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The Taming of the Shrew

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The Taming of the Shrew: Introduction

The taming of the shrew: plot summary, the taming of the shrew: detailed summary & analysis, the taming of the shrew: themes, the taming of the shrew: quotes, the taming of the shrew: characters, the taming of the shrew: symbols, the taming of the shrew: literary devices, the taming of the shrew: quizzes, the taming of the shrew: theme wheel, brief biography of william shakespeare.

Historical Context of The Taming of the Shrew

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• Full Title: The Taming of the Shrew
• When Written: Early 1590s
• Where Written: England
• When Published: 1623
• Literary Period: English Renaissance (also called the early modern era)
• Genre: Elizabethan Comedy
• Setting: The main action occurs in Padua, Italy and Petruchio's country home. (Though the main action is actually a play-within-a-play, and the frame of the play regarding Christopher Sly occurs at the home of an anonymous English lord.)
• Climax: There are multiple climaxes for the various plot-threads of the play. For Petruchio and Katherine, the climax comes when they are journeying to Padua and Petruchio makes her say that the sun is the moon, showing that he has achieved complete mastery over Katherine's wild nature. For the rest of the characters, it is in act five, scene one, when Lucentio's real father Vincentio confronts the merchant who was disguised as Vincentio at Lucentio's house in Padua. Lucentio is forced to reveal his true identity (and the identity of Tranio) to Baptista. All of the characters' various disguises are put aside, and Baptista and Vincentio approve of the marriage between the real Lucentio and Bianca.
• Antagonist: For Lucentio, the antagonists are all those who stand between him and Bianca: Hortensio, Gremio, and Baptista. Petruchio and Katherine may be said to be each other's antagonist, as Petruchio tries to tame her and she struggles against his abusive dominance.

Extra Credit for The Taming of the Shrew

Adapting the Shrew. The Taming of the Shrew has been prone to adaptations since the 17th century. In the early 1600s, John Fletcher wrote a sequel called The Tamer Tamed in which Petruchio is himself tamed by a new wife. In 1948, Cole Porter adapted Shakespeare's play into a musical comedy called Kiss Me, Kate . And in more recent years, the 1999 movie 10 Things I Hate About You moved Shakespeare's romantic comedy from Renaissance Italy to Padua High School, where characters scheme to take the sisters Kat and Bianca to the prom.

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The Taming of the Shrew , comedy in five acts by William Shakespeare , written sometime in 1590–94 and first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The play describes the volatile courtship between the shrewish Katharina (Kate) and the canny Petruchio , who is determined to subdue Katharina’s legendary temper and win her dowry . The main story is offered as a play within a play; the frame plot consists of an initial two-scene “induction” in which a whimsical lord decides to play a practical joke on a drunken tinker, Christopher Sly, by inducing him to believe that he is in fact a nobleman who has suffered from amnesia and is only now awaking from it. The main body of the play is presented to Sly as an entertainment for his delectation.

The source of the Petruchio-Katharina plot is unknown, although a number of analogues exist in ballads about the “taming” of shrewish women. The play’s other plot involving Bianca and her many suitors was derived from George Gascoigne ’s comedy Supposes (1566), itself a translation of I suppositi (1509) by Ludovico Ariosto .

Following the induction , the play opens in Padua , where several eligible bachelors have gathered to claim the hand of Bianca, the youngest daughter of the wealthy Baptista. But Baptista has stated that Bianca will not be wed before her older sister, Katharina. The plot of “the taming of the shrew” then begins when Petruchio arrives in Padua in search of a rich wife. His friend Hortensio sets Petruchio’s sights on Katharina (the shrew). Although Katharina responds hostilely to Petruchio, he woos, wins, and tames her by the sheer force of his manly insistence and by his wit; Katharina is attracted to Petruchio in spite of herself, since clearly he is her match in a way that other men could not be. After their bizarre marriage ceremony, in which Petruchio dresses in a wild fashion and abuses the priest, Katharina’s taming continues. In order to show her a picture of her own willfulness, Petruchio obliges her to forgo food, sleep, and fancy clothing. He abuses his own servants, notably Grumio, as a way of demonstrating how unattractive a sharp temper can be. Katharina learns, however reluctantly, that the only way she can find peace is to agree with anything that Petruchio says and do whatever he insists. At the play’s end, Petruchio wins a bet from the other gentlemen that Katharina will be more obedient than their new wives. To show that she is indeed now more obedient, on Petruchio’s orders Katharina delivers a short sermon on the virtues of wifely obedience.

