Bookcard for Tqming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew

I. Authorial Background

The most influential writer in all of English literature, William Shakespeare was born in 1564 to a successful middle-class glove-maker in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Shakespeare attended grammar school, but his formal education proceeded no further. In 1582 he married an older woman, Anne Hathaway, and had three children with her. Around 1590 he left his family behind and traveled to London to work as an actor and playwright. Public and critical acclaim quickly followed, and Shakespeare eventually became the most popular playwright in England and part-owner of the Globe Theater. His career bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled 1558-1603) and James I (ruled 1603-1625), and he was a favorite of both monarchs. Indeed, James granted Shakespeare's company the greatest possible compliment by bestowing upon its members the title of King's Men. Wealthy and renowned, Shakespeare retired to Stratford and died in 1616 at the age of fifty-two. At the time of Shakespeare's death, literary luminaries such as Ben Jonson hailed his works as timeless. Shakespeare's works were collected and printed in various editions in the century following his death, and by the early eighteenth century his reputation as the greatest poet ever to write in English was well established. In the absence of credible evidence to the contrary, Shakespeare must be viewed as the author of the thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets that bear his name. The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies, and it shares many essential characteristics with his other romantic comedies, such as Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night's Dream. The young Shakespeare probably studied in the local grammar school and hunted and played sports in the open fields behind his home.

II. Literary Period

The Taming of the Shrew was published in 1623 during the Elizabethan literary period (1558- 1603). The source of the subplot of the play, which centers on Bianca and Lucentio, is an early Italian comedy entitled I Suppositi, written by Ariosto; the Italian play was translated into English by George Gascoigne in 1566 and became known as The Supposes. Although Shakespeare borrowed characters and situations from the English translation of the play, he added his own humor and humanity to the characters. In reference to the title of The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare was referring to Queen Elizabeth. The poet shared his work at court, vying for the praise and patronage of the Queen and aristocracy.

III. Setting

The play is set mainly in the city of Padua, Italy, in various locations, sometime during the Italian renaissance. The outside framework of the play, known as Sly's story or the induction, takes place at an alehouse and the Lord's house in England.. The play within a play begins in Padua in a public place, where several scenes takes place. In Padua, there are also scenes in Baptista's house and Lucentio's house. Action also takes place in Petruchio's country house and on the road between his house and Padua. The setting, therefore, is limited in both place and time.

IV. Main Characters

KATHERINE- The shrew of the play's title, and the oldest daughter of Baptista Minola and sister of Bianca, Katherine, who is also called Katherina or Kate, is extremely strong-willed. She insists upon saying whatever she thinks and expressing whatever she feels. Her words are abusive and angry, and her actions are often violent. In Shakespeare's time, women like Katherine were called shrews, and they were strongly disapproved of as the worst possible kind of women. Petruchio undertakes the challenge of taming her, turning her into an obedient and pleasant wife.

PETRUCHIO- A wealthy gentleman from Verona. Loud, boisterous, eccentric, and quick-witted, Petruchio comes to Padua to increase his fortune by marrying rich. All he wants is a bride with an enormous dowry, and Katherine fits the bill. Though everyone else warns him against trying to marry Katherine, he sets out to tame her by pitting his own violent temper against hers.

LUCENTIO- A young nobleman from Pisa who comes to Padua to study at the city's renowned university, but who is immediately sidetracked when he falls in love with Bianca at first sight. Good-natured and intrepid, Lucentio is the most sympathetic of Bianca's suitors. He disguises himself as a classics instructor named Cambio so he can gain access to Bianca and win her love.

BIANCA- The younger daughter of Baptista. The opposite of her sister Katherine, Bianca is soft-spoken, sweet, and unassuming, as well as beautiful. Because of her large dowry and her mild behavior, several men compete for her hand.

Baptista Minola- A wealthy citizen of Padua, and the father of Katherine and Bianca. Though many men want to marry Bianca, Baptista refuses to allow Bianca to marry before Katherine, whom no one wants to marry. Baptista is good-hearted and generous toward his two daughters, lavishing expensive books and lessons upon them, but he is completely at a loss for how to deal with the strong-willed Katherine.

V. Themes

Marriage as an Economic Institution - As a romantic comedy, the play focuses principally on the romantic relationships between men and women as they develop from initial interest into marriage. In this respect, the play is a typical romantic comedy. However, unlike other Shakespearean comedies, The Taming of the Shrew does not conclude its examination of love and marriage with the wedding. Rather, it offers a significant glimpse into the future lives of married couples, one that serves to round out its exploration of the social dimension of love. Unlike in Romeo and Juliet, inner emotional desire plays only a secondary role in The Taming of the Shrew's exploration of love. Instead, The Taming of the Shrew emphasizes the economic aspects of marriage--specifically, how economic considerations determine who marries whom. The play tends to explore romantic relationships from a social perspective, addressing the institutions of courtship and marriage rather than the inner passions of lovers. Moreover, the play focuses on how courtship affects not just the lovers themselves, but also their parents, their servants, and their friends. In general, while the husband and the wife conduct the marriage relationship after the wedding, the courtship relationship is negotiated between the future husband and the father of the future wife. As such, marriage becomes a transaction involving the transfer of money. Lucentio wins Bianca's heart, but he is given permission to marry her only after