The Taming of the Shrew

Prof. Simonetta GattoIstituto Comprensivo di

Casella

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

Author: William ShakepeareWritten between 1590 and 1592.Genre: a comedy playFirst performance: 1593

STRUCTURE OF THE COMEDY

A play within a play - Frame device

William Shakespeare used a frame device for The Taming of the Shrew. He imagined a scene in a tavern where a group, made up of a Lord, his servants, a drunkurd and the hostess, watch a play.

The comedy has a prologue (frame) and is divided into five acts.

What is a frame device?

• A frame story is a literary technique which aims to introduce or emphasize a main narrative, in this case a play.

• It is a story in a story.• It is also called frame tale or frame narrative.• Famous examples of frame stories are

Canterbury Tales by Joffrey Chaucer and Decameron by Boccaccio.

THE CHARACTERS OF THE FRAME

CHRISTOPHER SLY: a drunkard fooled by a lord who lets him believe he is a rich lord, married to a beautiful lady.

L0RD: owner of the tavern where the comedy is performed and author of the trick.

HOSTESS: running a tavern.

SERVANTS and PAGES helping the lord with the prank.

CHARACTERS OF THE PLAY

BAPTISTA, a rich Gentleman of Padua

KATHARINA and BIANCA, daughters to Baptista

VINCENTIO, an old Gentleman of Pisa

LUCENTIO, son to Vincentio, in love with Bianca

PETRUCHIO, a Gentleman of Verona, suitor to Katharina

GREMIO, HORTENSIO, Suitors to Bianca

TRANIO, BIONDELLO, Servants to Lucentio

GRUMIO, CURTIS, Servants to Petruchio

PEDANT, set up to personate Vincentio

WIDOW

SETTING

Like numerous other Shakesperean plays, The Taming of the Shrew is set in Italy, in this case Padua.

Other Shakespearean settings are:

• Coriolanus: Rome, Corioli, and Antium

• Cymbeline: partly in Italy.

• Julius Caesar: Rome

• The Merchant of Venice: partly in Venice, and partly at Belmont.

• Much Ado about Nothing: Messina

• Othello: Venice (for first act)

• Romeo and Juliet: Verona and Mantua

• The Taming of the Shrew: Padua

WHY SO MANY SETTINGS IN ITALY?

• Because he studied Latin and Latin authors, in particular Tacitus.

• Some more modern Italian writers, like Boccaccio and Ariosto, were popular in England.

• A lot of plots had ancient Roman or Italian Renaissance sources, so it made sense to use the original settings.

• The Italians were considered sophisticated, cunning and a little licentious. These qualities went well with comedies where deception and sexual passion were basic elements.

• All his comedies, except The Merry Wives of Windsor, are set in Italy.

The plot

The merchant Baptista from Padua has two daughters. Bianca is younger and more beautiful than Katherina, but she cannot be married before her strong-willed sister.

• Hortensio, rejected by Bianca, marries a widow.

• Vincentio, Lucentio's father arrives in Verona and tries to explain Baptista the complicated situation and the exchanges of identity.

• Meanwhile Lucentio has secretly married Bianca.

• Baptista organizes a wedding party for both his daughters.

• Petruchio devises a competition to prove whose wife is the most obedient. Bianca and the widow fail to come to their husbands when called, while Kate teaches the women on the duties of a wife.

Themes of the comedy• Relationship between men and women: they

are cruel to each other. Baptista has a complete control over his daughter. Petruchio is very cruel to Katherine and tames her.

• Money and greed for it.• Appearance and reality: nothing is what it is:

Bianca, apparently sweet and compliant, shows some rebellion. Kathrenine, apparently strong-willed and shrewish, reveals herself an obedient wife

• Change of roles and disguise.