The play’s other plot follows the competition between Hortensio, Gremio, and Lucentio for Bianca’s hand in marriage. The only serious candidate is Lucentio, the son of a wealthy Florentine gentleman. He is so smitten with Bianca’s charms that he exchanges places with his clever servant, Tranio, in order to gain access to the woman he loves. He does so disguised as a tutor. So does the less-successful Hortensio. Gremio has nothing to recommend his suit except his wealth; he is an old man, unattractive to Bianca. In order to fend off this claim of wealth (since Baptista has vowed to bestow Bianca on the suitor with the greatest wealth), Tranio poses as the son of a wealthy gentleman and steps into the competition for Bianca’s hand. Needing a father to prove his claim, Tranio persuades a pedant (or merchant) from Mantua to play the role. This ruse fools Baptista, and so the formal arrangements for the marriage proceed. Tranio’s tricks are eventually exposed, but not before Lucentio and Bianca have taken the occasion to marry in secret. Hortensio, in the meantime, has forsaken his pursuit of Bianca and married a wealthy widow. In the play’s final scene, both Bianca and Hortensio’s new wife ironically prove to be shrewish.

For a discussion of this play within the context of Shakespeare’s entire corpus, see William Shakespeare: Shakespeare’s plays and poems .

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This volume is a comprehensive collection of critical essays on The Taming of the Shrew , and includes extensive discussions of the play's various printed versions and its theatrical productions. Aspinall has included only those essays that offer the most influential and controversial arguments surrounding the play. The issues discussed include gender, authority, female autonomy and unruliness, courtship and marriage, language and speech, and performance and theatricality.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part i | 38  pages, a critical history of the taming of the shrew, chapter | 36  pages, the play and the critics, part ii | 266  pages, the taming of the shrew: critical appraisals, chapter | 4  pages, from his introduction to the taming of the shrew (1928), chapter | 13  pages, the taming untamed, or, the return of the shrew, horses and hermaphrodites, the good marriage of katherine and petruchio, chapter | 22  pages, the ending of the shrew, chapter | 24  pages, “love wrought these miracles”, chapter | 38  pages, scolding brides and bridling scolds, chapter | 19  pages, chapter | 23  pages, the performance of things in the taming of the shrew, chapter | 26  pages, framing the taming, cultural control in the taming of the shrew, “what's that to you” or, facing facts, chapter | 28  pages, household kates, part iii | 84  pages, the taming of the shrew on stage, in film, and on television, chapter | 9  pages, “an unholy alliance”, chapter | 2  pages, the performance of feminism in the taming of the shrew 1, review of gale edwards's taming of the shrew,, chapter | 18  pages, petruchio's house in postwar suburbia, katherina bound, or play(k)ating the strictures of everyday life.

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The Taming of the Shrew

By william shakespeare, the taming of the shrew essay questions.

Is The Taming of the Shrew misogynistic? What might constitute a feminist interpretation of the play?

Trace the motif of the disguise throughout the play. Consider, in particular, the issue of willful disguise v. unwitting disguise (i.e. Sly v. Tranio). Can both be considered "acting"?

Why the Induction? Examine the ways in which the story of Christopher Sly continues to permeate through the play-within-a-play. Are we meant to view Sly as a reflection of ourselves?

Analyze the famous battle of wits between Petruchio and Katharina when they first meet. Consider the role that language plays in their rapport. Is their use of language straightforward or ambiguous, honest or duplicitous, or all of these things?

In what sense can The Taming of the Shrew be viewed as a morality play? What have the various characters learned by the end? Have they learned anything at all? Focusing in particular on the final banquet scene, examine the possibility that a moral framework, grounded in the evolution of character, governs Shakespeare's narrative.

Discuss the issue of class in the play. Consider the possibility that Tranio may play the role of nobleman better than his master does.

