the taming of the shrew - Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

Discussion Guide
The Taming of
the Shrew
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Kevin Hammond
About the Playwright:
William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in the English town of Stratfordupon-Avon. The son of John Shakespeare, a successful glove maker and public
official, and Mary Arden, the daughter of a gentleman, William was the oldest
surviving sibling of eight children. Throughout Shakespeare’s childhood,
companies of touring actors visited Stratford. Although there is no evidence to
prove that Shakespeare ever saw these actors perform, most scholars agree that
he probably did. In 1582, at the age of 18, Shakespeare married Anne
Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer.
The couple had become parents of two daughters and a son by 1585. Sometime
in the next eight years, Shakespeare left his family in Stratford and moved to
London to pursue a career in the theater. Records show that by 1592, he had
become a successful actor and playwright in that city. Shakespeare joined a
famous acting group called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, so named for their
patron, or supporter, a high official in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. One of
the first plays Shakespeare wrote for this company was Romeo and Juliet. In 1598 Shakespeare became part owner of a
major new theater, the Globe.
For more than a decade, Shakespeare produced a steady stream of works, both tragedies and comedies, which were
performed at the Globe, the royal court, and other London theaters. However, shortly after the Globe was destroyed by
fire in 1613, he retired and returned to Stratford. He died in Stratford in 1616.
Plot synopsis:
“He'll woo a thousand, 'point the day of marriage,
Make feasts, invite friends, and proclaim the banns;
Yet never means to wed where he hath woo'd.”
In the English countryside, a poor tinker named Christopher Sly becomes the target of a prank by a local lord. Finding Sly
drunk out of his wits in front of an alehouse, the lord has his men take Sly to his manor, dress him in his finery, and treat
him as a lord. When Sly recovers, the men tell him that he is a lord and that he only believes himself to be a tinker
because he has been insane for the past several years. Waking in the lord’s bed, Sly at first refuses to accept the men’s
story, but when he hears of his “wife,” a pageboy dressed in women’s clothing, he readily agrees that he is the lord they
purport him to be. Sly wants to be left alone with his wife, but the servants tell him that a troupe of actors has arrived to
present a play for him. The play that Sly watches makes up the main story of The Taming of the Shrew.
In the Italian city of Padua, a rich young man named Lucentio arrives with his servants, Tranio and Biondello, to attend
the local university. Lucentio is excited to begin his studies, but his priorities change when he sees Bianca, a beautiful,
mild young woman with whom Lucentio instantly falls in love. There are two problems: first, Bianca already has two
suitors, Gremio and Hortensio; second, Bianca’s father, a wealthy old man named Baptista Minola, has declared that no
one may court Bianca until first her older sister, the vicious, ill-tempered Katherine, is married. Lucentio decides to
overcome this problem by disguising himself as Bianca’s Latin tutor to gain an excuse to be in her company. Hortensio
disguises himself as her music teacher for the same reason. While Lucentio pretends to be Bianca’s tutor, Tranio dresses
up as Lucentio and begins to confer with Baptista about the possibility of marrying his daughter.
The Katherine problem is solved for Bianca’s suitors when Hortensio’s friend Petruchio, a brash young man from Verona,
arrives in Padua to find a wife. He intends to marry a rich woman, and does not care what she is like as long as she will
bring him a fortune. He agrees to marry Katherine sight unseen. The next day, he goes to Baptista’s house to meet her,
and they have a tremendous duel of words. As Katherine insults Petruchio repeatedly, Petruchio tells her that he will
marry her whether she agrees or not. He tells Baptista, falsely, that Katherine has consented to marry him on Sunday.
Hearing this claim, Katherine is strangely silent, and the wedding is set.
On Sunday, Petruchio is late to his own wedding, leaving Katherine to fear she will become an old maid. When Petruchio
arrives, he is dressed in a ridiculous outfit and rides on a broken-down horse. After the wedding, Petruchio forces
Katherine to leave for his country house before the feast, telling all in earshot that she is now his property and that he may
do with her as he pleases. Once they reach his country house, Petruchio continues the process of “taming” Katherine by
keeping her from eating or sleeping for several days—he pretends that he loves her so much he cannot allow her to eat his
inferior food or to sleep in his poorly made bed.
