The Taming of the Shrew: Commentary

The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy which begins with a nobleman fooling a drunken commoner into believing he is a nobleman, and the play is then performed for his entertainment. The play itself focuses on Petruchio’s romancing of Katherina—the shrew. Katherina is rude and undesirable, but before her highly sought after sister Bianca can be married, Katherina must have a husband. While Bianca’s suitors seize every opportunity to win her favor, Petruchio uses psychological abuse to break Katherina’s fiery temperment until she becomes his compliant wife.