The Taming of the Shrew Play and Its Analysis

The Taming of the Shrew

The play The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare is eternal, for all time, and if you wish, you can learn a lot of useful things from it, catching the main message, which may be especially relevant for some readers, both female, and male. The Taming of the Shrew with her charming Katarina was pretty amused by the metamorphoses that happened to the main character, with pleasure you can follow her transformation from a wayward, arrogant, and proud beauty into a loving, caring, gentle girl, ready for anything for the sake of her beloved man. It is possible that someone recognizes himself in Katarina, drawing an analogy with his position, manners, and style of behavior.

The Play and Its Analysis

William Shakespeare is a famous playwright; his works are known all over the world. Although Shakespearean tragedies are mostly heard, his comedies cannot be ignored. The Taming of the Shrew is easy to read, causing a smile, looking at the transformation of a wayward and naughty girl into a submissive wife. True, sometimes it seems that the young hubby goes too far, but this is a comedy, and one should not take everything seriously and to heart. However, there is also a moral in the work, and everyone will draw something new for themselves and bring out the main idea that the author wanted to convey. The ending of the play is especially interesting in a manner of classic English humor, funny events, bright scenes, and sparkling dialogues carry the audience a way to read with one’s head (“Summary of Taming of the Shrew”). The Taming of the Shrew can be considered one of Shakespeare’s best works not only due to the mastery of a word the author applies throughout but also due to its originality, even in terms of genre.

Baptista, a wealthy nobleman, decided that until he marries his eldest daughter, the obstinate and impudent Katarina, who does not want to obey anyone. She will not give consent to anyone to marry his meek and quiet youngest daughter Bianca, who has no end to her suitors. This is followed by a series of funny situations in which the newly made husband puts his young wife, wanting to tame her (“Summary of Taming of the Shrew”). Shakespeare ironizes over a rather limited power women had in contemporary England with those acting diversely considered subject to “taming.”

Petruchio

Petruchio, a nobleman from Verona, comes to Padua to visit a friend of Hortensio, he went for good luck, looking for “profitable marriage and happiness.” And then Hortensio, without hesitation, offers to woo him ”an obstinate wife, such that [...] won’t thank him,” with only one plus, she is rich. But yes, this Katarina could break the lute on her head, and call names so that she could not utter words in response. And with the same weapon, he defeats this Katarina, does not let her sleep, eats normally, and behaves like crazy, hiding behind the fact that this is all for the benefit of the person they say (“Summary of Taming of the Shrew”). At the same time, Shakespeare ironizes about people who cannot exactly understand what they expect from life, regardless of their gender.

A wayward, capricious, and a spoiled girl is pacified by her smart and dexterous fiancé who later became her husband. The quarrelsome bride has turned into an ideal virtuous wife. The play is easy and quick to read, it is interesting and fascinating, and it is surprising that despite the date of writing the work, the book is relevant, as they say, for all time (Hunt 120). How often youth is replaced by wisdom and maturity; life teaches many valuable lessons, and so does William Shakespeare.

Conclusion

The Taming of the Shrew is rightfully one of the most beautiful creations of the incomparable Shakespeare. Perhaps most readers and book lovers associate the legendary English playwright primarily with the tragedies Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and Hamlet, and not with the comedy The Taming of the Shrew. And the famous monologue of Katharina deserves special attention, it is better not to listen to this monologue, but to read it. Then every phrase sounds different. The whole work is worthy of attention, the characters of the play, in the main, are conditional and grotesque, but two characters, Katarina and Petruchio, are bright, lively, and memorable for their specificity and dialogues.

Works Cited

”Summary of Taming of The Shrew”. Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, 2022, https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/shakespedia/shakespeares-plays/taming-of-the-shrew/.

Hunt, Maurice. ”The Taming of The Shrew and Anger”. Ben Jonson Journal, vol 27, no. 1, 2020, pp. 105-125. Edinburgh University Press, https://doi.org/10.3366/bjj.2020.0273. Accessed 9 June 2022.