Wild Thing, I Think You Move Me

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Emma Morales

Dr. Ellinghausen

English 323

September 17, 2010

Katharina and Pertruchio:

Wild Thing, I Think You Move Me

As Jimi Hendrix well knows, wild things do tend to move one, and there can be none

wilder than Katharina. In William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew , tenses of the word

‘move’ are used several times. While a fairly common word today its meaning has gone through

some changes. In Petruchio’s and Katharina’s case, the word ‘moved’ was used in their first

meeting but this encounter was more of a clash of titans than a wooing of a fair maiden. I will be

taking a closer look at this word and some of its forms, as they were meant to be used back then in

the late 16 th century and more specifically, as they were meant to be used in Shakespeare’s plays,

and uncover the true meaning behind the text.

Pertruchio first uses the word ‘moves’ when speaking of Katharina. “She moves me not, or

not removes, at least.” (Act I, Scene II, Line 72) According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a

common meaning of this word in the late 16 th century was to be favorable towards. (OED) One can

infer from this that Pertruchio does not favor the idea of Katharina as a wife. This definition of the

word is not consistent to what we in the modern era would think of when reading this quote,

however. But to truly know what Pertruchio is saying one has to ask, what does this character want

in this situation and in general.



One can tell from reading the few lines before this one that Pertruchio is seeking a fortune.

Hortensio tells him how he can acquire such a fortune, but he would have to deal with a shrew of a

wife. Pertruchio’s response to his suggestion is, “She moves me not…” (ActI, Scene II, Line 72)

The way he says this can also give us a clue. In a play, this line would be read out loud with the

stress most likely on the word ‘moves’ to give it the implication that the notion of Katharina as a

wife does not appeal to him. Another definition of move, however, is to rouse or excite feeling in a

person, or to become agitated or angry. So now the meaning changes from one not favoring an idea

to one not caring. “She moves me not…” now shows how Katharina’s ill temper and shrewdness

mean little to him as long as he gets the promised dowry.

To further promote this idea that, at least at this point, Pertruchio cared little how much of a

shrew Katharina was, another meaning for the word ‘move’ for the late 16 th century was to change

position or disposition. (OED) “She moves me not…” can now mean that she will not change his

disposition. This is very different from our modern take on this word that tends to mean to affect

with emotion, tender feelings, or compassion. (OED) If it were read with the stress on ‘she’ it

could be understood as Pertruchio having no feelings for Katharina at all. The other half of this

quote could shed some light.

The word ‘removes’ in this quote is interesting as well. One definition for this word is to

persuade a person to change a belief, not to pursue a particular course of action; to sway, to

dissuade. (OED) Given the fact that the word ‘not’ is used before the word ‘removes’, this implies

that Katharina does ‘not’ sway or dissuade Pertruchio from his endeavor. So after a close

examination of this quote I think it’s fair to say that the fact that Katharina was a shrew mattered

very little to Pertruchio. What he really wanted was her dowry and to get that, he would put up

with anything. “She moves me not, or not removes, at least,” could literally mean that Katharina’s



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ill-temper will not affect Pertruchio’s decision to pursue her. (Act I, Scene II, Line 72)

In Act II Scene I Pertruchio and Katharina meet for the first time. The conversation they

have includes the words ‘moved’ and ‘moveable’. A closer look at each word individually is

necessary to decipher the real meaning here. In line 193, Pertruchio says, “Myself am moved to

woo thee for my wife.” (Act II, Scene I, Line 193) According to the Oxford English Dictionary,

the meaning of the word ‘moved’ for that period was to be affected by emotion; emotionally

touched, swayed, or impressed. (OED) This is actually consistent with our modern meaning of the

word. I’m inclined to think, however, that this is not exactly what this quote means. Pertruchio is

‘moved’ or swayed to ask for her hand in marriage but only because one thinks at this point, he

still wants her dowry. There is another meaning given for the word ‘moved’ in the Oxford English

Dictionary that reads: that has been changed from one position or state to another. (OED) One now

might be inclined to think that perhaps he is after more than just her dowry.

