1. By William Shakespeare
The Taming of the Shrew
By William Shakespeare

2. Literary Notes Genre Themes Symbols Setting Plot Conflict
Drama
Tragedy
Comedy
Themes
Symbols
Setting
Plot
Conflict
Writing Style
Dramatic Conventions

3. Genre: category of literary composition, characterized by a particular style
Poetry
Short Stories
Novels
NonFiction
Drama

4. Drama: A story written to be performed
Tragedy
- Romeo and Juliet
- Macbeth
Comedy
- Taming of the Shrew
- Twelfth Night

5. Farce (commedia de’ll arte)
Uses impossible and/or exaggerated situations to achieve a comedic effect
Modern examples might include Billy Madison or skits from The Chapelle Show

6. Comic methods used within the play:
Situational Comedy: role exchanges; disguises
Visual Comedy: facial expressions and antics
Action Comedy
Physical Appearance Comedy
Verbal Humor Comedy: can often use puns (play on words)

7. Themes: the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work
Marriage as an institution
The effect of social roles on individual happiness
Appearance versus reality

8. Setting: the time and place of a narrative
Induction: The English countryside outside an alehouse and at the Lord’s home
Scenes I - V: Padua, Italy – 1593 –1594. Time span is about one week to ten days

9. Writing Style: Shakespeare often changed his style of writing based upon the social status of his characters
Prose: Ordinary language used to emphasis characters of low social status
Iambic Pentameter: Pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables that uses five patterns to a line; used to emphasis characters of high social status

10. *The structure of the play is unique, because it the only work by Shakespeare that is a play within a play. The Induction serves as a framework for the play, however the characters in the Induction are abandoned after Act I Scene I.

11. Dramatic Conventions: techniques that give the audience information that could not be given from the action of the play
Concealment: allows a character to be seen by the audience while remaining hidden from the other actors

12. Dramatic Conventions
Soliloquy: character talks to himself, revealing thoughts and feelings that would otherwise go unvoiced

13. Dramatic Conventions
Aside: character speaks directly to the audience without being overheard by the other characters on stage

14. Dramatic Conventions
Dramatic Irony- occurs when the audience knows information that might change the behavior of the characters if they were aware of it

15. Major Players
Baptista Minola- rich gentleman of Padua; father of Katherine and Bianca
Katherine Minola- the shrew
Bianca Minola- younger daughter; acts innocent and sweet

16. Major Players Gremio- foolish old man; suitor to Bianca
Hortensio- suitor to Bianca; disguises himself as a music teacher

17. Major Players
Lucentio- gentleman from Pisa; falls in love w/ Bianca at first sight; disguises himself as a Latin teacher
Tranio- Lucentio’s servant; disguises himself as Lucentio
Biondello- Lucentio’s other servant
Vincentio- Lucentio’s father from Pisa

18. Major Players
Petruchio- gentleman from Verona; agrees to woo Katherine the shrew
Grumio- Petruchio’s servant (often acts as the comic relief in the play)