Class notes English Literature The Taming of the Shrew, ISBN: 9781853260797
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Module
English Literature
Institution
Book
The Taming of the Shrew
Class notes for the Shakespearean play the Taming of the Shrew, Includes character analyses and basic explanations for symbols and motifs present in the play.
Taming of the shrew
-written around 1590
-set in Padua, Italy → nursery of arts → known for universities and schools → borders
region of Lombardy & is close to Venice→ Lombardy was a financial district &
associated with wealth → Venice was famed for trade (Merchant of Venice)
-Farcical comedy (satirical comedy) → commedia dell’ arte (Italian form of play) → stock
characters, improv & elements of physical theatre in the form of slapstick comedy
-5 acts: Induction (intro) → Act 1: expo → 2: rising action → 3:climax → 4: rising action
→ 5: conclusion
-play is not meant to be misogynistic → critique & challenge status quo of differences
between men & women & gender roles → satire of how women were treated back
then→ tongue in cheek
Baptista→ father of Catherine aka Katherina aka Kate and Bianca → treats his
daughters as property based on their worth → is willing to pay for them to be educated
→ favours Bianca over Kate; does not defend Kate when the men talk shit about her but
protects Bianca by telling her to go back inside→ holds position of power; doesn’t have
to have as much dialogue as the others because he is in control of what happens to his
daughters
Petruchio → suitor/ eventual husband of Kate→ young, masculine/ physically strong→
abusive towards his servants (and towards Kate)→ upper class gentleman; gambled
some of his fortune away (implied but not shown) → came to Padua to find a rich wife to
restore his wealth; main objective throughout the entire play ( “I came to wife it wealthily
in Padua”) → has a lot of lengthy dialogue → violently abuses servant Grumio →
impulsive, dominant; has plenty of stage presence → authoritative → equal in status to
other suitors → speaks in prose and complex words→ courageous; manly man →
apparently succeeds in “taming” Kate at the end and peace is restored
Hortensio & Gremio → friends of Baptista and suitors of Bianca → Gremio is a creepy
and disgusting old man who is easily fooled → disrespects Kate → work together to find
a husband for Kate in order to free Bianca for marriage→ describes Kate as a “rotten
apple”, a “fiend of hell” and “hell” → implies that she is a prostitute ( “To cart her,
rather”) → equals in terms of power, status and class → Gremio is more afraid of
Kate’s wrath; will not insult Kate directly (says things about her under his breath as an
aside) → request permission from Baptista to marry Bianca; women had no say in
whom they married → misogynistic → neither are successful in courting Bianca;
Hortensio gives up halfway and chooses to marry a wealthy young widow who liked him
instead while Gremio sticks around to enjoy the wedding feast
, Lucentio → Bianca’s love interest → came to Padua as a scholar of philosophy (to look
beyond what is practical and realistic; hints at his idealistic viewpoint) but fell in love with
Bianca and starts pining over her after having only observed her for a few minutes→
master of Tranio and Biondello; respects Tranio and his opinions/ unique friendship→
upper class → young and naive → fickle; changes his mind quickly → does not have a
clear objective in mind→ gives orders to Biondello→ marries Bianca at the end but
discovers her true nature
Tranio→ assistant/ advisor to Lucentio → well-educated and smart (uses Latin and
Italian and quotes different philosophers) → higher-class servant → wise and intelligent
( gives advice for Lucentio to study but also enjoy life and try different things) → stock
character of faithful servant who is obedient and intellectually superior to his master →
takes on Lucentio’s identity for much of the play and ends only when Lucentio and
Bianca have eloped behind their dads’ backs → is later back to serving the others →
birth father is revealed to have been a “sailmaker from Bergamo” by Vincentio → hints
at having been sold off to Lucentio’s wealthier family at a young age due to poverty →
class and society; it was common for children of poorer families to be given away to
richer families as servants in exchange for money/ other benefits at the time → humble
origins
Grumio→ servant to Petruchio → ridiculous speech → brings humour into the play →
Biondello→ lower class servant → not very intelligent; does not understand what is ging
on between Lucentio and Tranio despite having everything explained to him→ servant
to Lucentio→ ignorant, stupid, humourous → knows his place in society and takes
orders from Lucentio → later becomes confused as time goes on and Tranio continues
to stay in Lucentio’s place → Vincentio is mad at him
Katherina (aka Kate)→ daughter of Baptista, wife of Petruchio and older sister to
Bianca→ shrewd/ quick-witted/ fiery tempered/ opinionated/ rough/ defensive and
aggressive/ shrewish/ violent/ wayward woman → learns to be subservient to husband
at the end→ is treated badly by men and speaks up about how much she hates this;
has a reason to be defensive→ does not fit the mould of being gentle and mild→
speaks despite not being addressed; breaks rules placed upon women at the time→
humiliated in public→ the 2 sisters are foils to each other→ both sisters are beautiful but
Kate is disliked mainly because of her behaviour and not because of her looks→ tends
to emasculate men (“To comb your noddle with a three-legged stool and paint your face
and use you like a fool”) → often feels left out → does not have a good relationship with
either her father or her sister; accuses her father of trying to make a fool out of her (“I
pray you, sir, is it your will to make a stale of me amongst these mates?”) → is
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