This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Taming of the Shrew
Series: ———-
Author: William Shakespeare
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Play, Comedy
Pages: 133
Format: Digital Edition
Synopsis: |
The play starts with a rich lord taking a drunk at an inn and doing everything in his power to convince the drunk that he, the drunk, is actually a lord who has been crazy for the last several years. He brings in some players to put on a play and thus the main story begins.
Younger Daughter is sought by all and sundry, as she is beautiful, accomplished and generally pleasing in every way. Her Older Sister is a Shrew with a tongue that can remove metal. Their father declares that he won’t allow the younger daughter to even be courted until the Older Sister is married. Thus several suitors put into action a plan to be tutors to the Younger Daughter and secretly woo her while teaching her.
A Bold Young Man enters the city and hears about the situation from his friends. He decides that Older Sister is the woman for him and he’ll have her no matter her tongue. He approaches the father, gets his approval, has a run in with the Older Sister where words are exchanged like primed grenades and the wedding is set for a week later. Bold Young Man begins acting irrationally to drive his almost wife to distraction and after they are married head back to his home. There he tames her to his behavior and forces her to accept his behavior and mood or go hungry. They return to the city.
The Younger Daughter has fallen in love and with some shenanigans she and the Suitor are married. The Older Sister and her husband return for the wedding and the Tamed Shrew is shown to all, eliciting amazement from all and sundry.
The End.
My Thoughts: |
I was very annoyed when the play ended and the secondary play about the drunk and the nobleman didn’t end as well. It was obviously just a ploy to start the primary play and to get the audience into a jocular mood. I however, wasn’t jocular at the end, as I like things wrapped up neatly.
I definitely enjoyed this more than some of the other Shakespeare plays I’ve read. I am realizing that in those old books where characters quote Shakespeare from memory and everybody in the book recognizes it, well, that is a lot of bilge. Much like Pop Culture references, it isn’t somethat that EVERYBODY gets, but only the group that cares about it. Reading Shakespeare doesn’t mean you’ll recognize the many quotes that were tossed around in yesteryear. Only those who study the Bard will be able to do that.
Ok, enough of that. Let’s talk about that cover shall we? It took me a tiny bit to realize it was a movie cover, but once that clicked, 5 seconds of Gugle-Fu showed that it was from the 1967 movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Obviously THIS cover was meant to draw the male eye while the movie poster I found has a virile Burton striding along with a huge smile while carrying Taylor over his shoulder while she pounds on his back with her fists. I wish I had chosen another cover from Librarything but that was the highest resolution one, I think, and the others (if I’m remembering correctly) reminded me of modern impressionistic paintings, brrrrrr!
Cover aside, I’d call this a successful foray into Shakespeare. With my enjoyment level so varied, I simply never know what I’m going to like or dislike every time I crack the cover on one of these plays.
★★★☆½
I knew the cover looked familiar! Loved your summary of this. I’ve never had the patience for Shakespeare. You’ve inspired me though. I remember reading As You Like It in high school. Excellent review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. I don’t have the patience for Shakespeare either but I was inspired a couple of years ago by a fellow blogger who had done a read of Shakespeare’s entire works and it just took awhile for me to get going.
I have to admit, I don’t particularly look forward to reading them, but neither do I hate them (so far and fingers crossed). So you have my empathy in regards to Shakespeare 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
So you’re up to the T’s… I don’t know all his play titles off the top of my head, much less sorted first by category and then by alphabet, but I’m guessing Twelfth Night is coming up soon? That’s the one I plan to read next, probably in about a month.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m reading an ebook “Complete Works of…” so I have no idea what is coming. I just open my kindle and open to the last page read and turn the page and voila, another play.
