The Taming of the Shrew

Study Guide

 
 

Abilene Shakespeare Festival

June 27-29, July 5-6 2013
Directed by Gary Varner

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
William Shakespeare lived from 1564-1616. He was an actor and playwright
for The Lord Chamberlain’s Men (later called The King’s Men) in London.
He was also a shareholder in the company, which meant it was very important
for his plays to attract an audience so he could make a living. This was one of
the first examples of commercial theatre in western history. Elizabethan
theatre troupes produced as many plays as possible to make a profit.
Shakespeare wrote approximately 38 plays.

Shakespeare’s company built the Globe Theatre in 1598. It was one of four
major theatres in London’s Bankside district. Three stories high, it could
accommodate 1500 people. The Globe was open to audiences in the
summer, and plays were usually produced by daylight.

A day at the Globe would be an exciting day. There would be a “holiday”

atmosphere, with merchants selling goods and food outside the theatre.
During a performance, there would be around 3,000 people inside and
outside the Globe. Food was also sold inside the theatre during breaks in the
performance. Nobles would pay up to 5 pennies to sit in the lord’s rooms at
the top of the theatre – cushions were extra. Lower classes paid one penny to
stand in the theatre pit (aka “groundlings”). Very rich nobles would pay to sit
on the side of the stage itself. It was typical for audiences to freely express
their distaste or satisfaction for the action on stage. The theatre crowd would
be loud, restless, and smelly. It was not uncommon for nobles to purchase
flowers or sachets to hold in front of their noses in order to combat the smell
from the groundlings.

It was also very important that the action on the stage hold the attention of the
audience so they would want to pay to come back for more. Elizabethan
theatre was commercial theatre. Actors were shareholders, so to make a
profit, they produced as many plays as possible during a season. The Globe
was known to produce as many as 20 different plays a month. This meant the
actors had to be quick to learn lines and able to improvise when necessary.

It was difficult to advertise plays in advance for several reasons. The general
public could not read or write, so written advertisements would not be
advantageous. Lack of copyright laws meant that other companies could steal
ideas, or even entire scripts if they had advanced notice. Threat of
government censorship was always an issue, and outbreaks of Plague meant
theatres would be shut down at a moment’s notice. Because of this, many
Elizabethan theatres devised a system of communication to let the public
know when a performance was planned. At the top of each theatre there was a
flagpole. A white flag would be raised in the morning to indicate a comedy
would be performed that afternoon. A black flag meant a tragedy would be
performed, and a red flag meant a history play would be performed. The flag
would remain raised until the end of the performance.
 
 

 
 
   
 
Why  did  Shakespeare  write  The  Taming  of  the  Shrew?  A  commercial  
artist  knows  the  quickest  way  to  ruin  is  to  alienate  or  offend  the  
audience.  So  why  would  Shakespeare  take  on  “the  woman  question,”  an  
issue  that  would  have  been  controversial  even  in  his  own  time?  
 
Elizabethan  audiences  would  have  been  familiar  with  the  story  of  Shrew  
from  folklore.  In  Medieval  Mystery  plays  Noah’s  wife  was  portrayed  as  a  
shrew.  Chaucer’s  Wife  of  Bath  tells  a  story  about  who  is  the  master  in  
marriage.  Adam  and  Eve  were  portrayed  as  a  couple  struggling  for  
power  in  marriage.  And  versions  of  Kate  and  Petruchio’s  wooing,  
wedding,  and  bedding  are  found  in  fold  tales  across  Europe,  India,  and  
the  Americas.  Shakespeare’s  audience  would  also  have  been  familiar  
with  sermons  and  pamphlets  on  decorous  marital  behavior.    
 
Today’s  audience  has  a  much  different  lens  through  which  to  view  this  
story.  Many  contemporary  audience  members  are  uncomfortable  with  
Petruchio’s  treatment  of  Kate,  and  some  feel  that  the  message  of  the  
play  does  not  jive  with  gender  equality  and  independence.  Shakespeare,  
however,  may  not  have  been  as  far  removed  from  contemporary  
sensibilities  as  some  might  think.  Sherri  Thorne,  in  her  essay  for  
Academic  Forum  21  (2003-­‐2004)  states:  
 
Shakespeare  does  not  support  this  violent  treatment  of  women,  nor  
does  he  walk  through  the  streets  of  London  campaigning  for  their  better  
treatment.  Instead,  he  writes  a  comedy  entitled  The  Taming  of  the  Shrew  
and  uses  humor  to  gain  the  attention  of  his  audience….By  emphasizing  
the  ridiculous  nature  of  both  Petruchio’s  extreme  and  abusive  taming  
methods  and  Katherine’s  outrageous  and  shrewish  behavior,  
Shakespeare  cajoles  the  audience  into  reconsidering  its  ideas  about  and  
its  treatment  of  women.  Satire  has  always  been  a  writer’s  tool  for  
pointing  out  flaws  in  society,  and  Shakespeare  skillfully  uses  this  
comedy  to  demonstrate  the  positive  qualities  of  a  respectful  and  
affectionate  relationship  over  one  dominated  by  either  a  shrewish  wife  
or  an  abusive  husband.  (www.hsu.edu)  
 
 Did you know…..
 
This  story  has  been  told  on  film  several  times:  
 
 
 
1967  Film  with  Elizabeth  Taylor  and  Richard  Burton  
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
1953  Musical  Kiss  Me  Kate  by  Cole  Porter  
 

 
 
1999  Film  10  Things  I  Hate  About  You  with  Heath  Ledger  and  Julia  Stiles  

 
 
 
 
 

It’s a Comedy!!!
 
