In English II we are kicking off the second semester with William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Set in the Italian town of Padua, the play is one of Shakespeare's most produced comedies and centers around a beautiful, yet outspoken, young woman named Katherine whose father cannot find a man to marry her because of her "shrewish" ways. This proves problematic for the many suitors who wish to woo Katherine's younger, and milder, sister Bianca, who cannot be married until her older sister is betrothed.
In our first discussions of this text, I told students that, in a modern context particularly, this is a "problematic" comedy in the sense that the main plot revolves around a woman needing to be tamed in order to find a suitable mate. In a current era that aims for equality amongst the sexes, for many, this is a hard pill to swallow. Thus, I challenge students to always question Shakespeare's intentions in writing this play as we move through it. Should we take the play literally or is he offering some sort of social commentary on the role of women and the way they are viewed by men?
For our first blog post related to this text, I want students to explore the ways that different productions have framed this oft-produced play. Above, you will find six different posters for various recent productions of The Taming of the Shrew. For this blog post, I want students to discuss what thematic commonalities they see shared amongst the various posters. Are there certain themes that seem to be present in each poster? Which poster seems the most intriguing? What about it sparks your interest? Finally, what were your first impressions when you heard about the plot of the play? Do these posters reinforce or challenge those first impressions you had?
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