Page 10 - Taming Of the Shrew demo

INTRODUCTION

Despite not being one of the Shakespearean plays that are typically taught in English
classes, The Taming of the Shrew is a great introduction to the Bard because to its
humorous plot and endearing characters. The play’s focus on interactions between
various “courting” couples makes it appealing to teenagers and conducive to spirited
discussion about the traditional “battle of the genders.”

OVERVIEW
The Taming of the Shrew is structured around the actions of two couples and set in
the city of Padua sometime during the Italian Renaissance. The first couple, Bianca
and Lucentio, meet in a “love at first sight” sort of way. Bianca is the youngest of the
two daughters of Baptista Minola, a wealthy man; she has many suitors who attempt
to court her but they are all rejected by Baptista, because he stubbornly wants to
find a husband for his eldest daughter, Katherina, first. Katherina, or “Kate,” is the
titular “shrew” who has resentment towards her dainty sister throughout most of the
play. Bianca is compelled to stay a maiden until she has been accepted as a bride.
Here’s when our brash and self-assured Petruchio enters the picture. He accepts the
task of “taming” Katherina because he is a daring and flamboyant man. Although
she first rebels, he finally marries her and subdues her through psychological torture
techniques (such as depriving her of food and liquids) until she submits and obeys
him. Additionally, a subplot emerges in which Bianca, who is depicted as the more
“ideal” of the two sisters due to her inherent meekness, is sought by two suitors
until finally finding love with Lucentio. By the play’s conclusion, there are three
newlywed couples, and the men are astounded by the fact that Kate seems to be the
most submissive of their spouses.

Three deceitful tales are included in the play. The intoxicated Sly is deceived into
thinking he is a lord in the Induction because he is dressed and treated as one. Later,
in the play-within-a-play, Petruchio assumes the role of the shrew’s masculine
equivalent, beating and berating his servants while showing excessive compassion
to Kate. He wants to make sure she gets a taste of her own medication while also
letting her play the part of a lady. Deception and disguise are integral parts of the
Lucentio-Bianca plot where four characters assume someone else’s identity in order
to gain access to Bianca. Bianca also pretends to be sweet and submissive, but in

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The Taming of the Shrew - William Shakespeare