Analyze the juxtaposition in tone and space of the two plot strands in Act IV. What is Shakespeare saying about city v. country, courtship v. marriage, love v. contempt?

Compare Tranio and Grumio, the two most prominent servants in the play. One gets to don a disguise, the other does not. In what ways are the characters similar, in what ways are they different? Most importantly, to what extent does each of them reflect his master?

Analyze Katharina's final monologue. What is she thinking, what is Shakespeare thinking, and what are we meant to think? Compare it to Lucentio's opening speech.

Discuss the role that money plays in the narrative. Consider Petruchio and Baptista in particular.

The Taming of the Shrew Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Taming of the Shrew is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

How does the character of Bianca evolve throughout the play? Is she ever a sympathetic character?

Bianca is Baptista's daughter and the younger sister of Kate. Apparently she is quite attractive. Both Hortensio and Gremio are actively courting her, and Lucentio falls in love with her at first sight. Lucentio calls Bianca a "young modest girl"...

List several terms of falconry used in the first five lines.

• kites-young falcon

Marriage in The Taming of the Shrew

Marriage is important to comedies of every era of literature, from well before Shakespeare's time to ours. Almost all of Shakespeare's comedies end with a marriage, and often with several marriages. Marriage is treated as the natural satisfactory...

Study Guide for The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew study guide contains a biography of William Shakespeare, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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Essays for The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare.

• Petruccio and Katherine: Mutual Love within Hierarchy
• Explore the ways in which Shakespeare uses metatheatre in his plays
• The Paradox of Reality
• The True Shrews to Be Tamed
• Changing Roles

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E-Text of The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew e-text contains the full text of The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare.

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The Taming of the Shrew

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A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

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What purpose does the Christopher Sly frame story serve in this play? How do the ideas and themes of the frame story relate to those in the play proper?

Katherine has a reputation for being naturally “shrewish,” but she reveals a lot about the reasons for her anger and unhappiness. With reference to Katherine’s speeches, write about how Katherine fits into the world around her. Why is she displeased with her family and with her society? What are the origins of her “choleric” temper?

Write on the comparable roles of Christopher Sly and Tranio , both lower-class men disguised as gentlemen (though only one of them is in on the joke). What do these parallel characters reveal about class in Shakespeare’s England?

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Essays on The Taming of The Shrew

Brief description of the taming of the shrew: the taming of the shrew is a comedic play by william shakespeare that explores themes of gender roles, marriage, and societal expectations. the story follows the courtship of petruchio and katherina, two headstrong individuals whose relationship challenges traditional gender dynamics. the play is ... read more brief description of the taming of the shrew: the taming of the shrew is a comedic play by william shakespeare that explores themes of gender roles, marriage, and societal expectations. the story follows the courtship of petruchio and katherina, two headstrong individuals whose relationship challenges traditional gender dynamics. the play is significant for its portrayal of the complexities of love and power, making it a compelling topic for exploration in essays. importance of writing essays on this topic: essays on the taming of the shrew are essential for delving into the complexities of shakespeare's work and understanding the historical and cultural context in which it was written. by exploring the themes and characters in depth, students can develop critical thinking skills and gain insight into the timeless relevance of the play's messages about gender and relationships. tips on choosing a good topic: - consider the themes: look for essay topics that delve into the themes of gender, power dynamics, and societal expectations in the play. - character analysis: choose topics that allow for in-depth analysis of characters such as katherina, petruchio, and bianca. - historical context: explore topics that examine the play's relevance to the time period in which it was written and how it reflects societal norms. essay topics, concluding thought: engaging with the taming of the shrew through essay writing offers a unique opportunity to explore the complexities of shakespeare's work and gain a deeper understanding of its themes and characters. by choosing a compelling topic and conducting thorough analysis, students can develop critical thinking skills and appreciate the enduring relevance of the play's messages. 24 essay samples found sort & filter 1 taming of the shrew archetype analysis, the taming of the shrew: gender roles in shakespeare's play, made-to-order essay as fast as you need it.

