The Taming of the Shrew Study Guide
Abilene Shakespeare Festival June 27-29, July 5-6 2013 Directed by Gary Varner
William Shakespeare lived from 1564-1616. He was an actor and playwright for The Lord Chamberlain’s Men (later called The King’s Men) in London. He was also a shareholder in the company, which meant it was very important for his plays to attract an audience so he could make a living. This was one of the first examples of commercial theatre in western history. Elizabethan theatre troupes produced as many plays as possible to make a profit. Shakespeare wrote approximately 38 plays.
Shakespeare’s company built the Globe Theatre in 1598. It was one of four major theatres in London’s Bankside district. Three stories high, it could
accommodate 1500 people. The Globe was open to audiences in the summer, and plays were usually produced by daylight. A day at the Globe would be an exciting day. There would be a “holiday” atmosphere, with merchants selling goods and food outside the theatre. During a performance, there would be around 3,000 people inside and outside the Globe. Food was also sold inside the theatre during breaks in the performance. Nobles would pay up to 5 pennies to sit in the lord’s rooms at the top of the theatre – cushions were extra. Lower classes paid one penny to stand in the theatre pit (aka “groundlings”). Very rich nobles would pay to sit on the side of the stage itself. It was typical for audiences to freely express their distaste or satisfaction for the action on stage. The theatre crowd would be loud, restless, and smelly. It was not uncommon for nobles to purchase flowers or sachets to hold in front of their noses in order to combat the smell from the groundlings.
It was also very important that the action on the stage hold the attention of the audience so they would want to pay to come back for more. Elizabethan theatre was commercial theatre. Actors were shareholders, so to make a profit, they produced as many plays as possible during a season. The Globe was known to produce as many as 20 different plays a month. This meant the actors had to be quick to learn lines and able to improvise when necessary. It was difficult to advertise plays in advance for several reasons. The general public could not read or write, so written advertisements would not be advantageous. Lack of copyright laws meant that other companies could steal
ideas, or even entire scripts if they had advanced notice. Threat of government censorship was always an issue, and outbreaks of Plague meant theatres would be shut down at a moment’s notice. Because of this, many Elizabethan theatres devised a system of communication to let the public know when a performance was planned. At the top of each theatre there was a flagpole. A white flag would be raised in the morning to indicate a comedy would be performed that afternoon. A black flag meant a tragedy would be performed, and a red flag meant a history play would be performed. The flag would remain raised until the end of the performance.
Why did Shakespeare write The Taming of the Shrew? A commercial artist knows the quickest way to ruin is to alienate or offend the audience. So why would Shakespeare take on “the woman question,” an issue that would have been controversial even in his own time? Elizabethan audiences would have been familiar with the story of Shrew from folklore. In Medieval Mystery plays Noah’s wife was portrayed as a shrew. Chaucer’s Wife of Bath tells a story about who is the master in marriage. Adam and Eve were portrayed as a couple struggling for power in marriage. And versions of Kate and Petruchio’s wooing, wedding, and bedding are found in fold tales across Europe, India, and the Americas. Shakespeare’s audience would also have been familiar with sermons and pamphlets on decorous marital behavior.
Today’s audience has a much different lens through which to view this story. Many contemporary audience members are uncomfortable with Petruchio’s treatment of Kate, and some feel that the message of the play does not jive with gender equality and independence. Shakespeare, however, may not have been as far removed from contemporary sensibilities as some might think. Sherri Thorne, in her essay for Academic Forum 21 (2003-‐2004) states: Shakespeare does not support this violent treatment of women, nor does he walk through the streets of London campaigning for their better treatment. Instead, he writes a comedy entitled The Taming of the Shrew and uses humor to gain the attention of his audience….By emphasizing the ridiculous nature of both Petruchio’s extreme and abusive taming methods and Katherine’s outrageous and shrewish behavior, Shakespeare cajoles the audience into reconsidering its ideas about and its treatment of women. Satire has always been a writer’s tool for pointing out flaws in society, and Shakespeare skillfully uses this comedy to demonstrate the positive qualities of a respectful and affectionate relationship over one dominated by either a shrewish wife or an abusive husband. (www.hsu.edu)
Did you know….. This story has been told on film several times: 1967 Film with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
1953 Musical Kiss Me Kate by Cole Porter
1999 Film 10 Things I Hate About You with Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles
It’s a Comedy!!! In the 16th Century, while Shakespeare was writing in England, Italy had it’s own form of commercial theatre: Commedia Dell’Arte. Commedia was a popular form of improvised comedy using stock characters and scenarios, much like today’s sitcoms. Commedia troupes travelled Europe performing to earn a living. Shakespeare’s characters in Taming of the Shrew have many parallels to the stock characters of Commedia.