In Padua, Lucentio wins Bianca’s heart by wooing her with a Latin translation that declares his love. Hortensio makes the
same attempt with a music lesson, but Bianca loves Lucentio, and Hortensio resolves to marry a wealthy widow. Tranio
secures Baptista’s approval for Lucentio to marry Bianca by proposing a huge sum of money to lavish on her. Baptista
agrees but says that he must have this sum confirmed by Lucentio’s father before the marriage can take place. Tranio and
Lucentio, still in their respective disguises, feel there is nothing left to do but find an old man to play the role of
Lucentio’s father. Tranio enlists the help of an old pedant, or schoolmaster, but as the pedant speaks to Baptista, Lucentio
and Bianca decide to circumvent the complex situation by eloping.
Katherine and Petruchio soon return to Padua to visit Baptista. On the way, Petruchio forces Katherine to say that the sun
is the moon and that an old man is really a beautiful young maiden. Since Katherine’s willfulness is dissipating, she
agrees that all is as her husband says. On the road, the couple meets Lucentio’s father, Vincentio, who is on his way to
Padua to see his son. In Padua, Vincentio is shocked to find Tranio masquerading as Lucentio. At last, Bianca and
Lucentio arrive to spread the news of their marriage. Both Vincentio and Baptista finally agree to the marriage.
At the banquet following Hortensio’s wedding to the widow, the other characters are shocked to see that Katherine seems
to have been “tamed”—she obeys everything that Petruchio says and gives a long speech advocating the loyalty of wives
to their husbands. When the three new husbands stage a contest to see which
of their wives will obey first when summoned, everyone expects Lucentio to
win. Bianca, however, sends a message back refusing to obey, while
Katherine comes immediately. The others acknowledge that Petruchio has
won an astonishing victory, and the happy Katherine and Petruchio leave the
banquet to go to bed.
About the Play:
“I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;
If wealthily, then happily in Padua.”
The Taming of the Shrew is the story of how Petruchio, the money-grubbing
wife hunter, transforms the aggressive and bad-tempered Katherine Minola into
an obedient, honey-tongued trophy wife. Written by William Shakespeare
between 1590 and 1594, it's one of Shakespeare's earliest Comedies – it's also one
of his most controversial works. For modern audiences (let's face it, we're a lot
more sensitive to social injustices), the play's critical controversy is perhaps
second to that of The Merchant of Venice (Merchant of Venice is a play that
portrays and analyzes blatant anti-Semitic attitudes and has sparked heated debate over its complex depiction of Shylock, the
demonized Jewish villain that is forced to convert to Christianity at the play's end.)
The Taming of the Shrew has been criticized for its representation of abusive behavior and misogynistic attitudes toward
women, and the play has pretty much been dogged since it was first performed. There's much evidence that Shrew made even
Shakespeare's contemporary audiences more than a little squeamish. The playwright John Fletcher was particularly keyed to
potential objections to Petruchio's behavior – so much so that he wrote a play in response called The Woman's Prize or, The
Tamer Tamed (c. 1616). Fletcher's play fast-forwards many years from the end of Shrew, when Petruchio is a widower and
has remarried the shrewish Maria, who gives him a dose of his own medicine. Though Shrew continued to be staged and
adapted, in the late 1890s, Nobel Prize winner George Bernard Shaw wrote that "No man with any decency of feeling can sit
[the final act] out in the company of a woman without being extremely ashamed.” On the other hand, the play has also been
adored by many fans from the get-go.
There's no denying that Shrew portrays patriarchy at
its worst – the question is, what is the play's attitude
toward such action and behavior? Does it condone
domestic abuse and celebrate painful and humiliating
tactics to reform "shrewish" behavior? Or, does it
satirize (mock and ridicule à la Jon Stewart and
Stephen Colbert) unfair social attitudes toward
women? Or, is it merely a light-hearted farce that is
not meant to be taken seriously at all? These are
important questions that have sparked centuries of
debate. Whether or not one thinks the play is vile,
hilarious, or some combination of the two, asking
tough questions and thinking hard about the problems
posed by the text are good things.
