Part of: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (The Oxford Shakespeare) The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew and its story of an overbearing husband taming a shrewish wife may not have aged particularly well, but critics have long debated how seriously it is meant to be taken, and whether or not Kate may be in on the joke of her taming. This edition comes from the 1916 Oxford University Press edition of all of Shakespeare’s plays and poems.

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Citation

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (The Oxford Shakespeare), ed. with a glossary by W.J. Craig M.A. (Oxford University Press, 1916).

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Geoffrey Chaucer (Author)

The greatest English writer before Shakespeare, Chaucer pioneered the use of English, rather than French or Latin, for serious literary works. He also brought all classes of society onto the page together, particularly in his masterwork, The Canterbury Tales.

Critical Responses

Theatre

Kiss Me Kate

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Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate was a blockbuster Broadway musical and Hollywood film. It preserves a surprising amount of Shakespeare’s original language, while moving the story to take place among actors in a traveling theater troupe.

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Film

10 Things I Hate About You

The teen romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You retells The Taming of the Shrew in a modern high school setting.

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Connected Readings

A Merry Jest of a Shrewd and Cursed Wife

Anonymous

Tales about taming shrewish wives were popular entertainment in Shakespeare’s time. The Taming of the Shrew may have been inspired by the popular ballad “A Merry Jest of a Shrewd and Cursed Wife.”

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Book

The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 4 (The Canterbury Tales)

Geoffrey Chaucer

“The Clerk’s Tale” from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales provides an alternate image of wifely obedience and submission in the figure of patience Griselde.

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Book

In Praise of Folly

Desiderius Erasmus

Shakespeare’s comedies are known for their use of the “fool.” His fools are sometimes truly foolish, and sometimes foolish in a way that reveals a deep and important wisdom. Inspiration for the wise fool can be traced to Erasmus’s Praise of Folly.

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