To them it was immediately evident that every step Petruchio takes is a hawk’s lesson: how to work with the lure, how to be honorable partners, how to catch the prize.
Training falcons requires keeping them puzzled until they learn the new skills. Petruchio knows this..
Say that she frown, he muses. I’ll say she looks as clear
As morning roses newly washed with dew. [Taming of the Shrew II i]
Here he plans to confuse her by comparing her to sweet, fragile roses, such as blossom in this Garden. But when she comes, he confuses her in another key. He praises her graceful upright carriage as she stumbles and limps:
Kate like the hazel twig
Is straight and slender and as brown in hue
As hazelnuts and sweeter than the kernels. [Taming of the Shrew II i]
This romanic comedy tells how Petruchio woos the shrewish Kate, using falconry techniques to create a true partnership. Kate's sister is wooed by three very different lovers, but Kate must marry first. The two lead characters are both strongly willed, witty, and clever, and watch amazed as they learn to work together, and win a goodly amount of money in a bet with the sister's original lovers.