Probably works best that way for me so I don’t think too much ahead of time…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice review! I read Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream in high school but Shakespeare just never really struck a cord with me. The only one that temps me, rarely, is Hamlet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have to admit, a small part of why I am reading the Complete Works is so that in however many years I can say on my blog “I’ve read ALL of Shakespeare, how about you plebes?” in a snobby, blueblood british’y accent 😉
The widening of my cultural horizons is just a side benefit 😀 😀 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, you would deserve to say it just like that! That’s a lot of works to get through. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It would be the only reason I would tackle that too hahahhaha
LikeLiked by 1 person
We read this in Grade 9 for our English class and I really didn’t enjoy it. We also watched the 1967 film and compared it to “Ten Things I Hate About You” which was interesting. But I just have something against the story. I don’t like the way women were depicted in it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It doesn’t surprise me that many women don’t like this play. Thankfully, Shakespeare roasts men just as much in other plays 😀
Was “10 Things…” supposed to be a modern retelling? The name rings a bell but I know I’ve never watched it and have no idea what it is about.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! It is a modern retelling and aimed for younger viewers as well. The plot is a bit sloppy but some bits are pretty funny.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. I made that assumption and then realized I had better not. Assumptions always get me in trouble 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is one of the few Shakespeare plays that I just really don’t like. I don’t like the way that any of the women are portrayed.
I actually did recognize the cover, because I watched the movie. It didn’t make me like the play any more 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
What, you’re not an ardent Elizabeth Taylor fan?
Actually, I’m not sure if I’ve seen many movies with her in them besides National Velvet growing up.
LikeLike
I remember being annoyed at this one when I read it in school because of how women were portrayed (the Shrew Older Sister is obvious, but I don’t remember the Desirable Younger Sister being much better). I don’t remember much else about it, though, but that annoyance is enough to make me hesitant to re-read it. I probably should, though. I’m sure I’d get some different reactions to it now than I had then (even if I’m still annoyed).
LikeLiked by 2 people
If you still remember being annoyed, I bet it would annoy you again 🙂
The younger sister was pretty much a non-entity and only existed to move the play along.
LikeLike
LOL, thanks for the warning. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha … so glad you graciously gave Shakespeare 3 1/2 stars!
I was, of course, offended by this play as a 17 year old. But, if you stay with it, the point is that Older Sister needs a match for her … a man she can’t push around. And it’s sort of fun to see them manipulate each other. I remember there’s a scene in the movie where she’s crying very loudly in her bed at night, and then she stops, listens, and gives a slow, sly smile. That wasn’t in the script but I think it’s true to the spirit of it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep, graciousness and Bookstooge go foot and mouth.
See, I completely agree with your assessment, which is partly why how the Shrew was treated didn’t really bother me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Which plays haven’t you read yet? Or is it better to ask which plays you have read? 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado about nothing, Midsummer nights dream, merchant of venice, merry wives of windsor, measure for measure, Loves labor lost, Comedy of Errors, As you like it, Alls well that ends well,
Those are the ones I’ve read. The Edition I’m reading has the plays divided up into comedy, tragedy,history and his sonnets (I think). So I’ve still got a long way to go 😀
LikeLike
No disrespect to the Bard, but the whole concept of ‘taming’ makes my talons and fangs come out with a vengeance… 😉 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
See, the thing is, I’ve seen/heard/read/whatever so much about men being tamed by their wives and nobody blinks twice. But the thing is, I do think that men and women should be treated differently.
In today’s climate, the “we’re all equal” card tends to be more of a pick your buffet of equalness 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
More than a matter of equality, I think it should be a matter of respect – mutual respect, which I believe lies at the root of everything and should inform all of our dealings with each other as humans.
That said, I can smile at Shakespeare’s concept of “taming” when considering the historical times that comes from – even though it’s a somewhat strained smile, since it’s a concept I don’t like to see applied to anyone… 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you enjoyed this- definitely not my favourite (though not for the “mean to women” reason a lot of people are talking about- I just took that with a pinch of salt given the context in which it was written- having said that I did read it when I was older so maybe that helped with my perception…) Anyway, your recap was fun to read!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks 😀
The more I read of Shakespeare, the more I’m able to understand the rhythm of his words. I’m hoping by the time I’ve made it through his plays that I’ll be able to tackle his sonnets. I tried the sonnets years and years ago and it was an abysmal flop…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m really glad to hear it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
When I saw the image you used I thought you were reviewing the Taylor-Burton adaptation (which I saw in high school). But yeah, the play is meh.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My movies reviews are already planned out through the end of the year. Superman, Superman, Superman 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sooo hummm how can I figure out what you have read, haven’t read and need to read, to follow your progress? Hahahah
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, if you click on the tag “complete Shakespeare” that will take you to all the posts for each review. As for what I still have to read, well, you’re on your own there 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person