Taming of the Taming of the ,,

ShrewShrew“No profit grows where is no pleasure ta'en:”

Queen Elizabeth I (1533 - 1603)Queen Elizabeth I (1533 - 1603)• Reestablished the

protestant church founded by her father Henry VIII

• Brought England into its “golden age.”

• Reigned 1558-1603

• Shakespeare’s primary sovereign

DetailsDetails• It is believed to have been written between 1590

and 1592—Elizabeth is alive.• The play begins with a framing device, often

referred to as “the Induction,” in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Christopher Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself.

• The nobleman then has the play Taming of the Shrew performed for Sly's diversion.

Sly and HostessSly and Hostess• This little bit is now rarely seen (it is not included in

any of the video version used for this class). It begins with a hostess trying without success to get from a drunk the money he owes her—all she can do is nag like a shrew.

• However it does depict at the beginning the trouble a woman has when a man can not be moved by reason.

• It also introduces the idea of false faces in the name of love.

William Shakespeare 1564-1616William Shakespeare 1564-1616• Lived under both

Queen Elizabeth (Elizabethan) and King James (Jacobian)

• Shakespearean plays are as popular today as they were some 400 years ago, when they were considered "modern."

Average Shakespearean Average Shakespearean AudienceAudience

• Other favorite kinds of entertainment: bear baiting and cock fighting, not

• Many were not highly educated (royal court about 1.5%) so the references which confuse us were generally known

• Peasants or groundlings a staple for income.

Just Some SuggestionsJust Some Suggestions

• Don’t try to understand all the language– You will catch enough as it goes along

• Keep your eyes open for how the director of this presentation has decided to deal with the problems.

• Laugh Load—This is a Comedy!

END