History Theatre / TheTamingOfTheShrew

* FanFic: ''The Woman's Prize, or The Tamer Tamed'', a play written by John Fletcher in 1611. Shakespeare apparently approved of the work. The play reverses the gender politics of the original (where Petruchio is tamed by his new wife after Kate's death) and indicates that even in Shakespeare's day, the play was considered a bit too misogynistic for comfort.

* GoldDigger: Petruchio, oh so much.

The play was adapted to film several times. A 1929 version starred Hollywood power couple Creator/MaryPickford and Creator/DouglasFairbanks in her second talking film and his first, and the only film they appeared in together. Probably the most well-known adaptation is the 1967 version, directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring another Hollywood power couple, Creator/ElizabethTaylor and Creator/RichardBurton (it's the source of the page image).

The play was adapted to film several times; the 1967 version, directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Creator/ElizabethTaylor and Creator/RichardBurton is probably the most famous (and the source of the page image).

It's hard to find a story more prime for AlternativeCharacterInterpretation. Some readers see 'sweet' Bianca as a little manipulator who's got their father twisted 'round her finger, and Kate 'acts out' just to get some of his attention. It is also clear that, though it is the thought of a fat dowry that initially attracts him, Petruchio is also enchanted by Kate's quick wit. His challenge is to break what has become a conditioned reflex. Many adaptations do something to undercut the Kate-submits-to-Petruchio ending.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Tranio's father was a 'sail maker' from land-locked Bergamo. Bergamo is the nearest large city to Lake Iseo and close to Lake Como, creating a Bergamo boat-making and sail-making industry which started long before the 16th century and continues to this day.

* BavarianFireDrill: Essentially how Tranio (disguised as Lucentio) dupes a random passerby and passes him off as Vincentio-- he asks the guy where he's from, and on his reply (Mantua) claims that the dukes of Mantua and Padua are feuding, and that any citizens of one city found in the other would be arrested and executed. It would've worked, too, [[ConfrontingYourImposter if the real Vincentio hadn't shown up.]]

* InLoveWithYourCarnage: Petruchio is not at all put off by the fact that Kate has just ''broken a lute over someone's head'' - "Now, by the world, it is a lusty wench! I love her ten times more than ever."

--> '''Lucentio''': Now, mistress, profit you in what you read?
--> '''Bianca''': What, master, read you? first resolve me that.
--> '''Lucentio''': I read what I profess, ''[[Creator/{{Ovid}} The Art to Love]]''.
--> '''Bianca''': And may you prove, sir, master of your art!

* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Kate even hits her sister, and binds her hands. Incestuous BDSM or what?!

* AbortedArc: The play starts off with a wealthy man deciding to pull a prank on a drunkard, by fooling him into thinking he's suffering from amnesia and is actually incredibly wealthy, and the play itself is provided for his amusement. After this, the entire setup is forgotten, and outside of one of them remarking on the play briefly as they're watching, this beginning is never brought up again.
** Probably the scenes resolving this subplot are lost to history, along with quite a bit of Shakespeare's work thanks to the fact that he didn't bother to preserve his plays himself in any form and many of the written texts of the period were bad knockoff versions penned by others. It's also been speculated that the frame story was added to the play later, probably by someone other than Shakespeare.
** In some collections, a resolution to the Christopher Sly arc IS added (though it's unclear whether it was actually written by Shakespeare or by someone else). In the ending in ''The Norton Shakespeare'', [[spoiler: Sly falls asleep before the end of the PlayWithinAPlay and the men dress him back up in his regular clothes and when he wakes up, he's back where they found him. He thinks it's a dream, and the bartender tells him that he should go home to his wife. Sly agrees, and muses that in the dream, he learned a thing or two about taming a shrew, and maybe he'll try it out]].
*** These scenes are from Taming of A Shrew, a play that, for complicated reasons, may either be based on or be a basis of Taming of THE Shrew. Much debate occurs over this stapling on of another (much worse) play's ending.

* FramingDevice: A drunken tinker has been made to believe that he is really a lord, and the play is being put on for his amusement.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: There's growing discussion among critics about the induction scenes with Christopher Sly -- which starts the play and intermingles with it, then disappears and gets forgotten about. These scenes are often left out of modern performances.

* WouldHitAGirl: Petruchio's "I swear I'll cuff you if you strike again." (Kate counters by telling him he'll be no gentleman if he does so, and it's never brought up again, as they just continue their punning)

-->--'''Petruchio''', ''The Taming of the Shrew''

The play was adapted to film several times; the 1967 version, directed by Franco Zefirelli and starring Creator/ElizabethTaylor and Creator/RichardBurton is probably the most famous (and the source of the page image).

