THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

William Shakespeare

Small mouselike mammal with a long snout; related to moles. Known for its ugly temper Also, a woman with a bad temper (unfortunately, a BeeOtch)

1. Shrew

Katharina and Petruchio– a marriage made in heaven?

2. shrewd

clever, always able to get your way through smarts

Annabelle is so shrewd;she can manipulate her mom to get her whatever she wants at the store.

a shrewd gambler got his money

In his strategy soliloquy, Pete shows he’s shrewd.

He knows what he wants.

He wants a happy household--her money is a bonus)

page 109, Act II, sc. i His strategy is to woo

and win Kate by mirroring to her the opposite of each of her behaviors.

Reasons she might be shrewish:

furious at the world (unfair era for women)

motherless; perhaps no good guidance?

jealous of Baptista’s overt love and kindness to Bianca.

angry that no one likes her? “no one ever taught me how to play

nice… poor me…”

Shrew Vocab #1

1. a.shrew b.shrewd

2. Shakespearean comedy, as

opposed to Shakespearean tragedy

3. pantaloon 4. sarcasm 5. induction 6. irony

7. foil 8. players 9. pedant 10. dowry 11. haberdasher 12. submissive,

submit 13. ingrate 14. domineer, (-ing)

Sentences for number #2 & #3 The Taming of the

Shrew is a Shakespearean comedy.

“I am so glad you could make it”, the teacher said sarcastically to the late student.

Definition for “induction” #5 To start

something or cause it to start.

When the doctor induced the pregnant lady’s labor, she started to have the baby.

Sentences for #6

6. When something happens that is the opposite of what we would expect.

When the dentist got a cavity, that was ironic.

When Jerry the mouse chased Tom the cat, it was ironic.

# 7 foil

Two items which contrast with one another are foils

Kim Kardashian is a perfect foil for Taylor Swift.

dark hair “skanky”

blondie, “good girl”

#8 players

actors in a play Shakespearean “players” can play several parts.

Sentences

9. The teacher was so pedantic; she wouldn’t just relax and let us learn. She was just a know-it-all.

11. Men’s Wearhouse is a haberdashery.

10. When the young woman got married, her father had to pay a dowry to the groom’s family.

12.

Shrew Vocab #2

1. prose (n.) 2. pun (n.) 3. fret (v.) 4. fume (v.) 5. lineage (n.) 6. nobility (n.) 7. farce (n.)

8. slapstick (n.) 9. a. soliloquy

(n.)b. monologue (n.)

10. daunt 11. prodigy 12. abate 13. delude 14. construe

The Foils

BiancaKate’s younger and

much sweeter sister

Lucentio (pretends to be

Cambio Bianca’s teacher)

…Lucentio really likes Bianca, but…

The Dad

Won’t marry off the younger sister Bianca, until he gets rid of Kate the Shrew.

Baptista(the girls’ dad– kind of a hard-nosed guy)

Bummer for Bianca and Lucentio.

What’s the 1st Conflict?

1. he has to give a substantial dowry for each girl– this is expensive.

2. he has to live with Kate forever if Bianca gets married, and he likes Bianca better.

The dad refuses to “marry off” the younger daughter before the older one gets married

several reasons:

What’s the main Conflict?

Petruchio must “tame” wild Kate.

He begins taming her even before their 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.

Get em straight. Grumio is Petruchio’s

servant. Like a horse’s “groom” in a stable

Gremio is one of several guys who likes Bianca

“Will that be all, Sir?”

Spoiler:Lucentio gets her, and Hortensio ends up marrying the widow.

“Why yes, splendid, Grumio. Thank you so much.”

Servants

Luc’s servants

Tranio--- helps Lucentio by pretending to be Lucentio

Biondello

Grumio--the fool of the play. He provides comic relief by pretending to misunderstand Petruchio and getting into ridiculous arguments with him.

Curtis Pedant– a man who is a “know-it-all” Tailor– a guy who makes clothes Haberdasher– a guy who sells clothing

goods

Petruchio’s servants

Baptista’s helpers

Imagine the scene where Kate and Petruchio will meet.At least 2 solid paragraphs

35 points.

