The Taming of the Shrew

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The Taming of the Shrew. American Conservatory Theater (2hr)

Oxford podcast (45 min)

Downloadable copy of the play

Possibly written between 1590 and 1594

Originally published in the First Folio of 1623

Character List

Induction:

• CHRISTOPHER SLY, a beggar
•    Hostess of an alehouse
•    A Lord
•    Huntsmen of the Lord
•    Page (disguised as a lady)
•    Players
•    Servingmen
•    Messenger

Main Play

• BAPTISTA MINOLA, father to Katherine and Bianca
• KATHERINE, his elder daughter
• BIANCA, his younger daughter
• PETRUCHIO, suitor to Katherine
• Suitors to Bianca:
  •    GREMIO
  •    HORTENSIO (later disguised as the teacher Litio)
  •    LUCENTIO (later disguised as the teacher Cambio)
• VINCENTIO, Lucentio’s father
• Servants to Lucentio:
  •    TRANIO (later impersonating Lucentio)
  •    BIONDELLO
• A Merchant (later disguised as Vincentio)
• Servants to Petruchio:
  •    GRUMIO
  •    CURTIS
  •    NATHANIEL
  •    PHILLIP
  •    JOSEPH
  •    NICHOLAS
  •    PETER
• Widow
• Tailor
• Haberdasher
• Officer
• Servants to Baptista and Petruchio

Induction

Scene 1 – The drunken Sly is ousted by the barmaid and taken home by the Lord

Scene 2 – Sly wakes up and the servants and actors convince him he is a lord

Act 1

Scene 1 – Lucentio and Tranio arrive in Padua. Baptista, Katherina, Bianca, Gremio, and Hortensio are introduced. The plot lines of Katherina’s reputation, Bianca’s desirability, the switching of roles are crafted.

Scene 2 – Petruchio and Grumio and introduced. Hortensio, although giving full disclosure, suggests Petruchio can marry Katherina.

Act 2

Scene 1 – Katherina fights with Bianca concerning, among other things, her love life. Petruchio meets Baptista and they agree on a wedding contract, provided Katherina approves. Katherina and Petruchio meet and spar. He convinces Baptista that Katherina has agreed to marry him. Gremio and Train (posing as Lucentio) negotiate for Bianca’s hand with Lucentio the victor.

Act 3

Scene 1 – Lucentio and Hortensio (posing as teachers) begin to woo Bianca

Scene 2 – the wedding of Petrucio and Katherina

Act 4

Scene 1 – Petrucio begins his assault of Katherina

Scene 2 – Hortensio gives up his bid for Bianca in favor of the widow. Tranio finds someone to play Lucentio’s father

Scene 3 – Katherina continues being subjected by Petruchio (food, clothes, not going to Bianca’s wedding)

Scene 4 – “Vincentio” and Baptista agree on the marriage while Lucentio continues his bid for Bianca

Scene 5 – Petruchio and Katherina meet the real Vincentio

Act 5

Scene 1 – Vincentio arrives at Baptista’s. Lucentio and Bianca have married in secret. But all of that works out.

Scene 2 – the reception. Sparring of words between the widow and Katherina. The bet between the men. Katherina’s final speech

Thematic issues raised in the Induction (and, possibly other places):

• Gaslighting
• Question:  Can external forces change identity?  HOW can they accomplish this?
• Social class
• Masks vs Interior reality
• Everyone is playing a role
• Draws our attention to theatricality (play-within-play, boy actors)
• Role of language in identity.  Sly’s language changes when he becomes convinced he’s a lord.

Words to consider

• Words used to describe Katherina – Shrewish, shrew, curst , froward – all meant the same in Shakespeare’s day
• Scold – the public humiliation of women (typically) for outspokenness. There is no evidence concerning the commonplace of this practice. Typically thought to be reserved for women who were causing problems in the larger community.

Questions from Dr. Villeponteaux

Explain the relevance of the Induction (the first two scenes of the play).  Yes, the story of the prank played on Christopher Sly leads into the arrival of the players, who will perform the “pleasant comedy” of Taming of the Shrew with Sly as part of their audience.  But how does this Induction speak to the thematic concerns of the larger play?  Be ready to cite specific lines and passages.

