The Taming of the Shrew - mysoginistic?

I was reading this for evening class and there's a big row about whether its mysoginistic because Katherin gets deprived of food and clothes and such. What do people here think? This is on-topic 'cos there are a lot of indie authors who wrote corrections and sequels to try and fix it!

 

Yes, I would say that it's misogynistic. I don't know if it would have been seen quite that way back when it was written, at least not to the same extent as now. I haven't read any of the sequels out there, didn't even know there were any, and now really want to check them out. What sort of things are they trying to "fix"? It seems like it would be hard to keep true to the story and take out any tones of misogyny.

 

Absolutely, it's terribly misogynistic. The play depicts gender inequality and the downright applauds the abuse of women in a patriarchal culture. I like John Fletcher's response in The Tamer Tamed. What do your classmates seem to think, Jessica?

 

This is Shakespeare isn't it? This is one of the ones I haven't read or seen a film about, so my opinion is probably not worth a lot.

 

I'd say the flat text is misogynistic, but the performance might not be. So much depends on direction. I've seen one, (and only one) performance where it seemed a lot more equal, but that was because Katherine's original behaviour was taken up to eleven. She wasn't just sharp-tongued, she was physically violent towards other cast members on stage (throwing items, weapons, hitting people), which made Pettruchio's behaviour seem more like an attempt not to get killed by his larger, stronger, bride. There was no carrying her off over his shoulder, because she'd have stabbed him in the back!

It made it seem more like civilising a hellion and making her treat him with respect, than abuse of power and misogyny. (The final speech about how frail women are drew laughs when she picked him up while saying it...)

I've seen a few sources that say that was how it was originally meant to be performed, as his patron was Queen Elizabeth. Then again, the first unofficial sequel was written in 1611 and reversed things on Pettruccio, so even when it was written people had qualms about it.

 

Yes, it's one of Shakespeare's comedies. You aren't missing out by skipping that one. The play has been rewritten over and over in an attempt to soften the blow, but the abuse of women is still there any way you look at it.

 

I never knew that there was an unofficial sequel that soon after it was written. What is it, like thirty years? That's wild. I always assumed it must have been moderately acceptable during the time period, but maybe not!

 

"The Tamer Tamed" by John Fletcher is a complete reversal of tactics on Pettruccio by his second wife Maria. The date it was written seems to be debated (1604-1611), but it was almost as controversial as its forerunner being briefly banned for ribaldry. When it was performed back-to-back in one evening with Shakespeare's play, Tamer Tamed was preferred, so the views in Taming of the Shrew may have been out of date even at the time it was written.

Edited to Add: Sorry @Ellie Jane, I've just seen you already mentioned it.

 

Most of the sticking points were that Shakespeare was writing for the Queen. Something that misogynistic would not earn him favour and there had to be a catch. He'd been really careful about that in his other plays. I like the idea it was a farce and Katherine carrying her husband around the stage.

 

I've only just realised that it inspired Star Trek's Elann of Troyius. Are there any other famous corrections out there?

 

The director's choices can definitely change the way the play comes off. I haven't seen one quite as extreme as the one you described, but I've seen something pretty similar. Additionally, I've seen it where they really play up the misogyny and make Petruchio exceptionally volatile. I didn't care much for that one, honestly.

I would love to see one like you described though, with her carrying him off as he calls women frail. That's perfect. I think interpretations like that also help us realize that this play is a comedy When you're reading it, that can be easy to forget.

 

I think the only reference outside was from an episode of Red Dwarf where they described the gender swapped version as the Taming of the Shrimp. Kinda gives the game away really.