The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare, Signet Classic)
Category: Books,Literature & Fiction,Dramas & Plays
The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare, Signet Classic) Details
About the Author William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was a poet, playwright, and actor who is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers in the history of the English language. Often referred to as the Bard of Avon, Shakespeare's vast body of work includes comedic, tragic, and historical plays; poems; and 154 sonnets. His dramatic works have been translated into every major language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Read more
Reviews
It’s easy to dismiss the Taming of the Shrew as an example of early modern patriarchy. I even thought that the scenes where Petruchio insists to Katherine that the sun is the moon or night day—and then compels her to agree with him—seem more reminiscent of Solzhenitsyn than Shakespeare.But that would be to miss the major storyline of the play. It has been imitated so much that reading it anew is an arduous task in itself. Shakespeare set the tone at the beginning of modernity for the training of a potential spouse, male or female, to be one’s lifelong mate. Even outside of literature, one must acknowledge that this type of education goes on today throughout the world—creating many a happy marriage.While Kate’s final monologue and many of Petruchio’s tactics belong thoroughly in the past, the play can still be enjoyed without endorsing them. It was obviously meant by Shakespeare to be a light romance in which love, once again, conquers all.And, like many of Shakespeare’s comedies, the imagined world is more zany than believable. Are we really to think that Petruchio’s beating of his servants is meant to be taken by Shakespeare as realistic comedy? No more than the beatings which take place in children’s cartoons. Still less are Petruchio and Kate meant to be full-bodied characters.Sometimes one must simply accept the conventions of an age, both good or bad, to enjoy a work of literature. Who knows what barbarisms the future will see in the works of today? It may not be Shakespeare’s best comedy but it is humorous—even if the mores of a different era can be grating.
