where Students Lose Marks)

Treating the prompt as a simple 21st-century polemic: Writing purely that "Petruchio is a disgusting misogynist and no audience could ever enjoy this." You must engage with the comedy and why audiences historically and theatrically laugh.
Ignoring the extract: Writing a generic essay on the final scene (Act 5 Scene 2) while neglecting the specific dialogue, rhetoric, and staging of Act 2 Scene 1.
Character as a real person: Talking about Petruchio's "feelings" rather than Shakespeare's dramatic construction, poetic rhythm, and use of comedic archetypes.

✅ What Distinguishes Band 5 & 6 Responses

Close analysis of dramatic form: Discussing stage positioning (who is on stage, who is silenced, asides, entrance/exit dynamics).
Interrogating "Audiences": Differentiating between contemporary Elizabethan audiences (rooted in patriarchal order and folk traditions of shrews) and modern post-feminist audiences.
Nuanced exploration of "Enjoys": Acknowledging that audience pleasure can be dark, complicit, uncomfortable, or voyeuristic.

Examiner Insight: Top scripts weave extract and wider play seamlessly. For instance, show how Petruchio's rhetorical distortion in Act 2 ( "she is not hot, but temperate as the morn" ) anticipates his psychological conditioning in Act 4 ( "I say it is the moon that shines so bright" ).

Topics

Love through the ages: Shakespeare · The Taming of the Shrew

Question and mark scheme from the AQA A-Level English Literature A examination, Paper 1: Love through the ages, June 2025. QuestionVault is an independent revision resource; questions remain the copyright of the awarding body.