The Taming Of The Shrew is one of
William Shakespeare's more famous comedies and an interesting exploration of historical
Values Dissonance in the realm of gender relations.
In the play (
within a play) there is a man with two daughters: kind, beautiful Bianca, sought by suitors everywhere, and loud, shrewish Katarina (sometimes spelled "Katherine," but in any case shortened to Kate), whom nobody likes. Their father declares that he will not marry Bianca off unless someone marries Kate first, which seems unlikely. However, a man named Petruchio is attracted by her large dowry and marries her over her objections.
Petruchio strives to tame her to his will, which ultimately succeeding in breaking her spirit, proving to her the existence of woman's natural need for man. When Petruchio returns to Kate's family, they do not believe in her new obedience, and he wins a second dowry from her disbelieving father. The play ends with three happy marriages, and a speech from Kate about the need for women to obey their husbands.
It's hard to find a story more prime for
Alternate Character Interpretation. Other readers see 'sweet' Bianca as a manipulative little bitch 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. He certainly does not break her spirit. A broken girl couldn't play up to him as cleverly as the 'tamed' Kate does.
Shakespeare's play is based on older works. Significantly, these versions emphasized women's inferiority. Shakespeare's Kate on the other hand argues that women should be obedient to their husbands because said husbands love them and want only what is best for them. Admittedly an arguable proposition, but it puts her in a different category from the patient Griselda who endured any kind of mistreatment as a duty.
This play contains the following tropes:
- Aborted Arc: 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.
- There is a theory that this introduction is Shakespeare saying, "Hey everyone, this play is not what it seems (satire, parody, whatever), please take that into account before you throw shoes at me". And another one that it's Shakespeare saying "Hey, isn't it silly that that page is pretending to be such an obedient wife? It's not any less silly when it's a real actor instead of a character." And also: "Everyone is acting, you get that? Acting? I can have characters play roles inside the story. *cough*kate*cough"
- Alternate Character Interpretation: There is a theory that Kate doesn't genuinely submit to Petruchio but is putting on an act and merely becomes shrewd to get her way with her husband. Supporting this is how Kate doesn't gradually become submissive but, almost in exasperation, just starts agreeing with him in a completely unrealistic way, and this behavior gets Petruchio to do what she wants. (Thus learning the very lesson he's trying to teach: one catches more flies with honey than with vinegar.)
- Another one: Petruchio is lampooning society (specifically gender roles) throughout the play; the "taming" is really him just trying to get Kate to play along with him without having to drop the joke by telling her in front of other people. (Crucial bit to reading this: in that scene where Kate starts to go along with him, "moon" and "sun" are metaphors for Petruchio).
- Attractive Bent Gender: In the play outside the play, the tinker Christopher Sly is lusting after a page who the local lord has dressed up as a woman as part of an elaborate joke. (This is Meta Humor, of course.)
- Beta Couple: Bianca and Lucentio, though they seem like the Official Couple at first, if you think the Zany Scheme below is the actual main plot.
- Break The Haughty
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Kate
- Does Not Like Men: Kate
- Double Entendre: The first conversation Kate and Petruchio have consists of practically nothing but one after another.
- Fan Fic: The Tamer Tamed a play written by John Fletcher in 1611. Shakespeare apparently approved of the work.
- Framing Device: A drunken tinker has been made to believe that he is really a lord, and the play is being put on for his amusement.
- The Glorious War Of Sisterly Rivalry
- Gold Digger
- Guise Will Be Guise: Tranio stands in for Lucentio, who is busy courting Bianca. A merchant stands in for Vincentio.
- Hurricane Of Puns: Dialogue between Kate and Petruchio.
- Like A Weasel: Petruchio forces Kate to behave like this with him.
- Love At First Punch: Petruchio views Kate's hostility as a challenge.
- The Musical: Kiss Me Kate, where the original frame story is exchanged for Baltimore in 1947, and a theater company is putting on a musical production of the aforementioned play. Kate's actress (Petruchio/the director's ex-wife) threatens to walk out, the mob gets involved, and characters break character on stage as the "backstage" drama threatens to go out of control.
- Pygmalion Plot: Petruchio molds Kate into his ideal wife.
- The Red Sonja: Kate, in some interpretations.
- Rule Abiding Rebel: The play is praised by some as a proto-feminist work. Kate's speech at the end is taken by them to be ironic. It is likely not.
- Though it is possible to read it as unironic and still see the work as proto-feminist. See the last paragraph of the description.
- Show Within A Show: The main plot is contained in a play being performed for the tinker.
- Shut Up Kiss: In the movie version, Kate is unable to say the word "not" after "I will" during her unwilling marriage because her new husband grabs and kisses her.
- Sibling Yin Yang
- Spank The Cutie
- Tsundere: Kate
- Upper Class Wit: Petruchio
- Values Dissonance: The play is frequently attacked by feminists who completely understand the fact that, regardless of Alternate Character Interpretation, it contains ultimately anti-feministic humor.
- What Happened To The Mouse: 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.
- Which would be Completely Missing The Point; Sly's bits are pretty important to the interpretation of the rest of the play.
- It's worth noting that earlier versions of the story include an ending for Sly. There's a theory that someone lost the script for Shakespeare's version of that ending.
- Why Would Anyone Take Him Back?
- Writers Cannot Do Math: Look for it during the placing of the bets near the end (of the play; the movie corrects it). It seems even Shakespeare isn't immune to Writers tropes.
- Zany Scheme: 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.
