The Taming of the Shrew

Guide Note

The Taming of the Shrew is a comedic play by William Shakespeare. Believed to have been one of Shakespeare's earlier plays, its plot depicts the nobleman Petruchio's wedding and taming of the outspoken and shrew-ish Katherine. The play's depiction of a man "taming" a woman to be obedient is not without its contemporary critics. Nevertheless, the play has been adapted for film, television and the musical theater numerous times. Cole Porter used the play as the basis of his 1948 musical Kiss Me Kate.

The earliest film adaptation of the play was a 1908 silent version directed by D.W. Griffith. The first sound version was a 1929 version starring Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, but, perhaps, the most famous was Franco Zeffirelli's 1967 adaptation starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The play was also given a revisionist spin in a 1986 episode of the television show Moonlighting.

Fast Facts

  1. Written: 1593-1594
  2. First publication: First Folio (1623)
  3. First performance: June 13, 1594 - Newington Butts theatre
  4. Ran for 129 performances on Broadway in 1935
  5. Main Characters:
    1. Petruchio
    2. Katherine
    3. Baptista Minola
    4. Bianca
    5. Lucentio
    6. Hortensio
    7. Gremio
    8. Vincentio
  6. Famous Quotes:
    1. There's small choice in rotten apples. 1.1
    2. Kiss me Kate, we will be married o' Sunday. 2.1
    3. And thereby hangs a tale. 4.1
    4. This is the way to kill a wife with kindness. 4.1
  7. Famous Speeches:
    1. You are called plain Kate, and bonny Kate and sometimes Kate the curst... 2.1
    2. Fie, fie! unknit that threatening unkind brow... 5.2

The Mahalo Top 7

  1. Wikipedia: The Taming of the Shrew
  2. SparkNotes: The Taming of the Shrew Study Guide
  3. GradeSaver: The Taming of the Shrew Study Guide
  4. Lambs' Tales From Shakespeare: The Taming of the Shrew MP3  WARNING: Auto-plays audio  Crystal: Great audio retelling of the play
  5. Web English Teacher: The Taming of the Shrew Teacher's Guides
  6. Project Gutenberg: The Taming of the Shrew Downloadable Full Text
  7. Royal Shakespeare Company: The Taming of the Shrew Play Guide  Crystal: Comphrensive, including pictures, teacher's guide, and student's section.

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