The Taming of the Shrew was a fantastic play performed at the Globe Theatre in London and written by William Shakespeare.

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Katrina Williamson 10R                                                                                            4/10/03

The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew was a fantastic play performed at the Globe Theatre in London and written by William Shakespeare. It’s perhaps the most famous play ever written about the battle of the sexes.

Baptista, a rich man of Padua, has two daughters: Katherina and Bianca. Katherina is described as a shrew – a scolding tongue and a bad temper and her father has stated that no one shall wed Bianca (her lovable sister) until Katherina has been married. Lucentio of Pisa, a suitor to Bianca, devises a scheme in which he and Tranio (his servant) will switch clothes, and so disguised, Lucentio offers his services as a tutor for Bianca in order to get closer to her. At his point, Petruchio of Verona enters Padua to visit his friend Hortensio (another suitor to Bianca). Attracted by Katherina's large offering, Petruchio decides to woo her.

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Surprisingly, Petruchio finds Katherina charming and pleasant. A marriage is arranged, and Petruchio immediately sets out to tame Katherina through a series of increasingly worse tricks. This involves everything from showing up late to his own wedding to constant contradictions to whatever she says, even claiming that the sun is the moon. After many trying days and nights, an exhausted Katherina is "tamed" into obedience.

By the end of the play, Lucentio has won Bianca's heart and Hortensio settles for a rich widow. During a dinner for Bianca and Lucentio, Petruchio makes and wins a bet in which he proposes ...

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