The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare Project Lecture II) (Patreon)

‘Am I a lord, and have I such a lady? Or do I dream? Or have I dreamed till now? I do not sleep. I see, I hear, I speak...'

The Taming of the Shrew makes for a controversial stop-off on our great tour through the works of William Shakespeare.

Topics of discussion include: problem plays, plays-within-plays, Shakespeare as love poet, adaptations of the Bard, the critical tradition, grading our literature, and much more.  

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Shrew as problem play
• 2:00 on grading these plays
• 5:00 The Comedy of Errors
• 6:00 The Taming of the Shrew
• 6:50 the story of the play
• 8:20 the play within the play
• 10:00 on Christopher Sly
• 12:00 is this a serious story?
• 13:48 adaptations of Shakespeare
• 16:24 the Burton/Taylor film
• 19:44 is this a problematic play?
• 22:00 Katherine & Petrucchio
• 22:52 is Shakespeare a love poet?
• 25:14 the comedy of the play
• 27:50 ‘he kills her in her own humour’
• 29:30 Much Ado About Nothing
• 31:00 Petrucchio’s way of ‘taming’
• 32:00 ‘I say it is the moon’
• 36:00 the Shakespearean critical tradition
• 37:30 Katherina’s monologue
• 42:30 Lois Potter & Harold Bloom
• 50:00 your thoughts on this play?

Recommended Resources:

• Film Adaptation: One of my personal favourite Shakespeare adaptations is the 1967 Franco Zeffirelli film version starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The cinematography, music, and performances are excellent. I highly recommend you pair your reading with a viewing of this film. 
• The Great Conversation: We will meet many great critics on our journey through Shakespeare. You may wish to meet Harold Bloom, if you haven't already, who I mentioned in this talk. He discusses Shakespeare's characters and touches upon another of the writer's problem plays here. 
• A theatrical experiment in flipping the genders: This RSC production from 2019 has swapped the genders of Kate and Petrucchio. You might find it interesting to think about the different potential ways you could stage this play.

Questions for You:

1) What line, passage, or idea from this play most resonated with you?

2) How seriously should we take this play? Is it okay to find it funny? And is it fair to call The Taming of the Shrew a problem play?

3) How did you feel about the writing, characters, and story? What is your personal grading for this work?

Happy reading, Bardolators!