In Memory of Elizabeth Taylor, and her Shakespeare Connection

As I'm sure you've all heard by now, the legendary Elizabeth Taylor died this week at 79 years.  One of the very first Shakespeare films I saw and fell in love with was the 1967 version of Taming of the Shrew with Elizabeth Taylor playing Katherine opposite Richard Burton's Petruchio.  It was so well done, and I think they both played their parts so well.

I wanted to embed a short clip from that film, Kate's speech at the end, but embedding of that clip is disabled on YouTube, probably due to rights or something.  So, follow this link to go watch it over on YouTube.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcQudMqwqpQ

Taming of the Shrew and Shakespeare's Comedies

In class we discussed the traditional elements of Shakespearean comedies.  As we talked about these I tried to associate each one with Taming of the Shrew.  I found that most of them fit, but I had a hard time finding a few of these elements in the play.  Let's go through each one, shall we?

Standard elements of Shakespearean comedies:

New thoughts to Taming of the Shrew and Gender Roles

I just finished reading the play, and though I rather enjoyed it, laughing at the wordplays and the puns, I find myself rethinking what I thought about how Katherina is treated by Petruchio.


Until this latest reading of the play, my strongest connection to it was acting in a production in high school.  The actress that we had playing Kate played her very well, in my opinion, but mostly it seemed like she was humoring Petruchio the entire time.  Especially in Act 4 Scene 5, when they are travelling and Petruchio calls the sun the moon and gets Kate to agree that it is the moon, only to ridicule her for her mistake. In our production of this scene, the actress playing Kate said the lines as they appear in the script:

"Then, God be bless'd, it is the blessed sun; But sun it is not, when you say it is not; And the moon changes even as your mind. What you will have it nam'd, even that it is, And so it shall be so for Katherine."

But as she said these lines there was overt sarcasm in her voice.  And later, as she apologizes to Vincentio for calling him a woman, she glared at Petruchio, blaming him silently for making her look foolish.


That is how I have always read this play, as Kate simply playing along with Petruchio and his madness, because she got tired of fighting him and suffering the consequences.  Which I guess means that Petruchio did indeed tame her. But even as she recited the last speech, there was still a little hint of defiance.  And maybe it helped that our Petruchio (one of the nicest, kindest guys I have ever met) did not play the part as mean or as angry as he could have, from the text alone. I have never seen this play as oppressive to women, but this latest reading I was struck by just how blatant the spousal abuse really is.

I have tried to justify Petruchio's behaviour in light of his line, "This is a way to kill a wife with kindness",

Taming of the Shrew Act 1 / Erste Akt

I have read the first act of the play, including the induction.  I really like the induction, and I'm sad that it's cut out of most productions as unnecessary.  Partly this is because, when my high school did this I played the part of Christopher Sly, but mostly because I think it sheds light on one of the main themes of the play:  Identity and how  people act when they are treated a certain way.  
Sly is a drunkard found asleep in the streets, and a passing Lord decides to have some fun and dress him up and pretend that he's noble.  The servants take him and dress him and serve him as if he were a Lord, until Christopher Sly believes he is a lord.  The line is "Would not the beggar then forget himself?", "Würde der Bettler nicht sein selbst vergessen?" and the servant says, "he shall think by our true diligence he is no less than what we say he is."  "er soll es glauben daß er nichts anders ist, als wir ihn nennen".


I see the same theme played out in the play, with Katherina.  She is a shrew and as others keep calling her a shrew she continues to be a shrew. But when Petruchio treats her like a lady, like a respectable wife, she begins to believe that she can be that.  For me, the play is not about "taming" a woman, making her subservient. but allowing her to be something more than others allow her to be.  It's the medieval version of Johnny Lingo -- he calls her an 8-cow wife so she begins to believe that she is worth 8 cows.  More on this as I continue to read the play and find lines that speak to this point.

Kate and Petruchio in the Polynesian islands?

Taming of the Shrew: An Overview

This week we are taking a look at Shakespeare's comedies.  I originally signed up for Twelfth Night, but after today's class discussion, and talking about Taming of the Shrew, I am thinking that I will read this play.
I have read this play before, but not really all that well.  I was in this play in High School, but I just memorized my part and was done with it.  I am looking forward to a more involved reading of this play, especially looking at the ideas of feminism and gender roles and family relationships in the play.  I will also be reading this play in English and German, comparing the language and the phrases used to see if there are any distinct differences in the play in these two languages.

First: The title in German is Der Widerspenstigen Zähmung, which is Taming of the Unruly, Rebellious, Wayward, Stubborn.
I don't know if that changes the meaning or interpretation of the play at all, but it at least makes it a little more understandable.  I remember the first time I heard about the Taming of the Shrew I thought it was about an actual shrew, the little vole-like animal.

Wouldn't be hard to tame, honestly.

Well, we'll see what else I find as I study this play in depth.  Stay tuned.