Taming of the Shrew » International Youth Theater Network

William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

KR-008 10

The “Taming of the Shrew”, one of William Shakespeare’s earlier plays, had been the subject of much criticism especially from feminists who perceive it as offensively discriminatory to the female gender. This comedy tells the story of Petruchio, a young man who did not seem to care about the appearance or the personality of the woman he will marry so long as she came with a rich dowry and Kate, the shrewish daughter of a wealthy merchant. The play centers on how Petruchio transformed Kate from a hot-tempered woman to a completely tame and obedient wife. At the end of the play, Kate delivers a monologue stating why wives should always obey their husbands.

Many assumed that this Shakespearean play was well received by the theater-loving public during his time. However, this was not exactly accurate. In fact, many in the society felt uncomfortable after witnessing the “Taming of the Shrew.” John Fletcher, a contemporary playwright of Shakespeare, felt the need to write a play as a response to Shakespeare’s Shrew. The sort of sequel to the latter’s comedy was entitled, “The Woman’s Prize, or The Tamer Tamed.” In this play, Kate died and Petruchio soon married his second wife, Maria. The story revolves on how Petruchio, once the tamer, was tamed by his new wife.

Bookmarks: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.