Katherine of The Taming of the Shrew. 'A Second Grissel' | Katherine of The Taming of the Shrew. 'A Second Grissel'
Katherine of The Taming of the Shrew. 'A Second Grissel'
Carolyn E. Brown, University of San Francisco
Shakespeare wrote The Taming of the Shrew within the genre of shrew literature, popular in medieval and Renaissance times. Shrews appeared in almost every form of literature—written and oral—in these periods. And Shakespeare composes his play subtly enough that it can be read as written within the tradition, and he makes Katherine "spirited" enough that she can be read as a shrew, who finds a wise and courageous man with the skills to mold her into a peaceful, loving wife. Numerous critics have compellingly interpreted the play and the protagonists in these terms.1 But some critics contend that Shakespeare put his own special touch on the tradition, modifying it in some important ways. These critics see Katherine, for example, as not quite fitting the mold of the traditional shrew. Most traditional shrew...
[The entire page is 13925 words long]
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