Write a dialogue between the two. Will Petruchio charm Kate? Will he still want to marry her after he meets her?

Your dialogue should capture the confident and headstrong nature of both characters.

Setting (time and place)

Padua, Italy (Kate and Bianca’s house)

Verona Petruchio’s country house

Time could be medieval, Elizabethan, or modern (see BBC’s newest version!)

Kiss Me Kate is set in 1953 America

Wives are to be “obedient, humble, and modest” (like Bianca)

They shouldn’t go tearing up the house (like Kate) and

disobeying fathers, brothers, husbands. They certainly shouldn’t have

minds of their own.

Elizabethan AttitudeToward Women

The Elizabethan era was named after Queen Elizabeth (1546-1603)

“Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear (respect).”

1 Peter 3:1-6

“Do not let your adornment be merely outward– arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel,-- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”

1 Peter continued

“Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.” (v. 7)

The husband verse which follows:

What is your opinion of the verse commanding women to be submissive to their husbands?

Girls, are you willing to obey this command? Why? Think about problems that come up in marriages--- lack of money, kids giving trouble (or just babies crying!), or living situations..

Journal Entry #1 for Shrew:

All students answer this.

Girls answer.

Guys, as husbands, do you believe that men should be the heads of the household and the woman should defer to you? Why? Think about problems that come up in marriages--- lack of money, kids giving trouble (or just babies crying!), or living situations.Give at least 3 solid reasons

Elizabethans took Bible commands very literallyGuys

answer.

Meaning: “white”– inference: pure, good, blameless

Symbolism of Bianca’s name

1. CAT: Punning on the name "Kate" and "cat," Petruchio threatens to turn Kate from a "wild

Kate" to a "household Kate" (2.1.39)

Animal allusions in Taming of the Shrew

“I can haz cheezburger now?”

Continued comparisons of people to animals.

2. “cart her rather” (like a horse)

3. “shrew”

4. “Wasp”

5. “buzzard” (Kate to Petruchio)

6. Petruchio later compares her to a falcon, a bird of prey that he must starve and deprive of sleep in order to break or tame.

7. the Lord refers to Sly as a "swine" and a "beast"

8. numerous references to Kate as the devil (also thought of as a beast)

ANIMALS,continuedSubhuman status and romantic insults?

Roberts also notes that "a great deal of the humor of the first meeting between Kate and her suitor […] depends on the determination of each to reduce the other to subhuman status."

Why do people who love each other insult each other?

“…You never bring me fresh meat any more, you big, lazy, hairy, animal…..!!!!”

Petruchio's wedding getup and Kate's dirty old dress

A. Disguise

B. Appearance

vs.

Reality

C. Control

Petruchio's ridiculous wedding digs are just one kind of disguise we see in the play. Petruchio doesn't normally dress this way – it's all part of his strategy to "tame" Kate by playing the role of erratic and excessively domineering husband. (You can read more about the other kinds of disguises in our discussion of the theme "Art and Culture.") When Petruchio arrives at the wedding ceremony late and dressed like Rainbow Brite's twin brother, he demonstrates his ability to embarrass and publicly humiliate his bride (and her father). Petruchio's outrageous getup makes it perfectly clear that Kate has absolutely no control over what Petruchio wears or how he behaves.

Baptista doesn't have any control over Petruchio either. When the old man asks Petruchio to change into something more appropriate, Petruchio replies that Kate is marrying the man, not his clothes. Petruchio is being a jerk, of course, but there's a whole lot of truth in what he says. Outward appearances are not necessarily indicative of a person's true identity, a lesson we learn over and over throughout the play. This point is lost on Baptista when Petruchio follows it up by saying something like: "By the way, dad, I can't wait for your daughter to wear me out in the sack tonight. Wink, wink."