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Gender Roles in Shakespeare’s "Taming of The Shrew"

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How to Tame a Shrew According to Petruchio

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Roles Switching in The Taming of The Shrew

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William Shakespeare

Katherine, Petruchio, Bianca, Baptista, Lucentio, Gremio and Hortensio, Gremio and Hortensio, Grumio, Biondello, Christopher Sly

1590-1592, by William Shakespeare

The play describes the volatile courtship between the shrewish Katharina (Kate) and the canny Petruchio, who is determined to subdue Katharina’s legendary temper and win her dowry. The main story is offered as a play within a play; the frame plot consists of an initial two-scene “induction” in which a whimsical lord decides to play a practical joke on a drunken tinker, Christopher Sly, by inducing him to believe that he is in fact a nobleman who has suffered from amnesia and is only now awaking from it. The main body of the play is presented to Sly as an entertainment for his delectation.

The main themes of the play are female submissiveness, gender politics, cruelty, money, and language.

Katherina (Kate) Minola, Bianca Minola, Baptista Minola, Petruchio, Gremio, Lucentio, Hortensio, Grumio, Tranio, Biondello, Vincentio, Widow, Pedant, Haberdasher, Tailor, Curtis, Nathaniel, Peter, Joseph, Nicholas, Phillip, Christopher Sly

The source of the Petruchio-Katharina plot is unknown, although a number of analogues exist in ballads about the “taming” of shrewish women. The play’s other plot involving Bianca and her many suitors was derived from George Gascoigne’s comedy Supposes (1566), itself a translation of I suppositi (1509) by Ludovico Ariosto.

The Taming of the Shrew has always been controversial in terms of sexism. While it presents misogyny as well as abuse of power in both gender and class relations, The Taming of the Shrew seems to do this in an ironic way, with all the dangers of misinterpretation that irony always brings with it.

The Taming of the Shrew has been adapted numerous times for stage, screen, opera, ballet, and musical theatre; perhaps the most famous adaptations being Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate; McLintock!, a 1963 American Western comedy film, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara; and the 1967 film of the play, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The 1999 high-school comedy film 10 Things I Hate About You, and the 2003 romantic comedy Deliver Us from Eva are also loosely based on the play.

“My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, or else my heart concealing it will break.” “Sit by my side, and let the world slip: we shall ne'er be younger.” “There's small choice in rotten apples.” “If I be waspish, best beware my sting.”

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48 Taming of the Shrew Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best taming of the shrew topic ideas & essay examples, 📌 good research topics about taming of the shrew, 🔎 interesting topics to write about taming of the shrew.

• Costumes for “The Taming of the Shrew” by Shakespeare Moreover, deciding on the costumes and them changing over different scenes is one of the ways to emphasize the characters’ roles and their changing while the story develops.
• “The Taming of the Shrew”: Petruchio and Katherina The play The Taming of the Shrew was written at a time of renewed interest in marriage, in the way relations between the sexes were being redrawn by the consequences of the Reformation and by […]
• The Play “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy involving the character Kate Minola. She is seen as a shrew because she is unwilling to conform to society’s assumed norms of the lady of ladyhood.
• Shakespeare’s The Taming of The Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You Film Although this adaptation of Shakespeare’s playwright started as a comedy, it ended in a tragedy, the same way the original version does.
• Analysis of “The Glass Menagerie” and “The Taming of the Shrew” Concerning the outline of the paper, it consists of two major parts: the first one is devoted to “The Glass Menagerie,” and the second one to “The Taming of the Shrew”.
• “Taming of the Shrew” Drama Review Lamber puts the hat on and soon, she is on her feet and is showing herself around, in a fashionable way.
• The Taming of the Shrew Pitch’ by William Sheakspeare It is the expectation in this paper to direct the play to produce a glaring spectator trill. In directly the play and getting it on stage, a number of items are relevant both for the […]
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The Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare’s Globe | Review

The Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare’s Globe   is a rollicking production likely crafted with the tourist audience of this summer season in mind. The ever-present knock about physical humour with a flavour of the absurd may be viewed as fun connecting with those whose first language is not English and yet wish to see Shakespeare played at this stunning and historic theatre.