In  the  16th  Century,  while  Shakespeare  was  writing  in  England,  Italy  had  
it’s  own  form  of  commercial  theatre:  Commedia  Dell’Arte.  Commedia  
was  a  popular  form  of  improvised  comedy  using  stock  characters  and  
scenarios,  much  like  today’s  sitcoms.  Commedia  troupes  travelled  
Europe  performing  to  earn  a  living.  Shakespeare’s  characters  in  Taming  
of  the  Shrew  have  many  parallels  to  the  stock  characters  of  Commedia.  
 
 
 
 
 
 The stock characters of Commedia Dell’’Arte
 
 

 
 
Burrattino  is  a  servant  (or  “zanni”  which  translates  “clown”).  He  has  
an  extremely  good  nature.  He  is  not  particularly  smart,  and  often  
inclined  toward  gluttony.  He  is  easily  brought  to  tears  by  any  kind  of  
bad  news  (such  as  discovering  he  has  eaten  all  the  macaroni).  His  
primary  comic  trait  is  that  he  is  soft-­‐hearted  to  excess.  A  modern-­‐day  
television  example  of  this  character  is  Burton  “Gus”  Guster  from  Psych.  
 
Scapino  is  a  zanni  (clown/servant)  who  tends  to  make  confusion  of  
anything  he  undertakes.  Self-­‐preservation  and  self-­‐interest  are  his  main  
concerns.  He  is  a  very  clever  servant.  A  schemer  and  a  scoundrel,  and  
proud  of  it.  Scapino  is  known  for  his  malicious  intelligence  combined  
with  physical  agility.  A  modern  version  of  Scapino  is  Bugs  Bunny.  
Pantilone  is  a  miserly,  elderly,  and  usually  lecherous  man.  He  is  
usually  a  wealthy  merchant,  but  is  so  stingy  he  lives  the  lifestyle  of  a  
beggar.  His  primary  comic  trait  is  stinginess  and  greed  –  usually  of  
money,  but  sometimes  of  women,  power,  food,  or  whatever  else  
captures  his    fancy  at  the  time.  His  secondary  comic  trait  is  the  fact  that  
he  is  old.  Jokes  about  prostate  trouble,  broken  hips,  and  “back  in  my  
day”  abound.  Pantilone  is  usually  chasing  the  Innamorata.  A  modern  
television  version  of  Pantilone  is  Mr.  Burns  from  The  Simpsons.  
 

 
 
 
Innamorata  is  the  young  female  lover.  She  is  not  especially  well  
developed  as  a  character,  since  her  only  function  is  to  be  in  love.  She  is  
generally  in  love  with  herself,  and  with  the  idea  of  being  in  love  with  the  
inamorato.  Her  name  always  ends  with  “a”,  such  as  “Isabella”.  A  modern  
day  version  of  Innamorata  would  be  Giselle  from  Enchanted.  

 
 
Innamorato is  the  young  male  lover.  He  is  the  “prom  king”  of  
Commedia.  Like  Innamorata,  his  function  is  to  be  in  love.  His  name  
always  ends  with  “o”  such  as  “Claudio”  or  “Leandro”.  A  modern  day  
version  of  Innamorato  is  the  Prince  from  Enchanted.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Capitano  is  a  braggart  with  a  huge  ego.  He  thinks  of  himself  as  a  
standout  soldier  and  gentleman,  and  quite  the  lady’s  man.  However,  
Capitano  is  the  first  to  run  away  at  the  first  hint  of  danger.  A  modern  
version  of  Capitano  is  Daffy  Duck,  or  Dwight  Schrute  from  The  Office.  
 

 
 
Arleccino (or  Harlequin)  is  one  of  the  most  well-­‐known  commedia  
characters.  He  is  an  acrobat  with  a  sharp  wit.  He  can  be  childlike  and  
amorous.  He  is  known  to  carry  a  slapstick  as  a  weapon  (and  his  brand  of  
comedy  is  what  we  would  call  “slapstick  comedy”).    
 
Columbina  is  Arleccino’s  female  counterpart.  She  is  the  worldly  wise,  
witty  female  servant.  She  is  intelligent,  saucy,  and  can  hold  her  own  in  a  
room  full  of  men.  If  Arleccino  makes  an  appearance,  Columbina  will  not  
be  far  behind.  
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Dottore  is  another  older  man  –  usually  the  father  of  the  Innamorata.  
He  is  pompus,  and  knows  something  about  everything.  Dottore  is  very  
good  at  eloquent  speeches  that  do  not  have  a  point.  If  someone  on  stage  
is  ill,  Dottore  can  be  counted  on  to  have  a  “cure”  that  is  usually  worse  
than  the  ailment.  A  modern  version  of  Dottore  is  Frasier  Crane  from  
TV’s  Frasier.  
 

     

See if you can identify these characters when you watch The
Taming of the Shrew!
 Works Consulted

www.bardstage.org  
 
www.bardweb.net  
 
Bloom,  Harold.  Modern  Critical  Views:  William  Shakespeare  Comedies  &  Romances.          
Chelsea  House  Publishers,  1986.  
 
www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/eng/lfletcher/shrew/efurstnau.html  
 
www.hsu.edu  
 
www.humanracetheatre/org/commedia_dell’arte_Aug_7_SCREEN.pdf  
 
Mowat,  Barbara  A.  and  Paul  Werstine,  ed.  The  New  Folger  Library  Shakespeare:  The  
Taming  of  the  Shrew.  Washington  Square  Press,  1992.  
 
www.rsc.org  
 
www.shakespeareinamericancommunities.org  
 
https://sites.google.com/site/italiancommedia/the-­‐characters  
 
www.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CommediaDellArte