For all its controversy, Shrew remains one of the
most performed and adapted plays in Shakespeare's
body of work. (The most popular adaptations include Cole Porter's 1948 Broadway musical Kiss Me Kate, the 1999 teen flick
10 Things I Hate About You, and the popular BBC production ShakespeaRe-Told: The Taming of the Shrew, 2005. One of
the most famous film versions of the play is Franco Zeffirelli's 1967 production starring Elizabeth Taylor.) Given that the text is
subject to so many interpretive possibilities, it's pretty common for one performance of the play to look completely different
from the next. (This is why you shouldn't watch the movie as a mere replacement for reading the play. You should do both.)
One director might play up the text's farcical elements – lots of silly, slapstick humor that undermines any seriousness in the
play. Another director might emphasize the play's darker elements to highlight Petruchio's abusive behavior. Really, the staging
possibilities are endless.
“Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,
Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee,
And for thy maintenance commits his body
To painful labour both by sea and land,
To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,
Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe”
Themes:
Transformation:
Transformation is one of the most important and pervasive themes in Taming of the Shrew. Closely related to the theme of "Art
and Culture," it can involve physical disguise, changes in attitude and behavior, psychological changes, and even linguistic
mutation. Unlike the kinds of transformation we're used to seeing in books (like, say, the Twilight saga – once a human turns
into a vampire, she stops growing and developing and there's no turning back to her previous state), metamorphosis in Shrew is
not always permanent and it's rarely genuine. To complicate matters, it's virtually impossible for us to pin down the play's
attitude toward transformation – its stance toward the theme is just as slippery as the characters that undergo change. This seems
to be Shakespeare's point – identity and meaning are never fixed.
Gender:
Gender, of course, is a huge theme in the play, especially as it relates to power. The Taming of the Shrew examines the way
16th-century ideas about gender and hierarchy are tested and reinforced in turbulent heterosexual relationships. While
patriarchy appears to prevail at the play's end, it's important to consider all the ways the play works to undermine sexist
assumptions about a woman's proper place in marriage and society. The play seems to recognize that gender is a social
construction and can be "performed" by men and women. Aside from the obvious look at women's roles, Shrew seems
interested in exploring ideal forms of masculinity and, to some extent, male bonding.
Marriage:
The Taming of the Shrew takes a good hard look at marriage
and, to a large extent, makes fun of the power struggles that
occur within marital relationships. On the one hand, the story
line and structure seem to promote typical 16th-century ideas
toward matrimony and proper relations between husbands and
wives. Yet, the play also goes out of its way to criticize and
call into question some of the pervasive attitudes toward
marriage arrangements (brokered between men without any
input from women) and the ways men and women struggle for
power positions once wed. One thing's for certain, most male
characters treat marriage as a financial or business transaction,
where women are commodities to be traded.
EDUCATION:
The Taming of the Shrew is interested in the uses of education – not necessarily what can be learned inside a formal classroom,
but what can be gained from real world experience. In the play, the theme is closely linked with deception and punishment.
Unruly characters are often tricked so that they can be taught important social "lessons" about their proper function in society.
At other times, education is literally a cover used to dupe unwitting figures that typically uphold social order. The play also
points to the difference education can make in characters' lives – in many (but not all) cases, those privileged enough to have
some kind of formal education seem to also have all the power.
SOCIENTY AND CLASS:
Although we often think of The Taming of the Shrew as being solely interested in the nuances of the 16th-century bourgeois
elite, it does much to highlight differences between social classes. In the frame story, Shakespeare goes out of his way to
demonstrate the discrepancies between the powerless and lower class Christopher Sly and the noble Lord. Attention to such
social disparity carries over into the inset play, where we're asked to recognize the
similarities between class hierarchy and the gender hierarchy within the merchant
class.
FAMILY:
Familial relationships are an important theme in The Taming of the Shrew. Aside from
the obvious husband-wife relations, the play also portrays tumultuous father-daughter
bonds, sibling rivalry, and power struggles between fathers and sons. As a comedy,
the play seems to be outwardly working toward the reunification of the family, and it's
true that by the end, order seems to have been restored. Yet, Shrew also leaves open
the possibility that all is not well. Kate and Bianca never come to terms as siblings,
fathers seem to forgive their children a bit too easily, and we're not quite sure what
will happen off-stage when married couples return to the privacy of their own homes.
LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION:
In The Taming of the Shrew it's nearly impossible to talk about language without
discussing power. In the play language is often synonymous with physical violence
and, in some cases, speech acts are more harmful than combat or physical means of
torture. Even when witty arguments are used as a device for comic relief or functions as a stand in for sexual foreplay, its
relationship to power and hierarchy is undeniable. Language also goes a long way to characterize various figures in the play. As
in any text, one's rhetorical skill can reveal a character's social standing, motivations, fears, and attitudes.
Marriage in Elizabethan
Times
Marriage in Elizabethan times appeared to be similar to marriages of today, in that some of the traditions have
remained constant; however, a closer look reveals many key differences. For example, it was considered foolish
to marry for love, and strangely enough, those who were of lower classes were more likely to have a choice in
who they married.
IDENTIFICATION:
Elizabethan women had very little choice in husbands. Marriages were arranged by their families in order to
bring prestige or wealth to the families involved. This is why poor women could sometimes choose their
spouses. Women were required to be subservient to their husbands and to men in general. They were taught that
men were more intelligent than women. Many young men and women didn't meet their spouses until their
wedding day. Marriage was considered more of a business arrangement between the families than a relationship
between a man and a woman.
Features:
Elizabethan law gave men full
control over their wives. Married
women were basically considered to
be the property of their husbands and
were expected to bring a dowry or
marriage portion to the marriage.
This would consist of property,
money and various goods.
Elizabethan wives were also
required to run the household and
give their husbands children. Though
most often uneducated academically,
they were taught housekeeping and
even herbal medicine by the older women in their families.
Benefits:
Marriage in Elizabethan times was considered a necessity by both men and women. Women who didn't marry
were considered witches by their neighbors, and for lower class women, the only alternative was a life of
servitude to wealthier families. Marriage allowed them social status and children. While the husbands received
the marriage portion from their wives, marriage allowed a woman to maintain a certain status even if she
became a widow. Widows were allowed to own property and run businesses.
Significance:
Marriage was dictated by the church, and couples were required by law to follow the religion dictated by the
queen at the time. While Queen Elizabeth I favored the Protestant religion, her predecessor and sister Queen
Mary I was a fervent Catholic who burned Protestants for their beliefs. This earned her the nickname of
"Bloody Mary." All wedding ceremonies were held in the Queen's churches and were performed by a minister.
While the religions varied, the basic process was the same.
Types:
Wealthy and noble Elizabethan women sometimes received an education, but poor women did not. While noble
women often had house servants to help with the chores and welfare of their families, poorer women did it
single-handed until their female children were old enough to help. Marriage was legal for girls at the age of 12
and boys at 14, but it was rare for couples to marry at these ages. Average ages of marriage were 20 to 29.
A bride is not expected to wear a white dress. It can be any fashionable or current color and cut. White as a
color for brides does not become entrenched until the 19th century.
Marriage Customs:
Depending on the social status of the families, the
bride might have a new gown made, or simply
wear her best clothes, freshened up with new
ribbons or flowers. She certainly wears flowers in
her hair. However, the dress is a gown like any
other. It is not a unique style, unsuitable for any
other use and sentimentally preserved for later
generations. Even a specially-made gown would
become part of the lady's ordinary wardrobe.
The costs of the wedding festivities are generally
borne by the bride's father. In less prosperous
neighborhoods, the food may be supplied by the
neighbors, pot-luck style or cooked in the church
house.
Sometimes the costs of the day are defrayed by
holding a bride ale, usually in the churchyard.
There the bride sells cups of ale for as much as her
friends will pay. This is not the same thing as a
"bridal shower", and is not limited to female
attendance
Various social elements of the parish also hold church ales occasionally as a fund-raising event.
Crying the Banns:
The intention to marry must be announced in the church three times; that is, on three consecutive Sundays or
holy days, in the same parish.
If the two people live in different parishes, the banns must be read in both. This allows time for any objections
to be raised or pre-contracts to be discovered.
Any marriage not published before-hand is considered clandestine, and illegal.
There is no set form of wedding invitation. People do, however, send messages to their friends and relations,
and gifts are cheerfully received. If the wedding is at Court, everyone simply understands they are expected.
The Bridal Procession:
Any bridesmaids (i.e., the bride's maids) help the bride to prepare, then they, the bride, the groom, the families,
and all the guests assemble, and go in procession from the house or houses to the church.
The bridal procession is generally noisy, accompanied by musicians, laughter, and bawdy jokes. Town councils
have been known to complain about the noise and general disorder.