This was my least favorite part of the play for two reasons:

1. It was a distraction. Having not read the play before but knowing the general plot, I was confused at jump about its relevance. After the conversation with the players (beginning line 77), I understood that he would be the audience for the actual play, but I still didn’t understand the point. I kept waiting for him to reappear after Act 1, Scene 1, but he doesn’t.

Choose one line or speech from the play that you think is very important:  it could define a character, set a tone or mood, establish a theme, or complicate an idea already introduced.  Be ready to quote and explain your choice.  Don’t choose anything from the Induction or the final scene!

Hortensio, Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 97 – 100

     Her father is Baptista Minola,
     An affable and courteous gentleman.
     Her name is Katherina Minola,	
     Renowned in Padua for her scolding tongue.

It is easy to color The Taming of the Shrew as misogynistic, abusive, etc. The tactics of Petruchio are questionable for sure. However, Katherine is not a blameless victim. She is, by all accounts and actions, a miserable person. She is rude, violent, and abusive in her own right. It is a mistake to read the interactions done to Katherine without paying attention to this characterization by Hortensio and others like it. I realize that this entire opinion can be waved off as "victim shaming" or despicable in its own right if interpreted as "well, she deserved it." That is not my position, as the actuality is more nuanced than that, both in the text and my estimation of it. Bring your book to class!  And be prepared to discuss and/or write about the following:

Explain what motivates Katherina’s final speech and whether she is sincere, which means you will have to analyze the language of the speech carefully (V.ii.136-179).  Do not simply argue that the rebellious Katherina has finally embraced the truth of masculine superiority and the necessity of feminine submission (which is the surface meaning of her speech).  If you argue that she does mean what she says in this speech, you must also explain what motivated her change of heart (and look for evidence both within and outside of the speech).  If you do not believe her to be sincere, find evidence in the speech of her insincerity and, again, explain her motives.

Ways of reading Katherina’s final speech

Sincere:

• Happy: Because she now has social acceptance (evidence would be her description of what happens to a froward woman)
• Bitter but accepts it: Hand beneath P’s foot
• Brainwashed: Women are unable worms

Insincere:

• Exaggeration / Mimicry of mockery of P (Thy husband is thy lord, thy life…)
• Subtle digs at Petruchio and exaggeration are two ways she may indicate insincerity and keeping some “freedom in words.” See the sun-moon scene for examples.

April’s Note

This was a discussion in class that I was not a part of. I disagree with all the above ideas. I would argue that Katherina is sincere, but for none of the reasons listed.

• She and Petruchio both display a disregard for social acceptance throughout the play.
• Bitter would fall better in the insincere category
• If Shakespeare intended for the brainwashing of such a strong character, he should have made the time with Petruchio’s “taming” last longer than a week. Really, are we supposed to believe that women are so weak as not to be able to withstand such pressure for

Other ideas to consider

Patient Griselda

Public humiliation

Petruchio:

Confident, having fun, and “crazy”?

Or scared, wants to impress other men, needs to show dominance

John Fletcher (1609-11)

The Woman’s Prize, or the Tamer Tamed

Petruchio reports that he and K brawled constantly.

Katherina has died.  Petruchio remarries.  His wife will not allow him to dominate her.  Withholds sex, and tricks him in various ways.

In the end, Maria and Petruchio have a more equal relationship.

Is Katherina sincere and her final speech?

Katherina shows a movement toward sincerity prior to the speech. When the widow offends Katherina (or Katherina feels the widow is being disrespectful to Petruchio), Katherina confronts her directly and publicly, both of which are supported by her husband. In this way, I think the speech is a technique used by Shakespeare to illustrate the change possible between a man and a woman. The opening line of the speech is hyperbolic, “thy lord, thy king, thy governor.” However, as if working through it aloud, she says, “I am ashamed that women are all so simple / to offer war, where they should kneel for peace.” It is possible that, in abhorring Petruchio’s behavior towards her, she has a identified her behavior towards her father, sister, and community. In the end, he is her husband, and she moves from the woman in general to her hand in particular. The speech becomes neither this, nor that, but rather the journey through.