Katherine must deal with being unwanted and "ostracized because she dares to speak her mind and challenge the male characters, while Bianca disguises her challenge.” (Shakespearean Criticism 97. 353). Bianca, who is sought after by almost every man in the area, is actually more dangerous and defiant than Katherine, but because she is less forward, she is seen as less threatening. Baptista, who clearly favors Bianca, "sees that he is going to be checkmate, that is to say abandon his youngest daughter, [uses] Katherine to arrive at an impasse, a situation of impasse in which none of the two players cannot win the game. .” (Shakespearean Criticism 97.312). What Baptista doesn't know is that her daughter was betraying her wishes and running away with Luciento, a man posing as a guardian trying to court her. Yet Baptista remains oblivious to this throughout the play and continues to look for ways to abandon his eldest daughter, fearing that she will forever be a burden on his implacable shoulders, and therefore he "insists on marrying Katherine first.” . . by the personal wish of Baptista [rather] than by an enviable social rule” (Shakespeare Criticism. 97.312). By trying to kill two birds with one stone, Baptista's "rule" ensures that not only will her unwanted daughter be abandoned in her care, but also that the inevitable departure of her