In the very next line Katharina responds, “Moved! In good time: let him that moved you

hither.” (Act II, Scene I, Line 194-195) Two common definitions for the word ‘moved’ have

already been stated in the previous paragraph but another means simply to be displaced. (OED)

While the first ‘moved’ in this quote probably irrefutably means to be swayed, the second could

mean either, but if we assign it the meaning of ‘emotionally touched’ we get a rather shrewd

comment from Katharina which is exactly what one expects from a shrew. Here she is telling

Pertruchio that it is indeed convenient that he is so swayed and she dares, almost, for the person

who swayed him to come forth. One can imagine that the stress is on both instances of the word

‘moved’ to make her point.

This brief exchange let’s you know exactly how Katharina feels about Pertruchio wooing



her and sets you up for her next few lines. “Remove you hence! I knew you at the first, you were a

moveable.” To which Pertruchio responds, “Why, what’s a moveable?” (Act II, Scene I, Line 196-

198) As I already stated previously, one definition for ‘remove’ is to sway or dissuade. (OED) But

given the fact that Katharina is yelling and almost giving him an order, it most likely means to

leave or to dismiss. (OED) Here the stress is on the word ‘remove’ and Katharina is demanding

that Pertruchio leave at once.

Next we see the first use of the word ‘moveable’. Katharina actually refers to Pertruchio as

a ‘moveable’. The Oxford English Dictionary has several definitions for this word; some are:

capable of being moved, not fixed in one time, place or posture, having a tendency to move,

changeable, or fickle. (OED) One can agree that these all make sense but ‘fickle’ seems to be the

best fit here. Katharina doesn’t know too much about Pertruchio at this point but takes the

opportunity to use his own words to describe him. “I knew you at the first, you were a moveable,”

is basically a pun to his suggestion that he is moved to woo her. (Act II, Scene I, Line 196-197) To

her, his wooing is just a spur of the moment decision and that makes him fickle.

To this, Pertruchio asks, “Why, what’s a moveable?” Katharina responds, “A joint-stool.”

(Act II, Scene I, Line 198-199) To the modern ear her response makes little sense, but after

consulting the Oxford English Dictionary, another definition for the word ‘moveable’ clarifies it.

Katharina answers a joint-stool, which is a stool made of wood that was joined together, or in other

words, a cheaply made stool; an object. (OED) The other definition for ‘moveable’ states that it

can refer to property capable of being removed or displaced. (OED) If we look at her first mention

of the word ‘moveable’ one has to wonder, then, if this is the meaning for the word she intended

all along. Perhaps she is simply stating that Pertruchio is like a cheaply made stool-not well put

together.



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There is yet another definition for the word ‘moveable’: a changeable or mutable person or

thing. (OED) This definition encompasses both the ideas of being fickle and of being property that

can be moved. In essence, the message that Shakespeare wants Katharina to convey about how she

feels about Pertruchio is that she thinks little more of him than an object, and that he, like all men,

is subject to change his mind, opinion, or desire, on a whim.

Finally, the word ‘moved’ is used once more in Katharina’s speech at the end of the play.

“A woman moved is like a fountain troubled, muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty.” (Act IV,

Scene II, Line 143-144) It sounds like Katharina is saying that a woman moved emotionally is like

troubled fountain, but that makes little sense, so we look to the lines before it for an answer. In this

speech, Katharina is scolding the other wives for not coming to their husbands when called. A

‘woman moved’ might quite literally mean just that; a woman kept or put in motion, changed from

one position or state to another. (OED) If we assign this meaning to the word ‘moved’ the

adjectives following make a little more sense. Katharina might be illustrating how a woman

moved, or put in motion, can be ill-seeming, thick, and bereft of beauty. If one takes into

consideration that these wives did not want to come when called by their husbands, this makes a

little more sense. Once again, with the stress on the word ‘moved’, Katharina is emphasizing the

action of being literally moved from one place to another.

In conclusion, the word ‘move’ has had several uses in the past. A word that can be easily

overlooked as a verb that signifies action can significantly change the meaning of a sentence, and

in Shakespeare’s case, the disposition of a character completely. Was Shakespeare’s clever use of

words meant to confuse his audience, or was he simply showing off? In the case of the word

‘move’ in this play, without careful research one might miss the opportunity to catch a glimpse of

Shakespeare’s cleverness. But one can argue that even the most common definition of the word



will do. In any instance, there was a lot of ‘moving’ in Taming of the Shrew , and Katharina and

Pertruchio ended up happily ever after because of it.

Wild Thing, I Think You Move Me

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