The Taming of the Shrew
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 1590-1592
- Era
- Renaissance
- Form
- Comedy
- Language
- English
- Length
- Short · 240 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Taming of the ShrewFolger Shakespeare Library (Simon and Schuster), 2004Clear notes and an introduction that faces the play's difficulties squarely.
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In a framing scene a drunken tinker is tricked into thinking he is a lord and shown a play. In it, the wealthy Baptista of Padua will not let his popular daughter Bianca marry until her sharp-tongued elder sister Katherina has a husband. The fortune-hunter Petruchio takes the job, marries Kate against her will and subjects her to a regime of hunger, sleeplessness and contradiction until she submits. Bianca's suitors compete by disguise. At the closing feast Kate delivers a long speech on wifely obedience.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Taming of the Shrew are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
