The Taming of the Shrew facts for kids
The Taming of the Shrew is a famous play written by William Shakespeare. It is a comedy, which means it's a funny story with a happy ending. The play tells the story of a man named Petruchio and a strong-willed woman named Katherina.
Contents
About the Play
The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's most well-known comedies. It explores themes of love, marriage, and how people change. The play is still performed often today.
What's it About?
The story begins with a rich man in Padua, Italy, who has two daughters. The younger daughter, Bianca, is sweet and has many admirers. But her father says she cannot marry until her older sister, Katherina, gets married first. Katherina is known for being very fiery and difficult. People call her "the shrew."
Then, Petruchio arrives in Padua. He is looking for a rich wife. He hears about Katherina and decides he will marry her, no matter what. Petruchio uses unusual methods to "tame" Katherina. He tries to make her agree with everything he says, even if it seems silly. For example, he might say the sun is the moon, and he expects her to agree.
In the end, Katherina seems to change her ways. She gives a famous speech about how wives should obey their husbands. The play leaves audiences wondering if Katherina truly changed, or if she found a clever way to get what she wanted.
Who Wrote It?
The play was written by the famous English writer William Shakespeare. He probably got some ideas for the story from an older Italian play called Suppositi by Ludovico Ariosto. Another English play, Supposes by George Gascoigne, might have also given him ideas.
When Was It First Performed?
The Taming of the Shrew was likely first performed around the years 1593 to 1594. It was first printed in a collection of Shakespeare's plays in 1623. This collection is known as the First Folio. It was the first time many of Shakespeare's plays were put together in one book.
Famous Adaptations
This play has been very popular for hundreds of years. It has been made into other forms of entertainment:
- A famous musical called Kiss Me, Kate is based on the play. It adds songs and dances to the story.
- In 1967, a movie version of the play was made. It starred famous actors Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Images for kids
-
The Shrew Katherina by Edward Robert Hughes (1898).
-
Taming of the Shrew. Katherine and Petruchio by James Dromgole Linton (c.1890).
-
Fr. Schwoerer illustration of Act 4, Scene 1 (Petruchio rejects the bridal dinner). Engraved by Georg Goldberg (c.1850).
-
First page of The Taming of the Shrew from the First Folio (1623)
-
Petruccio's hochzeit by Carl Gehrts (1885).
-
Scene from Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew by Washington Allston (1809).
-
H.C. Selous' illustration of Sly and the Hostess; from The Plays of William Shakespeare: The Comedies, edited by Charles Cowden Clarke and Mary Cowden Clarke (1830).
-
Mid-19th century print of Act 4, Scene 3 (Petruchio rejects the tailor's gowns for Katherina)
-
William Quiller Orchardson's illustration of Sly and the Lord, engraved by Charles William Sharpe; from the Imperial Edition of The Works of Shakespere, edited by Charles Knight (1876).
-
Julius Caesar Ibbetson illustration of Act 4, Scene 5 (the "sun and moon" conversation) from The Boydell Shakespeare Prints; engraved by Isaac Taylor (1803).
-
Arthur Rackham illustration of Act 5, Scene 2 (Katherina is the only wife to respond to her husband); from Tales from Shakespeare, edited by Charles Lamb and Mary Lamb (1890).
-
Taming of the Shrew by Augustus Egg (1860).
-
'Williams' cartoon from Caricature magazine; "Tameing a Shrew; or, Petruchio's Patent Family Bedstead, Gags & Thumscrews" (1815).
-
John Drew as Petruchio in Augustin Daly's 1887 production at Daly's Theatre, New York.
-
Louis Rhead ink drawing of Katherine breaking a lute over Hortensio's head, designed for a 1918 edition of Tales from Shakespeare.
.jpg)
_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: La fierecilla domada para niños