The stock characters of Commedia Dell’’Arte
Burrattino is a servant (or “zanni” which translates “clown”). He has an extremely good nature. He is not particularly smart, and often inclined toward gluttony. He is easily brought to tears by any kind of bad news (such as discovering he has eaten all the macaroni). His primary comic trait is that he is soft-‐hearted to excess. A modern-‐day television example of this character is Burton “Gus” Guster from Psych. Scapino is a zanni (clown/servant) who tends to make confusion of anything he undertakes. Self-‐preservation and self-‐interest are his main concerns. He is a very clever servant. A schemer and a scoundrel, and proud of it. Scapino is known for his malicious intelligence combined with physical agility. A modern version of Scapino is Bugs Bunny.
Pantilone is a miserly, elderly, and usually lecherous man. He is usually a wealthy merchant, but is so stingy he lives the lifestyle of a beggar. His primary comic trait is stinginess and greed – usually of money, but sometimes of women, power, food, or whatever else captures his fancy at the time. His secondary comic trait is the fact that he is old. Jokes about prostate trouble, broken hips, and “back in my day” abound. Pantilone is usually chasing the Innamorata. A modern television version of Pantilone is Mr. Burns from The Simpsons.
Innamorata is the young female lover. She is not especially well developed as a character, since her only function is to be in love. She is generally in love with herself, and with the idea of being in love with the inamorato. Her name always ends with “a”, such as “Isabella”. A modern day version of Innamorata would be Giselle from Enchanted.
Innamorato is the young male lover. He is the “prom king” of Commedia. Like Innamorata, his function is to be in love. His name always ends with “o” such as “Claudio” or “Leandro”. A modern day version of Innamorato is the Prince from Enchanted.
Capitano is a braggart with a huge ego. He thinks of himself as a standout soldier and gentleman, and quite the lady’s man. However, Capitano is the first to run away at the first hint of danger. A modern version of Capitano is Daffy Duck, or Dwight Schrute from The Office.
Arleccino (or Harlequin) is one of the most well-‐known commedia characters. He is an acrobat with a sharp wit. He can be childlike and amorous. He is known to carry a slapstick as a weapon (and his brand of comedy is what we would call “slapstick comedy”). Columbina is Arleccino’s female counterpart. She is the worldly wise, witty female servant. She is intelligent, saucy, and can hold her own in a room full of men. If Arleccino makes an appearance, Columbina will not be far behind.
Dottore is another older man – usually the father of the Innamorata. He is pompus, and knows something about everything. Dottore is very good at eloquent speeches that do not have a point. If someone on stage is ill, Dottore can be counted on to have a “cure” that is usually worse than the ailment. A modern version of Dottore is Frasier Crane from TV’s Frasier.
See if you can identify these characters when you watch The Taming of the Shrew!
Works Consulted www.bardstage.org www.bardweb.net Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Views: William Shakespeare Comedies & Romances. Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/eng/lfletcher/shrew/efurstnau.html www.hsu.edu www.humanracetheatre/org/commedia_dell’arte_Aug_7_SCREEN.pdf Mowat, Barbara A. and Paul Werstine, ed. The New Folger Library Shakespeare: The Taming of the Shrew. Washington Square Press, 1992. www.rsc.org www.shakespeareinamericancommunities.org https://sites.google.com/site/italiancommedia/the-‐characters www.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CommediaDellArte
