Silly hilarious. I read this in high school and remember how crazy it was. ( )

One of my favorite Shakespeare plays to be watched on the stage. Not as much fun reading as watching, but still entertaining.

Tells the story of two sisters, one evil (Kat) and one nice (Bianca). Their father refuses to let Bianca marry until her evil sister is married off first. Of course humor and chaos ensue as their suitors try to win their hearts and succeed in marriage.

Thinking about this play always reminds me of the film 10 Things I Hate About You, which is a modern-day version of the story. ( )

Absolutely the best version to date. ( )

Sensmoralen i The Taming of the Shrew måste vara något av det mest obehagliga som kommit av bardens penna: bete dig som ett arsle mot din hustru, och hon kommer förvandlas från argsint och egensinnig till en mjuk och foglig, anständig kvinna. Det finns dessutom ett litet stycke förväxlingskomedi inslängt, med nutida ögon sett inte vansinnigt originellt men troligen möjligt att utveckla, och en konstig ramberättelse som aldrig får ett slut men som nog måste ha inspirerat till Jeppe på berget.

Huvudberättelsen är som följer: den rike Baptista har två döttrar, den argsinta Katharina och den fogliga och vackra Bianca. Bianca har naturligtvis fler friare än det finns dagar i veckan, Katharina ingen. Baptista har lovat att inte gifta bort Bianca innan hennes storasyster fått en make, vilket får Biancas friare att sluta fred. In kommer Petruchio, som friar till Katharina. Samtidigt förklär sig två av Biancas friare till lärare för att kunna vara nära henne. Petruchio och Katharina firar bröllop, och från första stund malträterar han henne, om inte medelst slag så genom hårda ord, låta henne svälta och hålla henne vaken. Samtidigt har den förklädde Vincentio med hjälp av sin tjänare Tranio, som fått spela honom, utmanövrerat alla medtävlare om Biancas gunst. Han har dock varit tvungen att leta reda på någon som kan spela rollen som hans far. Självfallet dyker den riktiga fadern upp. Till slut löses allt, och vid en avslutande bankett visas hur snäll och foglig Katharina numera är.

Historien är som synes inte så mycket att hänga i granen – misogyn och föga överraskande. Språket då? Besviket får jag nog erkänna att antingen är jag lite för klen i engelska för att riktigt kunna hänga med, eller så är Shakespeare inte fullt så fyndig som jag väntade. Visst, det finns roliga passager, men ofta så når det inte riktigt ända fram till mig. Det är förvisso ett tidigt verk, men det är ingen ursäkt, bara en förklaring.

Jag brukar försöka att undvika att låta mina åsikter om budskapet i ett verk inverka på omdömet alltför mycket, men här blir det alltför bärande, alltför uppenbart som den ram som resten byggts upp kring för att en sådan föresats skall vara möjlig eller ens rimlig. Då kan jag tyvärr inte rekommendera det här dramat när Shakespeare har producerat annat som är så mycket bättre. ( )

FFYAA

http://nhw.livejournal.com/1097781.ht...

Well, I knew there would be at least one of these: I really didn't like The Taming of the Shrew. The basic storyline is simply too unpleasant: Katherina, obviously a very unhappy person, is intimidated into submission by a bloke called Petruchio who appears out of nowhere and for no apparent reason decides to marry her. There is lots of beating of servants; how hilarious.

It's not totally awful. The suitors trying to court Katherina's sister Bianca are moderately funny, and the Katherina / Petruchio relationship, though generally very dodgy, is almost sweet in the penultimate scene. But it's not really enough to mask the general nastiness of the plot. I did wonder a bit to what extent the complex father-child relationships, and the difficulties of managing households in two different cities, were drawn from Shakespeare's own experience.

The Arkangel version is lifted a bit by Frances Barber as Katherina and especially Roger Allam, of whom I don't think I had previously heard, as Petruchio. But the rest I'm afraid tried to get by with comic accents and speech defects. My advice is to give this one a miss. ( )

I read this sophomore year of high school and liked it well enough - I think.
(I don't actually remember much, beyond it was REALLY FUN to act out the different scenes.) ( )

This may be my favorite Shakespeare, but I haven't read them all yet. This is my favorite so far. I love the way the man keeps pushing in on Kate until she receives his love. ( )

Probably my favorite Shakespeare so far. ( )

My favorite shakespeare. hilarious! ( )

My favorite Shakespeare comedy, and a personaly favorite in classical literature. ( )

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tami...

Het stuk gaat over twee zusters, de jongste lieftallig, de oudste, Katherina, een feeks. Hun vader besluit dat de jongste, Bianca, niet mag trouwen voor de oudste een man heeft, waarop twee aanbidders van Bianca besluiten Katherina aan de man te helpen.