What is lost however in this show is an emphasis on complexities and language. There’s also the unfortunate impression from the galleries that some of the cast are learning to ‘speak Shakespeare’ while performing to a paying public.  When Shakespeare’s lines are spoken well, they become as clear in meaning as if sunlight is shining down. That does not generally happen here. Never mind, the audience laughs every single time the same single swear word is inserted, prodding them into an irreverent connection with whatever’s going on, which is actually not nothing. Accessibility is important. The accessibility of this production is such however it’s probably better suited for those who aren’t familiar with Shakespeare than for those who are who may be bored.

One of the best Shakespeare speakers is Nigel Barrett as Christopher Sly who happily combines this ability with a larger-than-life presence and great comedic ability. What a memorable, energetic opening he brings to the evening. When everyone present is innocently encouraged to sing along to Delilah, the song about the feelings of a tortured soul who’s murdered his lover. Unfortunately, Nigel Barrett is confined too soon to silence in a playpen for most of the play. Yes, the set contains significant elements of the absurd, as do the costumes. The presence of these initiates questions when introduced but are soon mostly ignored.

Thalissa Teixeira as Katharina successfully portrays a regular modern woman that the modern audience can identify with. One who however finds herself locked into absurd patriarchal power structures in which her character and estimable common sense are regarded with disapproval, requiring even her sense of self to be erased. Katharina’s most effective line is close to the end when she steps out of submission and says, “ Can we stop this stupid play? ”.

Unfortunately, the interactions between Tranio and Luciano are not wholly successful and do create holes in the pace, focus and narrative of both acts. The second act however improves as the horror of the theme of Shakespeare’s play reaches fruition. This being that the worse a husband treats his wife the better, training her in this way into submission. This chills. Most especially in the moments when Petruchio. the husband, well-played as a deliberately unimpressive individual by Andrew Leung, finally demands Katharina kiss him and she does despite her distaste. There’s no suggestion in this production of a sexual attraction between the two of them or that their conflict creates a connection as is often presented but which dilutes and sanitises the disturbing central theme of this play.

What is described here is coercive control, about which there is an excellent essay by Professor Marianne Hester in the programme. That this production continues to roll out humour which keeps many in the audience laughing anyway is a cleverly crafted juxtaposition by director Jude Christian. There’s another terrific article in the programme about Theories of Laughter by Professor Bridget Escolme. It’s a programme worth reading.

The music composed by Corin Buckeridge and performed from the musician’s gallery by five musicians, is enjoyable and vital, creating atmosphere as well as leading the way for the cast into jolly absurdity when needed. There’s a jig at the end.

Some members of the audience left the theatre declaring the production fun, while others were unhappy about the lack of emphasis on Shakespeare’s language and complexities. Many will however speculate afterwards about Shakespeare’s true feelings on the theme he was presenting in apparent approval, taking into account all we know of him, his era and his work.

Be aware if you book a standing ticket the show is two hours in duration (excluding the interval) and the stage is quite high. For the wooden seats under cover, you do have the option of booking a cushion.

Review by Marian Kennedy

The cast comprises Matthew Ashforde as Ensemble/Cover, Nigel Barrett as Christopher Sly/Gremio, John Cummins as Biondello, Lizzie Hopley as Hortensio, Tyreke Leslie as Tranio, Andrew Leung as Petruchio, Sophie Mercell as Bianca, Syakira Moeladi as Ensemble/Cover, Jamie-Rose Monk as Vincentio, Eloise Secker as Grumio, Simon Startin as Baptista, Yasmin Taheri as Lucentio, and Thalissa Teixeira as Katherina.

The show is directed by Jude Christian, designed by Rosie Elnile, with Corin Buckeridge as Composer, Priya Patel Appleby as 2024 Globe Resident Assistant Director and Emma Brunton as Movement & Puppetry Director. Haruka Kuroda is Fight and Intimacy Director, with Liv Morris as Dramaturg.

Lucentio is determined to win the beautiful Bianca’s hand in marriage. When her father declares that it will only happen once her older sister Katharina is wedded, the competition to mould the fiercely independent Katharina into obedient wifely material begins.

The front runner is larger-than-life Petruchio. But with Katharina as proud as she is, it’s going to take shocking levels of manipulation to win her as his bride…

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW 26 June to 26 October 2024 Shakespeare’s Globe

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The Taming of the Shrew

Final performance: 26 October 2024

The Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare’s Globe – review

Jude Christian’s radical production runs until 26 October

“You  mean to  make a puppet of me!”

