The Taming of the Shrew William Shakespeare Objectives: To acquire knowledge of the plot & themes of the play. To begin to understand the characters of the play. To learn new terminology.

Define SHREW Webster defines shrew as “a vexatious, scolding, or brawling woman.”

Draw an image that comes to mind when you hear the verb to TAME.

Define Webster defines TAME as “changed from the wild state, domesticated.” What does the word DOMESTICATED imply? So, the subject of the play is a scolding, brawling woman who is changed from the wild state and converted to home life. How do you feel about this?

Introduction Written 1592-1594. Published 1623. The play is a comedy (i.e. resolution is reached at the end of the play). The drama is set in Padua, Italy. The play has 2 plot lines. Major themes include change and disguise; marriage and gender conflict.

Petruchio The clever but rough man who tames the ‘shrew’ to be his wife.

Katherina The shrew; a sharp-tongued woman who will not take a husband; She finally capitulates to the overpowering Petruchio and becomes the model wife.

Key Characters Bianca: Katherina’s beautiful younger sister who cannot marry until a man weds Katherina. Lucentio: a young man who wants to marry Bianca; disguises himself as Cambio, a teacher, to woo Bianca covertly. Baptista: the wealthy father of Katharina and Bianca. Gremio: an old man and suitor to Bianca. Tranio & Biondello: Lucentio’s servants. Hortensio: Petruchio’s friend who disguises himself as Litio in order to woo Bianca. Grumio: Petruchio’s servant. Sly A drunken Tinker; part of the framed narrative.

Play: Synopsis Baptista, a gentleman of Padua, has two daughters: the first, young & beautiful has no problem attracting suitors, the eldest is loud, violent & “too rough”. Baptista pledges that the youngest may not be married until the eldest has first a husband; the substantial dowry that he offers eventually seals Katherina’s marriage to Petruchio. The main plot features Petruchio’s ‘taming’ of Katherina until she eventually submits to her husband’s “will”. The subplot features numerous suitors and the ways in which they try to win the affections of the younger daughter, Bianca.

Plenary On the piece of paper, write down one fact about the play. Fold the top of the paper over to conceal what you have written and pass it on.

Define FRAMED NARRATIVE aka ‘a play within a play’. A play performed as part of the story for some dramatic purpose. For example, in Hamlet, Hamlet asks a group of players to perform a play with a plot similar to what he suspects are the actual events of his father’s murder. This is one of the conventions of Elizabethan Theatre.

Framed Narrative: Induction A drunken Tinker, Sly, is found by a Lord returning home from a hunt. To play a trick on Sly, the Lord dresses him up in finery & when he awakes from his drunken sleep, gets the servants to convince him that he has, in fact, been dreaming of his past and that he has a beautiful wife. A troupe of players then act out the story of The Taming of the Shrew. The Induction establishes the themes of the play, including MARRIAGE.

Questions The Lord instructs his page to disguise himself as a woman and behave towards Sly as “noble ladies unto their Lords”. What instructions does he give relating to: The way he should speak The words he should say The physical behaviour he should display?

Questions What command does Sly give to his wife? What excuse does she make in reply? What do you think that Shakespeare is trying to suggest about the roles of men and women in the Induction to the play?

Controversy The play’s misogynistic elements have been the cause of much controversy, particularly with modern audiences. One of the main themes of the play is the conflict between men and women and the expectations of women within the marital sphere.

Read Read Act I, Scene i.

Terminology FOIL In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight various features of that other character's personality, throwing these characteristics into sharper focus.

FOIL Find words / phrases from I,i to show that Bianca is Katherina’s foil: Now, from the sheet of foil on your desk, make a foil model of Bianca. Kate Bianca “fiend of hell” “Minerva”

Katherine’s Character What do we learn about Katherina’s character from I,i? Why does Hortensio think that Katherina won’t get married or find a mate? Write down two names that Katherina is called. Why won’t Gremio court Katherina? According to Tranio, why must Bianca remain a maid or unmarried? A ‘scold’ is a talkative woman who is accused of nagging. It is not a pleasant term. What does this tell you about how society viewed nagging women in Shakespeare’s time?

Plenary

ILT Storyboard the plot ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ in 8 sections.