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William Shakespeare - The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew is Shakespeare’s comedy from 1594 and one of his earliest works. The version we know today was published in the First Folio in 1623. The play is composed of four acts; the story is set in Padua in Italy and, like other Shakespeare’s comedies, has a happy ending. The Taming of the Shrew was adapted for the big screen in 1967 by Franco Zeffirelli; the film starred Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. In 1980, BBC produced its television adaptation within the framework of the project “The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare” with a famous British comedian John Cleese playing Petruchio.

Baptista Minola, a wealthy bourgeois from Padua, has two daughters – the elder bursting with anger, ill-tempered, unbearable Katharina and younger Bianca, beautiful and well-mannered. Bianca has many suitors willing to marry her. Her father, however, drives a hard bargain – he will not give her away to marriage until her elder sister is wed. One of Bianca’s suitors, Lucentio, a young heir to a merchant’s fortune from Pisa, decides to disguise himself as a teacher of Greek and Latin in order to be closer to his darling and make her fall in love with him. Another admirer, Hortensio, comes up with a similar idea and plays the role of a music teacher. At the same time Tranio, Lucentio’s servant pretending to be his master, officially starts courting Bianca to win her father’s favour. He competes against an elderly merchant, Gremio. They are doomed to failure until a candidate for Katharina’s husband shows up. Unexpectedly the problem is solved by the arrival of Petruchio from Verona, who is so greedy that he is ready to marry virtually any girl with generous dowry. But first he must gain favour with Katharina or at least, overcome her strenuous objection.

William Shakespeare; born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, died on April 23, 1616. He is considered one of the most eminent British writers and theatre reformers. Shakespeare wrote around 40 plays, 154 sonnets as well as works of other literary genres. Although he received some recognition during his lifetime, only after his death did he get the praise he deserved. He is regarded as England’s national poet.

Shakespeare’s works were translated into most modern languages. First translation into Polish dates back to 1839. His plays are performed all over the world. Moreover, he is the most quoted writer in the English-speaking world.