It’s the line, spoken by the put-upon Katharina to her domineering new husband Petruchio, that unlocks Jude Christian’s version of The Taming of the Shrew, continuing a season at Shakespeare’s Globe that foregrounds the misogynistic underpinnings of so many of the Bard’s texts.

Here, with the company donning giant puppet masks or carrying hand-puppets to perform certain characters, Shrew becomes a Punch and Judy -esque farce. By augmenting the artifice, the pervasive nature of the sexism is inescapable.

Christian’s out-there take on Shakespeare’s problem play is signalled from the moment audiences enter the auditorium, greeted by the sight of Rosie Elnile’s giant, stuffed-toy Shrew that dominates the centre of the Globe stage. Performers enter and exit through its belly, birthed onto the stage with haphazard abandon.

The Globe has to be admired for programming directors who know Shakespeare’s plays have more than enough mettle to carry the weight of contemporary twists. This certainly won’t be a version of the play that any purist will enjoy.

The plot follows a ploy hatched by a series of aristocratic suitors to mould a wayward daughter into a wife, in order to convince a nobleman to give his other, more amenable daughter, for marriage. Even writing it all out makes you cringe a bit. Rather than trying to sanitise the tale, Christian leans into its garishness, admittedly often with varying levels of success.

In Christian’s version of the text, Petruchio (a petulant Andrew Leung) remains an enigmatic, coercive and gaslighting figure – revelling as he essentially tortures his new bride. Thalissa Teixeira’s Katharina, battling to hold focus during a show where every trick in the book has been thrown into the mix, highlights the plight of the shrew’s life – who wouldn’t want to be a bit prickly when surrounded by so many abhorrent men?

In a coup for inspired scheduling, the Globe’s production opens just as Kiss Me, Kate plays less than a mile away at the Barbican. This, I’d say, feels like the more radical interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic. It’s hard to express how much Christian has chucked at the wall here – metatheatrical moments see a cast member scrambling to escape the story, while another is unexpectedly murdered. A third, sat on stage, keeps telling the rest of the troupe to stop wasting time and crack on. There’s excellent and subtle work from Eloise Secker as Petruchio’s servant Grumio, while Ian Charleson Award nominee Tyreke Leslie brings out the laughs as Tranio.

What happens when the company have a problem with their own problem play? The results are far from tame.

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The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare's Globe review - riotous comedy jars with the bitter pill of the production's message | reviews, news & interviews

The taming of the shrew, shakespeare's globe review - riotous comedy jars with the bitter pill of the production's message, this 'shrew' has many fine elements but ultimately they don't coalesce.

A recent Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated that 2.1 million people in the UK had been victims of domestic abuse in the year ending March 2023. So it makes sense that director Jude Christian has addressed this tricky, troubling Shakespeare play by amplifying the genuine trauma caused by Petruchio’s “taming” of his wife Katharina.

What makes less sense is her simultaneous playing up of the script’s pantomime aspects, so that the stage is filled with everything from a giant teddy bear to a costume that makes Petruchio look like the Cookie Monster ( pictured below ). Often The Taming of the Shrew leaves a bad taste in the mouth, but this interpretation feels more like conceptual indigestion.

It’s a shame, because there are many fine individual elements to the production – not least the opening sequence in which Nigel Barrett’s raucously charismatic Christopher Sly staggers drunkenly through the audience, bellowing and picking arguments. When a female groundling takes offence and storms on the stage to throw beer in his face, the atmosphere goes from frozen shock to the realisation that this is the audience’s introduction to Thalissa Teixeira’s spikily assertive Katharina.

This moment of genuine dramatic tension is succeeded by a more whimsical, almost surreal set up as Christopher Sly is confined to an open-topped cage at the side of the stage and the play within a play begins. Each member of the case is given a strip of paper and, as if they’re in a party game, reads out the description of the character they’re about to play with alternate degrees of elation or disappointment.

This too is a device that works well, but immediately afterwards the tone becomes much more confused. Maybe it’s perverse to complain about too much invention in a production – especially in a venue that embraces the carnivalesque like the Globe – but the conceptual clashes discombobulate more than they provoke.

