The Taming of the

Shrew

Setting:
– Padua, Italy

– Verona, Italy

3 characteristics
of a
Shakespearean
comedy
– happy ending:

The would be
lovers must
overcome
obstacles,
before they have
a harmonious
union (often a
wedding)
– Love: the theme
 of love is
prevalent in
every
Shakespeare
comedy
– Mistaken
identities: in
shrew, Tranio
becomes
Lucentio and
Lucentio
becomes
“Cambio”,
Biancaʼs
teacher. In order
to get close to
her.
– A philosophical
aspect involving
weighted issues
 and themes. In
shrew, Kateʼs
personal identity
changes. She
recognizes the
importance of
love in human
existence, and
changes her
behaviour.
Shrew (noun)
definition
– A woman with a

bad temper
(slur)
Definition of
shrewd (adjective)
– Clever, always

able to get your

way through
 smarts
– “Annabelle is so

shrewd, she can

manipulate her
mom and to get
her whatever
she wants an s
at the store”
Reasons Kate
might be shrewish
– furious at the

world (unfair era

for women)
– Motherless;

perhaps no
good guidance?
– Jealous

because of
Baptistʼs overt
love and
 kindness to
Bianca
– Angry her no

one likes her?

Baptista
– The girl of the

fathers - kind of
a hard-nosed
guy.
– Will not marry of

the younger
sister Bianca
until he gets rid
of Kate the
Shrew.
– Concerned

about what
society thinks of
him
Vincentio
 – Well-likes,
venerable father
– Father to
Lucentio, one of
the male lovers
Foil
– Two items/
characters
which contrast
with one
another are
foils.
– Kate, Bianca,

and Lucentio are

foils
Conflict #1
– The dad refuses

to marry off the

younger
daughter before
 the older one
gets married
– He has to give a

substantial
dowry for each
girl- which is
expensive.
– He has to live

with Kate
forever do
Bianca gets
married, and he
likes Bianca
better.
Conflict #2
– Petruchio must

“tame” wild
Kate.
– He begins

taming her even

 before the
wedding (she
has no choice
but to marry
him). Girls had
to do what their
fathers told
them to do,
regardless of
their own
feelings.
Elizabethan
attitude toward
women
– Wives are to be

“obedient,
humble, and
modest”
towards male
figures.
 – The
Elizabethans
took Bible
commands very
literally
Symbolism of
Biancaʼs name
– Meaning “white”

- inference:
pure, good,
blameless.
Animal allusions
– CAT: punning on

the name “Kate”

and “cat”,
Petruchio
threatens to
turn Kate from a
“wild Kate” to
“household
 Kate”
Why do people
who love each
other insult each
other?

Farce
– A comedy that is

full of
coincidence and
ridiculous
events.
Coincidence is
where kings
happen together
randomly.
Slapstick
– A form of

comedy where
obvious physical
 play literally
“you slap the
actor with a
stick”
Order vs. Disorder
– Order: Society

– Disorder:

Rebelling
against society
Themes
– Order vs.

Disorder
– The value of

women in
society