The Taming of the Shrew

I was looking into reading the book and so proceeded, as you do, to look into the meaning of the word SHREW and to my suprise I decided not to or got put off if you like.
The dictionary entry for the word SHREW

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1.A small mouselike insectivorous mammal (Sorex, Crocidura, and other genera, family Soricidae) with a long pointed snout and tiny eyes.
2.A bad-tempered or aggressively assertive woman.

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I was surprised to see the word was meant as a reference to women ONLY.

I am trying to see if the word itself comes from SHRUDE.

so what book has put YOU OFF and why?

Don't read too literally into it. The word shrew meant someone not considered "civilized". Kate does not conform to her society.

While not the best play, it is fun and worth a read.

I have the feeling that if you find the title offensive, you will see the entire play as a moral outrage.

It basically is the story of a man who dominates and abuses the woman he owns into submission and obedience. At the time it was written, physically beating your wife was acceptable, even expected, if she "deserved" it.

There exist many ways to interpret the intent, and whether it should be taken literally or not is debated as well. I took it literal, and therefore found it repulsive, but many take it as a farce or in a sarcastic way.

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Originally Posted by bIGwIRE

I have the feeling that if you find the title offensive, you will see the entire play as a moral outrage.

It basically is the story of a man who dominates and abuses the woman he owns into submission and obedience. At the time it was written, physically beating your wife was acceptable, even expected, if she "deserved" it.

There exist many ways to interpret the intent, and whether it should be taken literally or not is debated as well. I took it literal, and therefore found it repulsive, but many take it as a farce or in a sarcastic way.

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I agree, I really tried to be open minded about this play and I have had many people tell me that I should not take it literally, and that it is meant to be satirical, and though I made a great effort not to let myself be too much influence by modern thinking, I strongly disliked this play and found it very hard not to take literally.

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Originally Posted by Dark Muse

I agree, I really tried to be open minded about this play and I have had many people tell me that I should not take it literally, and that it is meant to be satirical, and though I made a great effort not to let myself be too much influence by modern thinking, I strongly disliked this play and found it very hard not to take literally.

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I agree and after few thoughs I guess that to be open minded about a book that isn't is not that easy.

I enjoyed this play. The key to understanding it is the Induction- the play you're reading is a play-within-a-play, put on as entertainment for the grotesque figure Christopher Sly. It's mocking his patriarchal fantasy.

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Originally Posted by kelby_lake

I enjoyed this play. The key to understanding it is the Induction- the play you're reading is a play-within-a-play, put on as entertainment for the grotesque figure Christopher Sly. It's mocking his patriarchal fantasy.

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This is key. But I also think that people don't give Kate enough credit. Yes she is confined to the ending her genre demands, but she is strong enough to transform Petruccio's abuse into comedy. I think that once you start looking at the comedy stemming from her and not him you may enjoy it more.

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Originally Posted by Charles Darnay

This is key. But I also think that people don't give Kate enough credit. Yes she is confined to the ending her genre demands, but she is strong enough to transform Petruccio's abuse into comedy. I think that once you start looking at the comedy stemming from her and not him you may enjoy it more.

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Agreed. Her submission speech has often been played as either ironic or a perverse triumph over the other wives.

If you find the play offensive, I suggest you see the Burton/Taylor film.

Like all of Shakespeare's plays, TTOTS is very open to the spin the director choses to put upon it.

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Originally Posted by shug

If you find the play offensive, I suggest you see the Burton/Taylor film.

Like all of Shakespeare's plays, TTOTS is very open to the spin the director choses to put upon it.

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Definitely, although I don't like the idea of tacking on tragic undertones to compensate for perceived misogyny.

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Originally Posted by shug

If you find the play offensive, I suggest you see the Burton/Taylor film.

Like all of Shakespeare's plays, TTOTS is very open to the spin the director choses to put upon it.

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sorry what is TTOTS?

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Originally Posted by cacian

sorry what is TTOTS?

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The taming of the shrew

As for being offensive, George C. Odell said that Measure for Measure and All's Well That Ends Well were so disgusting that he thought they should never be performed and wished that Shakespeare had never written them.

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Originally Posted by kelby_lake

As for being offensive, George C. Odell said that Measure for Measure and All's Well That Ends Well were so disgusting that he thought they should never be performed and wished that Shakespeare had never written them.

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Half-blasphemy! Measure for Measure is one of the greatest of Shakespeare's plays! All's Well I could do without, although I certainly enjoyed it much more the second time through than the first. But, who does it offend? Isabella and Helena? Helena is very much a Rosalind figure - lesser in every way - but suffers the same comedic ending: as strong as she is, and as superior to her male counterpart, she subjects herself to him.

Isabella is forced into a marriage with notable silence at the end. Is this offensive? or does it showcase the tragic position of strong women in the world?

Shakespeares plays are either a reflection of the society relevant even today or present an ironical or satirical approach to the society which is again relevant even in the present day world. while reading a text you should not be prejudiced only then will you be able to grasp the essence of it.