1. 1485-1660: A BRIEF BACKGROUND The English Renaissance & Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew

2. The Monarchy & the Church The Elizabethan Era Writers influenced by rulers. Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon. Martin Luther wrote 95 arguments against Roman Catholicism. Henry VIII breaks away from Rome and becomes head of the Church of England. “Bloody” Mary (Catholic) succeeds Henry VIII. Puritan reformers gain power. 1558: Elizabeth I (protestant) succeeds Mary. Defeated the Spanish armada, establishing England as a super power. 1603: Elizabeth I is succeeded by James I, who begins the Stuart line. The Renaissance: Historical Context

3. The Rise of the Stuarts The Defeat of the Monarchy 1605: Gunpowder Plot (led by Guy Fawkes, Catholic) 1625: Charles I succeeds his father, James 1629: Charles I dismisses Parliament 1640: Charles reconvenes Parliament, which strips the kings of many of his powers The Renaissance: Historical Context

4. The Renaissance: Cultural Influences

5. …Elizabethan Drama Shakespeare’s Influence  37 plays  Tragedies, comedies, & histories  Marked by clever wordplay, memorable characters, & complex plots Other playwrights  Christopher Marlowe  Psychological probing  Ben Jonson  Masques (elaborate scenery, costumes, music, dance, etc.) 1649—Puritans close theaters The Renaissance: Literature Elizabethan Drama…

6. Dramatic Conventions & Writing Style Conventions of Shakespeare's Comedy Soliloquy Aside Monologue Dramatic Irony Prose  Ordinary language used to emphasis characters of low social status Iambic Pentameter  Stylized language used to emphasize characters of high social status Comedy through language  Word play, metaphors, insults Love  Thematic  Also, pairs of lovers Complex plots  Intricate plot  5-part plot w/ induction Mistaken identities  Disguises  Gender relations Shakespearean Comedy

7. The Taming of the Shrew Contains 3 stories of deception Play-within-a-play  Similarly used in Hamlet  Petruchio pretends to be a male shrew, beating and berating servants  Goal is to give Kate a taste of her own medicine Role of deception and disguise Gender expectation and roles  The play mirrors societal attitudes of Shakespeare’s time.  Shrew was a stock character in comedy.  An uncontrollable, unreasonably angry, and sometimes cruel woman  Shrew usually gets “was she deserve[s]”  Shakespeare treats the shrew with a little more dignity

8. The Taming of the Shrew: Major Players Baptista Minola: A rich gentleman of Padua and the father of Katherine and Bianca Katharina Minola: Called the shrew Bianca Minola: Younger daughter who acts innocent and sweet Gremio: A foolish old man and suitor to Bianca Hortensio: A suitor to Bianca who disguises himself as a music teacher

9. The Taming of the Shrew: Major Players Lucentio: Disguises himself as a Latin teacher to spend time with Bianca Tranio: Lucentio’s servant who disguises himself as Lucentio Biondello: Lucentio’s other servant Vincentio: Lucentio’s father from Pisa Petruchio: Suitor to Katherine the shrew Grumio: Petruchio’s servant (often acts as the comic relief in the play)