* BavarianFireDrill: Essentially how Tranio (disguised as Lucentio) dupes a random passerby and passes him off as Vincentio-- he asks the guy where he's from, and on his reply (Mantua) claims that the dukes of Mantua and Padua are feuding, and that any citizens of one city found in the other would be arrested and executed. It would've worked, too, [[BecauseIAmJonesy if the real Vincentio hadn't shown up.]]

* DemotedtoExtra: In the Abridged book made for 30 minutes every characters that isn't Kate, Pertuchio, Baptista, Lucentio or Tranio

** Some productions merely have Petruchio giggle at the innuendo, as was the 1980s version with Creator/JohnCleese as Petruchio.

* FanFic: ''The Woman's Prize, or The Tamer Tamed'' a play written by John Fletcher in 1611. Shakespeare apparently approved of the work. The play reverses the gender politics of the original (where Petruchio is tamed by his new wife after Kate's death) and indicates that even in Shakespeare's day, the play was considered a bit too misogynistic for comfort

* LargeHam: Petruchio is often played as this. Check out Marc Singer's performance in the filmed 1976 production. Kate is equally hammy in this production as well.

* WritersCannotDoMath: Look for it during the placing of the bets near the end (of the play; the movie corrects it).
** However the mistake has also been interpreted as intentional because it is done by Lucentio, [[TooDumbToLive who is not all that bright.]]

* ArtisticLicenseGeography: '''Averted''', though not obviously so. Tranio’s father was a ‘sail maker’ from land-locked Bergamo. Bergamo is the nearest large city to Lake Iseo and close to Lake Como, creating a Bergamo boat-making and sail-making industry which started long before the 16th century and continues to this day.
** And then played straight. Lucentio claims Padua is in Lombardy, when in fact it is in Veneto.
* AsYouKnow: Lucentio's opening speech to Tranio. [[{{Exposition}} For some reason]], feels the need to tell his servant where they are, why they're here, where he was born, and where he was raised. We later find out that Tranio was taken in by Lucentio's family at the age of ''three''. [[FridgeLogic There is no excuse for him not to know any of this]].

-->'''Petruchio''': Come, come, you wasp; i’ faith, you are too angry.
-->'''Katrina''': If I be waspish, best beware my sting.
-->'''Petruchio''': My remedy is then, to pluck it out.
-->'''Katrina''': Ay, if the fool could find it where it lies.
-->'''Petruchio''': Who knows not where a wasp does wear his sting? In his tail.
-->'''Katrina''': In his tongue.
-->'''Petruchio''': Whose tongue?
-->'''Katrina''': Yours, if you talk of tails: and so farewell.
-->'''Petruchio''': What, ''With my tongue in your tail?'' Nay, come again. Good Kate; I am a gentleman.
-->''[Kate slaps him]''

* ZanyScheme: Bianca's suitors disguise themselves as tutors, leaving Lucentio's servant to impersonate him in dealing with Bianca's father and dragging in another guy to impersonate Lucentio's father. It works.
** Lucentio is not the only one to come up with this scheme; he wins because he ''is'' the only one to both be a tutor ''and'' a normal suitor.

It's hard to find a story more prime for AlternativeCharacterInterpretation. Some readers see 'sweet' Bianca as a little manipulator who's got their father twisted 'round her finger, and Kate 'acts out' just to get some of his attention. It is also clear that though it is the thought of a fat dowry that initially attracts him, Petruchio is also enchanted by Kate's quick wit. His challenge is to break what has become a conditioned reflex. Many adaptations do something to undercut the Kate-submits-to-Petruchio ending.

* TheConfidant: Tranio to Lucentio, who compares him to a famous example of the trope in Virgil's ''{{Aeneid}}'': "That are to me as secret and as dear/As Anna to the Queen of Carthage was."

It's hard to find a story more prime for AlternativeCharacterInterpretation. Some readers see 'sweet' Bianca as a little manipulator who's got their father twisted 'round her finger, and Kate 'acts out' just to get some of his attention. It is also clear that though it is the thought of a fat dowry that initially attracts him, Petruchio is also enchanted by Kate's quick wit. His challenge is to break what has become a conditioned reflex.

->''And kiss me, Kate; we will be married a Sunday!''
-->--'''Petruchio:''', ''The Taming of the Shrew''

* AbortedArc: The play starts off with a wealthy man deciding to pull a prank on a drunkard, by fooling him into thinking he's suffering from amnesia and is actually incredibly wealthy, and the play itself is provided for his amusement. After this, the entire setup is pretty much forgotten, and outside of one of them remarking on the play briefly as they're watching, this beginning is never brought up again.