- 1. Study of drama The taming of the shrew Analised By :Siti
Anis Istighfarin 2311015
2. Key Facts Full title The Taming of the Shrew Author William
Shakespeare Type of work Play Genre Romantic comedy Language
English Time and place written Around 1592, London Date of first
publication 1623 3. Settings (time) Unspecific, though presumably
sometime during the Italian Renaissance Settings (place) Padua, a
city-state in Italy prominent during the Renaissance Themes
Marriage as an economic institution; the effect of social roles on
individual happiness Motifs Disguise; domestication; fathers and
their children Symbols Petruchios wedding costume; the haberdashers
cap and tailors gown 4. Character Katherine, or Kate, is the
daughter of Baptista Minola. She is sharp-tongued, quicktempered,
and prone to violence, particularly against anyone who tries to
marry her. Her hostility toward suitors particularly distresses her
father. But her anger and rudeness disguise her deep-seated sense
of insecurity and her jealousy toward her sister, Bianca 5.
Petruchio is a gentleman from Verona. Loud, boisterous, eccentric,
quick-witted, and frequently drunk, he has come to Padua to wive
and thrive. He wishes for nothing more than a woman with an
enormous dowry, and he finds Kate to be the perfect fit.
Disregarding everyone who warns him of her shrewishness, he
eventually succeeds not only in wooing Katherine, but in silencing
her tongue and temper with his own. 6. Bianca - The younger
daughter of Baptista. The lovely Bianca proves herself the opposite
of her sister, Kate, at the beginning of the play: she is
soft-spoken, sweet, and unassuming. Thus, she operates as Kates
principal female foil. Because of her large dowry and her mild
behavior, several men vie for her hand. Baptista, however, will not
let her marry until Kate is wed Lucentio - A young student from
Pisa, the good-natured and intrepid Lucentio comes to Padua to
study at the citys renowned university, but he is immediately
sidetracked when he falls in love with Bianca at first sight. By
disguising himself as a classics instructor named Cambio, he
convinces Gremio to offer him to Baptista as a tutor for Bianca. He
wins her love, but his impersonation gets him into trouble when his
father, Vincentio, visits Padua . 7. Baptista - Minola Baptista is
one of the wealthiest men in Padua, and his daughters become the
prey of many suitors due to the substantial dowries he can offer.
He is good-natured, if a bit superficial. His absentmindedness
increases when Kate shows her obstinate nature. Thus, at the
opening of the play, he is already desperate to find her a suitor,
having decided that she must marry before Bianca does. Tranio -
Lucentios servant. Tranio accompanies Lucentio from Pisa. Wry and
comical, he plays an important part in his masters charadehe
assumes Lucentios identity and bargains with Baptista for Biancas
handGremio and Hortensio - Two gentlemen of Padua. Gremio and
Hortensio are Biancas suitors at the beginning of the play. Though
they are rivals, these older men also become friends during their
mutual frustration with and rejection by Bianca. Hortensio directs
Petruchio to Kate and then dresses up as a music instructor to
court Bianca. He and Gremio are both thwarted in their efforts by
Lucentio. Hortensio ends up marrying a widow. Grumio - Petruchios
servant and the fool of the playa source of much comic relief.
Biondello - Lucentios second servant, who assists his master and
Tranio in carrying out their plot. 8. Content Major conflict
Petruchios attempt to tame Katherine; that is, to assert his
authority in their marriage and overcome her hotheaded resistance
to playing the role of his wife Rising action Petruchio and
Katherines early verbal conflicts; Katherines many scenes of
shrewish behavior, including her attack on Bianca; the various
disguises and subterfuges of the subplot; Katherine and Petruchios
comical wedding 9. Climax There is no single moment of intense
action in the play, but rather a long process of development
culminating in Katherines fully changed behavior. It might be
possible to see a climax in the wedding. 10. The Summary of Taming
of the Shrew This drama is one of the great comedy plays by William
Shakespeare. The play starts with the Induction where a trick is
played by a nobleman on the drunkard Christopher Sly who arranges
for an acting troupe to perform a play called The Taming of the
Shrew... The beautiful and gentle Bianca has no shortage of
admirers (Lucentio, Gremio and Hortensio) but her father insists
that she will not marry until her shrewish sister, Katharina, is
betrothed. Bianca's suitors persuade fortune-seeker Petruchio to
court her. The suitors pay for any costs involved and there is also
the goal of Katharina's dowry. Petruchio marries Katharina and he
carries Katharina off to his country house with his servant Grumio.
Petruchio intends to browbeat Katharina into submission and he
denies her food, sleep and her new clothes, whilst continuously
singing her praises. Katharina is tamed. They return to Padua where
Lucentio has won Bianca. At a banquet they wager on who has the
most obedient wife. Each wife is issued with commands but only
Katharina obeys and promptly lectures everyone on the importance of
wifely submission.