Petruchio also exercises his control over Kate by controlling what she wears later on in the play. Before the pair set off for Bianca's wedding in Act 4, Petruchio causes a big ruckus over the clothes and hat that have been custom made for Katherine. Petruchio claims they're not up to snuff and insists that he and Kate wear old rags to Bianca's wedding. Kate is livid – like a toddler, she's not even allowed to pick out her own clothes. She's also not allowed to complain about this because Petruchio tells her to zip it, or else they're not going to Padua.

http://www.shmoop.com/taming-of-the-shrew/petruchio-wedding-getup-kate-dirty-old-dress-symbol.html

Allusions, Act 1, scene i

Contrasting animals to gods or civil, classically -educated human beings with manners

To Minerva (goddess wisdom)

To Aristotle, Ovid (classical lit)

“as Anna to the Queen of Carthage was”

“great Jove”

3 characteristics of a Shakespearean Comedy

The would-be lovers must overcome obstacles, before they have a harmonious union (often a wedding).

The theme of love is prevalent in every Shakespeare comedy.

1. Happy Ending

2. Love 3. Mistaken Identities

In Shrew, Tranio becomes Lucentio and Lucentio becomes “Cambio”, Bianca’s teacher, in order to get close to her.

4. The most significant characteristic of Shakespeare’s mature comedies:

She experiences a total “turnaround” in her character

4. A philosophical aspect involving weightier issues and themes

In Shrew, Kate’s personal identity changes…

…She recognizes the importance of love in human existence, and changes her behavior.

from “wild woman” … … to “obedient wife.”

2. pun-- a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings

An example of a “pun” is:

“Wild Kate”– instead of a “wild cat”

more puns

The guitarist passed out on stage…he must have rocked himself to sleep.

An example of a “farce” is:

“The Taming of the Shrew”, a farcical play.Bugs Bunny cartoons are farcical.

7. farcea comedy that is full of coincidence and ridiculous events. Coincidence is where things happen together randomly.

Examples of “slapstick comedy” are:

“The 3 Stooges” or “Tom and Jerry”.

Slapstick is when Petruchio kisses Kate so loudly it is heard throughout the church

8. slapstick -- a form of comedy with obvious physical play literally “you

slap the actor with a stick!”

Homework due Tuesday

Read all of Act 5, pp. to 279

do page 238, #’s 1, 6, 8.

do #2, An extended metaphor. Write a long paragraph for this

do page 239, #4, soliloquy do page 239, #4, Pretend that women had

the upper hand.

The DADS

VINCENTIO

“venerable father” (old man on the road)

father to Lucentio, who is pretending to be a teacher

he knows that Tranio is just a servant

BAPTISTAfather to the girls

theme: ORDER VS. DISORDER

Kate’s home in Padua

(Not in order) Directions: For Acts

1-3, write at least 7 Act, Scene, and line examples in which you find Kate misbehaving.

Disorderly home Kate throwing

dishes, chairs Kate screaming

and disrespecting Pet and Dad

hitting Bianca and tying her hands (bullying

Pete’s country home in Verona

Orderly home not at all in

Verona!

Disorderly home Petruchio

shouting at his servants (Act 4.)

theme: ORDER VS. DISORDER

Orderly home Kate begins

to plea for order “Husband, be

patient.” Husband, have a

little understanding” (the meat was fine)

“Thank you.” Acceptance Manners

Disorderly home things begin to come

“into line” as Pete keeps up his “abuse” of Kate.

Directions: next to each in the left column, write the Act, scene, and line in which you find them

Shrew # 2 vocab

1. Prose

2. Pun 3. fret

1. basic talking or writing, NO rhyming

2. A play on words 3. The spaces on a

guitar or stringed instrument BUT it also means “to worry”

Shrew vocab #2, continued

4. fume

5. lineage

6. nobility

4. to be very angry 5. the bloodline

from great grandparents, to parent, to you, on to your children and grandchildren

6. people who are born high-ranking, like princes and lords.

Shrew vocab #2 continued

7. farce

8. slapstick

9. soliloquy, monologue

9. Hamlet’s famous soliloquy begins with “To be, or not to be…”

*solus: alone*loqu, to speak (L.)

*mono: one*logy, logue: word study, speech (Gr.)

Copyright Debora B. Schwartz, 1996-2002 

Some information taken from http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl339/comedy.html