The puppetry – presided over by Emma Brunton – is a key part of the aesthetic, playing on Katharina’s withering assertion to Petruchio that “Belike you mean to make a puppet out of me”. Most successful of the puppets is the doll operated by Katharina’s sister Bianca (a spirited Sophie Mercell), in which she parodies the flirtatious games she must play. Petruchio operating a puppet version of himself when he’s “wooing” Katharina nicely heightens the unease of their exchanges. But the slip back into cute grotesquery, when he appears at his own wedding looking like the Cookie Monster (a resemblance that may not be entirely deliberate) is mystifying.

That’s not least because the production leaves us in no doubt that his brutality is unfeigned. A chill runs through the auditorium when Eloise Secker’s empathetic Grumio ditches her jauntiness and confides in a voice threadbare with fear how much she has suffered under her master. Andrew Leung brings vitality and colour to the role of Petruchio. Yet there is no moment when we can feel any empathy for him whatsoever and as a result the more riotous the comedy becomes, the more hollow the whole endeavour feels.

Teixeira’s Katharina is by contrast both dignified and appealing – we watch in horror as the spiky defence she has created to protect herself against the world’s idiocies is gradually stripped away, not least when she appears literally dressed as a shrew at the end. Yet even the music – in which the singers are too often drowned out by the musicians – can do little to lift a production which ultimately slips down like the bitterest of pills.

• The Taming of the Shrew at the Globe to October 26 
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The Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare’s Globe

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The Taming of the Shrew

6 th June - 26 th October 2024

The Taming of the Shrew once again returns to Shakespeare’s Globe, with carnival chaos and puppets. Directed by Jude Christian, the play follows a five-act structure, but that’s about the only thing kept in line with Shakespeare’s vision.

The adaptation brought the comedy and managed to follow the battle of wits and wills between the headstrong Katharina (Thalissa Teixeira) and her suitor Petruchio (Andrew Leung), who is determined to “tame” her into the role of a compliant wife. The scenes between Katharina and Petruchio were not nearly filled with enough conflict as they should’ve been, although Leung’s overexaggerated portrayal of Petruchio was hilarious, particularly when he continued to address Katharina condescendingly as Kate. Katharina gave as good as she got, although her airheaded sister Bianca (Sophie Mercell) was disappointing in contrast, who spends the best part of the play pushing around a strange doll.

Music is at the centre of the disorder, with Ed Ashby on the tuba and Richard Henry on the trombone amping up the ridiculous chase scenes and wacky musical numbers. Music also adds appropriate background noise to emphasise the sheer absurdity of the matches between the sisters and their suitors. As if that wasn’t strange enough, cast members enter and exit through the mouth of a giant teddy bear that has no bearing or relevance on the play’s subject matter.

Some modern alterations do work to comical effect without trying too hard. Tyreke Leslie nails the part (and the accent) of Tranio/The Nigerian Prince. The costumes are interesting and some follow a traditional look while most of the ensemble cast are dressed like they are stuck somewhere between 2024 and a time warp. They act as an accurate representation of what the play feels like, which is blended havoc. The added directions of audience participation make for some nice light-hearted moments, but overall, the attempts to modernise a play so integral to its time fall flat.

At least what is kept the same are the necessary parts of the story. The induction of Christopher Sly (Nigel Barrett) was as comedic as it was over-the-top and the physical comedy of the whole cast was top-notch. A special mention must be given to Hortensio (Lizzie Hopley) the talking mouth prop, and the puppet of Hortensio’s widow, which works to get some laughs out of Hortensio’s sad but funny realisation that Bianca does not want him. 

This adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew is a two-hour boldly reimagined take on the Bard, complete with out-of-place props, bright red makeup and hilarity. If you want to see a completely revised version of a Shakespearean classic that blurs the lines between the play’s source material and hyperbole, then Christian’s interpretation may be perfect for those insane enough to love it.

Sophie Humphrey Images: Helen Murray and Ellie Kurttz

The Taming of the Shrew is at Shakespeare’s Globe from 6 th June until 26 th October 2024. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here .

Watch the trailer for The Taming of the Shrew here:

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