Zij vinden de rijke Petruchio bereid met Katherina te trouwen, omdat hij dan een grote bruidschat zou krijgen. Die weet na de bruiloft haar gedrag te veranderen, niet door te straffen maar door zich tegenover anderen nog erger te gedragen dan zij deed tegenover anderen, zodat zij in kan zien hoe zij is en hoe dat overkomt. Uiteindelijk merkt Katherina dat de enige manier om met haar liefhebbende, maar dwaze man samen te leven is om hem in alles gelijk te geven. En ze stemt hierin toe omdat het echtpaar tenslotte echt verliefd wordt.Ook stemt ze er in toe omdat ze merkte dat, hoe vals Petruchio ook deed tegenover anderen, en hoe vaak hij haar ook zonder eten naar bed liet gaan, hij dit allemaal deed uit liefde voor haar. En ze merkte dat een vrouw, hoe harder ze schreeuwt en hoe gemener ze doet, hoe minder ze waard is.

Intussen gaan de intriges om Bianca te veroveren verder, met veel vermommingen en verwisselingen. Uiteindelijk trouwt ze met een van haar aanbidders, en omdat ook haar andere aanbidder trouwt wordt er een feest gehouden om alle drie de huwelijken te vieren. Hier blijkt dat niet Bianca maar Katherina van de drie vrouwen de gehoorzaamste is. Bianca blijkt hier juist degene te zijn die haar man niet gehoorzaamt en die niet over zich heen laat lopen.

Unlike any other Shakespeare's plays, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW has an induction, which lives up to its name in the sense that the prologue scene does indeed lead into the play that follows. It seems likely that Shakespeare had adopted the device from medieval narrative poetry, where it was extensively used to introduce a story in the form of a dream. In the induction, far more is involved than the mere setting of a scene and the informing to audience. In fact, Christopher Sly seems to have lapse into a dream as he is forced to adopt a new identity. The brief yet vigorous altercation between Sly and the hostess with which the induction begins is a curtain raiser for the dramatic struggle between Petruchio and Katherina that is to follow. Equally as significant is the Lord's instructions to his servant-boy as to the behavior he is to assume when he appears disguised as Sly's wife forebode the main theme of the play.

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW has a powerful appeal for the Elizabethan audience at the time it opened because the struggle for mastery in a marriage remained a fact of existence and hot topics for writers. A true-to-life domestic scene opens the play and instantly grasps attention: Signor Baptista forbids all suitors to court his younger daughter Bianca until he finds a husband for the ill-tempered, difficult, and waspish elder daughter Katherina. She is notorious for her hot temper, foul tongue, and caprice. Out of jealousy and the qualm not remaining single, she often vents out her anger on her sister. Suitors of the younger sister, who decide to put aside their rivalry, contrive to find a match for Katherina.

Gremio and Hortensio bear the cost of Petruchio's courting Katherina while Lucentio, who is madly in love with Bianca, and his crafty servant Tranio cunningly switch role to infiltrate the Baptista house. What inevitably follows is a facetious pursuit of love and a farcical melodrama that culminate in a riotously funny final scene in which Lucentio's real father, who has no clue of his son's betrothal, confronts the pedant-disguised impostor who reverse-accuses him of a charlatan. Equally as clueless of the entire crafty scheme is Baptista whom the suitors have tricked and outmaneuvered. He is consistently mistaken about everything and everybody, so that he does not even understand why Bianca later asks for his forgiveness. He and Vincentio are merely the butts for all the intrigues that go on throughout the play.

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW maintains an irresistible appeal among the comedies owing to the intriguing trickery with which characters rival for courtship. Just as suspenseful and entertaining is Petruchio's calculated, punctilious campaign to tame his wife. His line of attack is psychological, although persuasive words carefully planned for each step accompany his actions. He somehow outsmarts his wife and deliberately outdoes her in his perversity and bad temper. The quintessential spleen of tantrum flourishes in the scenes in which Petruchio abuses his servants and tailor. His being abusive, tyrannical, violent, and capricious functions more than a reflection - it is evident of a caricature of Katherina through an exaggerated parody of her wild behavior. His evaluation of her mind is confirmed by her softening and surrender for she welcomes the opportunity of meeting an antagonist who will put up a good fight.

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW is highly rhetorical (even more so than AS YOU LIKE IT). Whether it is Petruchio's aggressive, vituperative taming or the milder courting of Bianca, the play never lacks an elite style with which Shakespeare exploited language to a linguistic virtuosity. For example, Petruchio's taming distinguishes from the usual method that might involve violence. What differentiate his campaign are the subtlety, the sophistication, and the ingenuity of his conceiving of Katherina's mind. His perspicacious mind justifies the use of highly rhetorical, puny, and literary discourse that somehow alienates the ordinary speech in the play and paradoxically brings in a fuller, more intimate possession of his witty scheme. ( )

Performed in, as the male lead, and read the play as part of a group at a single sitting. One of my personal favorites. Taylor/Burton film keeps the wonderful comic spirit of the play. Basis for "Kiss me, Kate!"

Like a bit of dicipline?

"Such a mad marriage never was before." III ii.
Arden editions have amazing footnotes and background information.