Oct 13, 2008

The Taming of the Shrew | Overviews of Taming of the Shrew

Selected critical excerpts explore the action and structure of Taming of the Shrew, including a discussion of the relationship between Katherine and Petruchio.

Ruth Nevo

[In the following essay, Nevo provides an overview of the action and structure of The Taming of the Shrew, concentrating on the relationship between Katherine and Petruchio. Citing with approval Michael West's observation that Shakespeare's focus here is not "women's rights" but "sexual rites," Nevo sees the play as a rollicking depiction of the battle between the sexes. Kate, she suggests, is shown to be so fearful of not being loved, and so accustomed to being told she is unlovable, that she has come to behave as if it were true. Petruchio appears as a master...