Shakespeare Fans discussion

I'm researching the Elizabethan concept of marriage during the time that The Taming of the Shrew was published. I found a lot of criticism for and against Kate's actions being subservient and would like to know if you agree or disagree with my potential train of thought here.

Although Kate’s subservient attitude seems to be simply submission to her husband’s will, it is actually her shaping and controlling both her husband and their marriage. This movement of power from the man to the woman showcases the changing concepts of an Elizabethan marriage.

What do you think? :)

Hi I am sorry it took so long for me to get the courage to comment. I believe that the major movie adaptations of Shrew certainly do follow your train of thought. Unfortunately with Shakespeare the interpretation is often in how you play it.

My personal opinion is that Shakespeare wrote a male fantasy play. If women date the bad boys so that they can "change him" then of course a man would date a Shrew so that he could "tame her." I submit the unconcluded framing device as evidence that supports the Fantasy (dream) angle.

I think critics try to read too much into The Taming of the Shrew. I believe it was written by a young, still to mature writer, not as a treatise on marriage, but as a knockabout comedy to please the crowds. I can't believe that a boy from the country with a strong mother and strong wife would have written Kate's final speech as anything but satire on the pious sermons preached to women from the church pulpit.

Of the modern productions available on film, while the Zefferelli version comes close, the one production that really gets it is the Broadway Archive production starring Marc Singer as Petruchio and Fredi Olster as Katherina. I've written extensively about the play and filmed versions of it and its spin offs on my blog, The Stuff of Dreams. http://stuffofdreamsseries.blogspot.c...