Katherina Minola is the older daughter of Baptista Minola and the sister of Bianca. Many men have deemed Kate to be unsuitable for marriage as she does not conform to the societal standards of what a good wife should be. Baptista also declares that Bianca may not marry until Kate has been married, which causes some outrage and plotting from Bianca's suitors. Baptista's declaration motivates Petruchio to pursue marriage with Kate, he is encouraged by Hortensio (who is eager to marry Bianca). In the first encounter between Kate and Petruchio, Petruchio manages to match Kate's temper and convinces her father that she loves him but only pretends to hate him. Kate stays surprisingly quiet when Petruchio declares they will be married the following Sunday. The silence from Kate and Petruchio's words is enough for Baptista, and the two are wed, though Petruchio arrives late and forces Kate to leave the wedding feast early. Now, at this point, Petruchio attempts to "tame" Kate in several ways. Kate is frightened by the way that Petruchio yells at his servants, she is kept from sleeping and eating, with Petruchio saying that each dish brought is not good enough for her. He repeatedly told her that because he loves her so much, he cannot let her endure substandard food or sleeping conditions. On the way to Padua to visit Baptista, Kate is further humiliated and broken down as Petruchio forces her to say that the sun is the moon, and that an old man is a beautiful woman. Kate's will has mostly been broken down by this point, likely due to the lack of food and rest. She therefore agrees with everything her husband says. The two embrace and continue to Padua, where Bianca and Lucentio announce they are to be married. At the wedding feast of Bianca and Lucentio, Kate, Bianca, and "the widow", who is married to Hortensio are each called by their husbands in a competition to see who has the most obedient wife. Kate is the only one who responds, and at Petruchio's command, she brings in the other two women. Kate then delivers a speech urging the women to listen to their husbands. There is a very clear
sibling rivalry between Bianca and Kate. Kate, at one point, accuses Bianca of being their father's "treasure" and the one that he wishes to have married first. In Act II Scene I, Kate ties Bianca's hands and whips her as she is attempting to discover which of the suitors Bianca likes best. == Performances ==