William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”

There are many themes worthy of discussion when it comes to this play. One of which is the repeated motif of a play within a play. This theme is often used in some of Shakespeare’s contemporaries: i.e. the structure in Francis Beaumont’s “The Knight of the Burning Pestle”, and to a lesser extent the puppet-show in Ben Jonson’s “Bartholomew Fair”. From the very beginning of Shakespeare’s play we are brought into the format of Beaumont’s play, when Sly, the Page, and the Lord all watch the actual play take place. Unlike the Citizen and his wife who often add their input into the play in “The Knight of the Burning Pestle”, the characters of Sly and the Page are almost silent only speaking once during the play. They only speak at the end of Act I Scene I, when the Page (as the wife) reminds Sly to stay awake during the play. There are other moments within the play where we are given almost a third level, where actors on stage act like the audience watching events unfold. In Act I, Scene I, around line 48, Lucentio and Tranio watch the introduction of Bianca’s love triangle and the presentation of the shrew. During this scene there are no interruptions to the development of the conversation, other than a few asides by the two men. The third level of play is not only present here but also in Act V, Scene I, Line 50; when the real Vincentio arrives into the story. At this moment Petruchio states: “Prithee, Kate, let’s stand aside and see the end of this controversy”. This allows Katherine and Petruchio to act like the audience and observe the unfoldings.

Of Course this is only one the many theme strings within the tightly woven play. There is also plenty of material for discussion on:

-Women as Property                       

-Treatment of Women

-Honour in Lineage or the Issue of Class

-Disguising & Lying

-Monetary & Property Negotiations

-Examination of who is Mad & who is a Shrew