Taming Of The Shrew Research Paper

“One vile insult to womanhood and manhood from the first word to the last” is the Taming of the Shrew as described by George Bernard-Shaw. One of Shakespeare’s earliest comedies, written in 1593 (aprox), The Taming of the Shrew is debatably his most controversial play for modern audiences to watch.

Katherine, a froward, “shrewish” maiden has a mentally deranged husband thrust upon her whom, using physiological torture, trains her to be a submissive wife – it is clear see why many directors find it a challenge to stage. But those of us who are more romantically inclined can interpret the play as a tender love story.

Katherine goes through a major character development over the course of the play, going from an unhappy shrew (a shrew is defined

She is often described, especially by Gremio and Hortensio, in animalistic terms; Literary critic Jeanne Addison Roberts points out that "Katherine is associated with more animal metaphors than any other female character in Shakespeare." Gremio calls her a wild-cat, perhaps a pun on her name Kate. Hortensio says he’d rather cart her then court her - most moderns readers might assume this refers to a donkey and cart, however at the time of the play’s original performance this would most likely be a reference to the Elizabethan practice in which prostitutes where tied behind a cart and whipped as it moved through town. Samatha Spiro, in The Globe Theatre’s 2012 version of the play, portrays Kate in an animalistic, primal way. She charges at the other characters with the ferocity of an enraged bull and growls gutturally like a panther. When she first meets Petruchio (Simon Paisley Day) during 2:1 they initially circle each other like a bull and matador - apt imagery to represent their relationship. I think this is an appropriate acting choice from Spiro, and one that truly represents Kate’s vile character at the start of the play, thus making her eventual transformation all the more significant. I would also want to take influences from animals to help develop Kate’s character, especially the offensive and defensive physicality of certain wild animals (like wild cats and

Like in many other Shakespeare plays disguise is a prominent theme in The Taming of the Shrew. Hortensio, Lucentio and Tranio have their physical disguises but Kate disguises her unhappiness with her shrewish behaviour. Kate is in an extremely unhappy situation - she plays second favourite to her father Baptista and has to put up with her younger sister having more suitors than her. Baptista is an incredibly thoughtless father when it comes to Kate, he humiliates her not only in front of Gremio and Hortensio but in a public place where, as a noble lady, everyone would likely know who she was. He comes up with a cruel proposition that only allows Bianca to be courted if Kate is married. He acknowledges that the situation is difficult for Bianca but offers no words of comfort for Kate – “…And let it no displease thee, good Bianca; For I will love thee ne’er the less, my girl.” At the end of 1:1 he tells Bianca to go inside and as if as an after-thought tells Kate she may stay outside – “- Katharina, you may stay; For I have more to commune with Bianca”. Spiro literally had the doors slammed in her face at this point and a short unhappy exclamation allowed the audience to briefly see Kate’s sensitive side, that is until, like an infuriated mountain goat, she knocks down the door with her head. Kate’s relationship with Bianca is also very