The final line of Kate indicates a shift from earlier behavior.

• A. It is a serious rejection of Petruchio.
• B. It is a sincere pledge of faith in gender equality.
• C. It is earnest with irony given her prior defiance.
• D. It is a random closing remark.

Answer: (C)

The shift is shown as a move from outspoken defiance to a measured, socially shaped acceptance, but with a twist in how it’s delivered. Kate’s final line signals that she is willing to participate in the marital role Petruchio has set up, yet the way she speaks—knowing and pointed—carries irony. This combination means she is earnest about the outward change, while still clever about the power dynamics at play, suggesting the change is as much strategic performance as genuine belief. It keeps her agency intact by framing submission as something she adopts with eyes wide open, not a naïve or total capitulation. The other readings—an outright rejection, a naïve pledge to gender equality, or a random remark—don’t account for that layered, tonal nuance.