"Lead Apes In Hell"
BAPTISTA
Why how now dame, whence grows this insolence?
Bianca stand aside. Poor girl, she weeps.
Go ply thy needle, meddle not with her.
For shame thou hilding of a devilish spirit,
Why dost thou wrong her, that did ne'er wrong thee?
When did she cross thee with a bitter word?
KATHARINE
Her silence flouts me, and I'll be revenged.
[Makes for BIANCA.]
BAPTISTA [holds her back]
What, in my sight? Bianca get thee in.
[Exit BIANCA.]
KATHARINE
What will you not suffer me? Nay now I see
She is your treasure, she must have a husband;
I must dance barefoot on her wedding-day,
And for your love to her, lead apes in hell.
Talk not to me, I will go sit and weep,
Till I can find occasion of revenge.
In this scene from The Taming of the Shrew, Baptista reprimands Katharine for her aggression towards her sister, Bianca. He chastises her for her "devilish spirit," while Katharine reveals the depth of her bitterness and sense of rejection. The phrase "lead apes in hell" refers to an old belief that women who die single are doomed to lead apes in the afterlife, a fate Katharine fears as she witnesses Bianca being favored and courted. Her statement is a poignant expression of feeling marginalized and overshadowed. Katharine's words are tinged with the pain of perceived neglect, highlighting the societal pressures and familial favoritism that exacerbate her resentment. Her vow to "sit and weep" until she finds a chance for revenge underscores her inner turmoil and foreshadows her struggle with identity and acceptance throughout the play.
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