illustration of Kate and Petruchio standing and staring at one another

The Taming of the Shrew

by William Shakespeare

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Student Question

Which poet does Shakespeare reference in Petruchio's speech about marital duties?

Quick answer:

Shakespeare references Geoffrey Chaucer in Petruchio's speech about marital duties. In Act 2, Scene 1, Petruchio alludes to Chaucer's "Clerk's Tale" from Canterbury Tales, comparing Katherine to Griselda as an example of wifely devotion. Additionally, in Act 3, Scene 2, Petruchio alludes to the Bible, specifically the Tenth Commandment, when discussing a husband's authority over his possessions, including his wife.

Expert Answers

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In Act 2, Scene 1, Shakespeare alludes to Chaucer's "Clerk's Tale" from Canterbury Tales when Petruchio compares Katherine to the character Griselda in describing how she will represent the epitome of wifely devotion.  Later, in Act 3, Scene 2, when Petruchio, in talking about a wife's duty to her husband, says, "I will be master of what is mine own, she is my goods...", Shakespeare alludes to the Bible catalogue of a man's possessions as listed in the Tenth Commandment.

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