If the groom is not part of the procession, he meets the bride either at the side door of the church or at the altar.
They all enter the church at once and stand through the ritual.
The wedding is always a religious ceremony, conducted by a minister. No getting married in the Registry, or at
a Justice of the Peace, and no running off to Gretna Green.
The words of the English service are essentially the same then as now, since they come from the Book of
Common Prayer of 1559.
Since the church is open, anyone can attend as long as there is room, although fairly strict social order is
observed. Poorer neighbors, tenants, and passers by stand at the back.
“Katharina the curst!
A title for a maid of all titles the worst.”
Discussion Questions:
1. Why does Shakespeare structure The Taming of the Shrew as a frame play (a play-within-a-play)? How would the play
be different if it did not include the Christopher Sly plot in the Induction scenes?
2. What would the play look like if the roles were reversed and it was a story about the taming of a husband?
3. Does the play seem to endorse the way women are treated by the male characters, or does it mock and criticize unfair
attitudes toward women? Some combination of both? What textual evidence is there to support your answer to this
question?
4. How should we interpret the tone of Kate's final speech in the play? Is she sincere? Sarcastic? Beaten down? How
would you stage this scene if you were a director?
5. Why does the Lord want to transform Sly from a beggar to a nobleman?
6. Aside from physical disguises, what other kinds of transformations occur in the play?
7. Just about all of the characters seem to undergo some kind of change, be it physical, behavioral, psychological, etc.
Does Petruchio ever change? Why or why not?
8. How are relationships between men and women portrayed?
9. How do men interact with each other in the play?
10. Why aren't there any significant female friendships? What does this suggest about relationships between women?
11. How is masculinity portrayed in the play? What makes a "manly" man? Who fits into this category and who doesn't?
12. Can a man be a shrew? Why or why not?
13. What kinds of social roles are available to women in the text?
14. How do men's attitudes toward marriage differ from those of women?
15. How are marriages arranged? Is there every any resistance to traditional arrangements? If so, who resists and why?
16. How is the state of marriage portrayed in the play? Positive? Negative? Somewhere in between?
17. Why does Tranio continue to pretend to be Lucentio, even after it's clear that Bianca and Lucentio will elope?
18. How does the play make us aware of a character's level of formal
education?
19. What kinds of teaching and learning occur in the play? Does
education always happen in a classroom?
20. What is Petruchio's "taming school," exactly? Does it work?
21. Shakespeare was often bagged on for not being educated enough.
Does this influence how you read the play? Why or why not?
22. What is the effect of Sly naming a long list of all the jobs he has
held? What does this reveal about Sly?
23. Why does Kate complain that Petruchio treats her worse than a
beggar? What does this suggest about Kate's social position?
24. How would you describe the characteristics and interests of the
upper-middle-class figures in the inset play?
25. How are families portrayed in the play? What do they look like?
How do family members interact?
26. Why don't we see any mothers in Shrew?
27. Why do Bianca and Kate get married? How do we arrive at an
answer to this?
28. What is the relationship between language and power in the play?
29. Why is it so important for Petruchio to control Katherine's speech?
Classroom
Activities:
Activity 1- Extra, Extra!
As a class, create a tabloid newspaper telling about the taming of the wild Kate.
- Stage and take pictures for your publication with your students
- Feature subplots as second tier stories. Tutors going missing, missing father found, etc.
- Include interviews with multiple characters from the show.
Activity 2- Marriage Counseling:
Hold an improvisational exercise by bringing the different couples in for marriage counseling.
-
Have a few students play the therapists while the class comes up with questions for the therapists to ask.
Have one session with each couple and see how they can improve upon their relationship.
Activity 3- Throw a Wedding Reception:
Hold a classroom party as Bianca’s wedding. Bring in food of the time period and learn about Elizabethan
wedding customs, but really, enjoy the food and the party. No ale allowed!
“By this
reckoning
he is more
shrew than
she.”
Sources:
Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Taming of the Shrew." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Dec. 2008. Web. 31
Mar. 2015.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Taming of the Shrew Questions." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Dec. 2008.
Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Taming of the Shrew.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 31 Mar.
2015.
http://www.ehow.com/about_4571160_marriage-elizabethan-times.html
http://elizabethan.org/compendium/62.html
Photos by Mikki Schaffner