The Taming of the Shrew

by William Shakespeare

January 12, 1997

Reading a play is a lot different than reading a novel. Like poetry, a play involves one's sense experience, memory and imagination to picture and appreciate the action on the stage. The stage is what play-writing is all about. If ever you called me amateur before, it is doubly so about poetry and the stage. Nevertheless, a set of Shakespeare plays on video tape was a Christmas present from my wife. She wanted to be sure that no one thought I started on this play about The Taming of the Shrew out of a need for instruction or wishful thinking--or anything else. It was because of the kind gift she gave me that I picked up the book.

First, I watched the video by the Canadian Radio Corporation. It is really beautiful. I never imagined how much can be done with a modest stage area, light, costumes, and of course, witty language and performance by real Shakespeare players acting out this timeless work. It was a real treat, and I wholly recommend it, even if you never read another word of this article.

Next, I looked up the play in the set of Great Books of the Western World. The text there is absolutely pure of any footnotes or editorial comment. It is only about 30 pages long, however--perfect for copying and putting in a briefcase or carrying bag. Even having seen the movie, I knew I needed help with the text.

I found relief in The Riverside Shakespeare's copious footnotes that translate the poetic freedoms and medieval colloquialisms. Not only that, but there is a very scholarly and engaging article by Anne Barton about the action, history, origin of ideas used in the play, and possible interpretations of its varying presentations. This was a gigantic help and fascinating reading for someone almost completely new to this.

The play is about a woman named Katharina, called Kate, whose father, Baptista Minola, is hard-pressed to give her away in marriage because of Kate's shrew-like nature and the presence of her younger sister, Bianca, who is attracting far more attention from the eligible bachelors in Padua. Baptista's problem is solved by the appearance of Petruchio, a man from Verona, who is looking for a rich wife. Hortensio and Gremio, the suitors of Bianca, recommend Katharina to him, and they are amazed at Petruchio's interest after a description of Katharina's many faults.

Baptista decides to hire tutors for his girls. One candidate, a visiting student from Pisa named Lucentio, switches identities with Tranio, his servant, so that he can get a closer look at Bianca while Tranio attends to the social obligations in Padua that are expected of Lucentio, the hitherto unknown son of Vincentio, a very successful merchant of Pisa. In his disguise, Lucentio adopts the name of Cambio. Hortensio, Petruchio's friend in Padua, adopts a physical disguise to become a tutor, and in this disguise he is called Licio, a native of Mantua.

In her first meeting with Petruchio at her father's home, Katharina is true to her shrewish form, but we are perhaps more overwhelmed at Petruchio's brashness and relentless courtesy. All of Kate's venom glances off him like water off a duck's back. He concludes, "Your father hath consented that you shall be my wife; your dowry 'greed on; and will you, nill you, I will marry you. Now, Kate, I am a husband for your turn; for, by this light, whereby I see thy beauty, thy beauty, that doth make me like thee well, thou must be married to no man but me; for I am he am born to tame you Kate, and to bring you from a wild Kate to a Kate conformable as other household Kates." The marriage is set to take place the following Sunday.

Meanwhile, Tranio, taking the part of Lucentio, vies with Gremio, an older gentleman, for the hand of Bianca. Baptista makes clear that she will be the wife of the suitor who can offer the most dower. Though younger, Lucentio has far greater fortune from his father than Gremio can offer. Baptista is pleased to give Bianca to him if he can gain Vincentio's surety to the dower. To solve this problem, an aged pedant is found to play the part of Vincentio and make the required guaranty of the dower.

Petruchio and Kate make a swift departure from Padua following the marriage. They don't even stay for the reception. Petruchio takes her to his country house where he sets out to tame his shrew. Basically, his method involves depriving Kate of food and sleep, all under the guise of protecting her health or expressing his affection. In the end, she is forced to thank him for her food and to agree with him in everything, even if he calls the sun the moon or a man a woman. While all this is very humorous to observe, it falls far short of being convincing. Kate becomes his devoted, loving wife in a very short while, and they set out to visit her father in Padua.

On their way, Petruchio and Kate meet up with Vincentio, also bound for Padua to see his son, Lucentio. When they reach Padua, all the false identities begin to unravel. The pedant who played Vincentio is immediately challenged by the real Vincentio, but, backed up by the lying witness of Tranio, playing the part of Lucentio, the pair succeed in calling the police to carry the grief-stricken Vincentio to jail; he is convinced that Tranio has killed Lucentio, his son. Only when the real Lucentio appears on stage with Bianca is the policeman stopped.

Lucentio and Bianca announce that they have been secretly married. Lucentio explains that he had Tranio play his part so that he could woo Bianca. The two fathers are outraged--Baptista because his blessing on the marriage was not sought, and Vincentio because he nearly was taken off to jail in the scheme.

In the final scene, all good will among the new family members is restored, and Petruchio is derided about his marriage to Kate the shrew. It turns out that Hortensio also has gone and married. He and Lucentio feel sure theirs were the better matches, but Petruchio proposes a wager. The first of the three new husbands whose wife appears when summoned will win 100 crowns. Everyone is astonished when Petruchio wins, especially Baptista. He awards Petruchio an additional 20,000 crowns as "another dowry to another daughter," so changed is Katharina.

But Petruchio goes even farther. He has Kate lecture the wives on "what duty they do owe their lords and husbands." Here we see how much Kate really has become a gentle, obedient, and loving wife: "Fie, fie! Unknit that threatening unkind brow, and dart not scornful glances from those eyes, to wound thy lord, thy king, thy governor: It blots thy beauty," she starts out. "I am ashamed that women are so simple to offer war where they should kneel for peace, or seek for rule, supremacy and sway, when they are bound to serve, love, and obey." This is only a small part of her admonition. The full text should be part of every woman's bedtime reading.

Petruchio, true to form, rewards her fair speech with that line made famous in modern times by the Broadway musical, "Why, there's a wench! Come on, and Kiss me, Kate."

© 1997 Herman Fontenot

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page