1. The Taming of the Shrew - Intro

2. Background Play by William Shakespeare Written between 1592-94
Genre – Drama (comedy)
First performed in 1594 in which Shakespeare himself acted as Vincentio
Many adaptations of the play have been made in past as well as recent times

3. About the Play It is a play within a play
Principal five acts of the play is preceded by an Induction
Major concerns: Love, Marriage, Role of Women
The action takes place in various locations in Padua (near Venice), Italy, and at a house in the nearby countryside.

4. About the Play
The structure of the play is unique, because it the only work by Shakespeare that is a play within a play.
The Induction serves as a framework for the play, however the characters in the Induction are abandoned after Act I Scene I.

5. Main Characters (Induction)
Christopher Sly: A vagrant found drunk by a Lord in front of a tavern.
Lord: A wealthy nobleman who finds Sly and decides to play a trick on him.
Hostess: The owner of the tavern.
Page: A boy servant of the Lord.
Players: A group of traveling actors

6. Main Characters The Men
Petruchio: Boisterous and domineering gentleman of Verona. Comes to Padua to increase his fortune by marrying a rich wife. Woos and wins Katharine against all odds and tames the ‘shrew’.  
Lucentio: Vincentio's son. Has come to study in Padua from Pisa but fall in love with Bianca.    Disguises himself as Cambio, a classics teacher to woo Bianca.

7. Main Characters The Women
Katharine : aka Kate. The Shrew. Temperamental, sharp tongued, strong-willed daughter of Baptista who will not take a husband. Finally, capitulates to Petruchio and becomes a ‘model’ wife.  
Bianca: Gentle but somewhat spoiled daughter of Baptista. Has many suitors but cannot marry until someone marries Katharine.

8. Main Characters The Fathers
Baptista Minola: Wealthy gentleman of Padua. Father of Katharine and Bianca.    Refuses to allow Bianca to marry unless Kate is married first.
Vincentio: Elderly gentleman & merchant of Pisa.   Lucentio’s father.

9. Main Characters Lucentio’s Servants
Tranio: Crafty. Disguises himself as Lucentio so that Lucentio can disguise himself as a tutor, Cambio, for Bianca. Courts Bianca on his master’s behalf.
Biondello: Not too bright. Reports on Petruchio’s coming to the wedding & his outrageous attire. Slander’s his own master’s father.

10. Main Characters Bianca’s Other Suitors
Gremio: Old, rich man. Courts Bianca.
Hortensio: Same and Petruchio’s friend. Disguises himself as Litio, a musician to woo Bianca. Gives up on Bianca to marry a rich widow when he learns that she favours Cambio. Gives Petruchio the tip about Kate.

11. Main Characters Petruchio’s Servants
Grumio: Crafty & funny. Comments on the action & characters. The fool of the play.
Curtis: not too bright. Provides humor when Grumio comes home to bring news of the trip from Padua to Verona
Nathaniel, Nicholas, Joseph, Philip, Peter

12. Main Characters Petruchio’s Servants
Grumio: Crafty & funny. Comments on the action & characters. The fool of the play.
Curtis: not too bright. Provides humor when Grumio comes home to bring news of the trip from Padua to Verona
Nathaniel, Nicholas, Joseph, Philip, Peter

13. Themes - Role of Women in Society
Renaissance Italy promoted inequality of females by forcing them into submissive roles.
The comedy that satirizes silly and unfair social customs and behaviors that favor males.
Baptista Minola expects his daughters to do his bidding. He decides who Bianca will marry (the richest bachelor), and orders Katharina's betrothal to Petruchio, a man she says she despises.

14. Themes - Role of Women in Society
Petruchio forces Katharine to acknowledge that he is always right, even when he says the sun is the moon.
At the end of the play, all of the husbands brag about what they apparently believe is an important quality of a wife: submissiveness.  

15. Themes - Role of Women in Society
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy that satirizes silly or unfair social customs and courting practices, often through farce.
Farce is a type of comedy that relies on exaggeration, horseplay, and unrealistic or improbable situations to provoke laughter. In a farce, plotting takes precedence over characterization.

16. Themes – Women, Wealth & Property
In Europe, it was customary for a bride or her family to provide the groom a dowry. Thus, marriage was viewed as an economic institution.
In The Taming of the Shrew, Baptista Minola offers a generous dowry to the man who marries his daughter, Katharine.
Generally, a  dowry was a grant usually consisting of real estate, valuables, or money. It was not an outright gift to the husband as in the play.

17. Themes – Subjugation of Women
The idea that women must be tamed, like wild animals.
Petruchio uses the same tactics to tame Katharine that he uses to tame hunting birds and other animals