The Complete Taming of the Shrew: An Annotated Edition of the Shakespeare Play

By Donald J. Richardson

To a contemporary feminist, The Taming of the Shrew is surely anathema. A strong woman is shown to be easily manipulated and ends up subjugated by a somewhat insensitive and boorish man.
Yet, despite the real objections, the play has been popular for centuries in itself, in adaptations (Tamed and How, or The Push), and a wildly popular musical (Kiss Me, Kate). Thus, one may be forced to concede that there is an element here that transcends the knockabout, slapstick humor.
Something here, as in most of Shakespeare, transcends the literal, causing audiences to continue to enjoy the basic premise and the argumentum ad absurdum. In a sense the contretemps between Petruchio and Katherine predicts the antagonistic love-making of Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. Finally, despite their sexist natures, both plays are intellectually and emotionally satisfying.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491847787

Donald J. Richardson

Although he has long been eligible to retire, Donald J. Richardson continues to (try to) teach English Composition at Phoenix College in Arizona. He defines his life through his teaching, his singing, his volunteering, and his grandchildren.

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© 2014 by Donald J. Richardson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/10/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4918-4779-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-4777-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-4778-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014900118

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Table of Contents

About the Book

About the Author

INDUCTION

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

ACT IV

ACT V

Works Cited

Other Books by Donald J. Richardson

Dust in the Wind, 2001

Rails to Light, 2005

Song of Fools, 2006

Words of Truth, 2007

The Meditation of My Heart, 2008

The Days of Darkness, 2009

The Dying of the Light, 2010

Between the Darkness and the Light, 2011

The Days of Thy Youth, 2012

Those Who Sit in Darkness¸ 2013

Just a Song at Twilight, 2014

The Complete Hamlet, 2012

The Complete Macbeth, 2013

The Complete Romeo and Juliet, 2013

The Complete King Lear, 2013

The Complete Julius Caesar, 2013

The Complete Merchant of Venice, 2013

The Complete Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2013

The Complete Much Ado About Nothing, 2013

The Complete Twelfth Night, 2014

For all the shrews, tamed and untamed

About the Book

To a contemporary feminist, The Taming of the Shrew is surely anathema. A strong woman is shown to be easily manipulated and ends up subjugated by a somewhat insensitive and boorish man.

Yet, despite the real objections, the play has been popular for centuries in itself, in adaptations (Tamed and How, or The Push), and a wildly popular musical (Kiss Me, Kate). Thus, one may be forced to concede that the play is more than knockabout, slapstick humor.

Something here, as in most of Shakespeare, transcends the literal, causing audiences to continue to enjoy the basic premise and the argumentum ad absurdum. In a sense the contretemps between Petruchio and Katherine predicts the antagonistic love-making of Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. Finally, despite their sexist natures, both plays are intellectually and emotionally satisfying.

About the Author

Teaching and writing serve to define Donald J. Richardson. Add singing to that mix, and he says he is complete.

INDUCTION

SCENE I. Before an alehouse on a heath.

Enter HOSTESS and SLY

SLY

1 I’ll pheeze you, in faith.   I’ll pheeze you: a vague threat, equivalent to modern ‘I’ll fix you’ or ‘I’ll do for you.’ (Riverside, 142)

HOSTESS

2 A pair of stocks, you rogue!   A pair of stocks: i.e. I’ll have you in the stocks." (Riverside, 142); stocks: a heavy timber frame with holes for the ankles used to punish disturbers of the peace (Mowat, 6)

SLY

3 Ye are a baggage: the Slys are no rogues; look in

4 the chronicles; we came in with Richard Conqueror.   Chronicles: "histories, such as Holinshed’s Chronicles (1577 and 1587), often used by Shakespeare" (Mowat, 6); Richard: "Sly’s blunder for William"

(Riverside, 142)

5 Therefore paucas pallabris; let the world slide: sessa!   Paucas pallabris: "few words (Spanish pocas palabras)"; sessa: "of uncertain meaning; perhaps equivalent to ‘let it go’ (from Spanish cesar, ‘cease’)" (Riverside, 142); slide: go by (proverb; cf. Ind.ii.144) (Heilman, 45)

HOSTESS

6 You will not pay for the glasses you have burst?   Burst: broken (Riverside, 142)

SLY

7 No, not a denier. Go by, Jeronimy: go to thy cold   Denier: copper coin worth very little; Go…

Jeronimy: "Sly’s variation of a stock tag signifying impatient dismissal; it stemmed from a line in Kyd’s Spanish Tragedy, ‘Hieronimo, beware; go by, go by,’ but Sly confuses Hieronimo in the play with St. Jerome (Latin Hieronymus)" (Riverside, 142)

8 bed, and warm thee.

HOSTESS

9 I know my remedy; I must go fetch the

10 thirdborough.

Exit

SLY

11 Third, or fourth, or fift borough, I’ll answer him   Thirdborough: constable. The first syllable evolved from the Old English word for ‘peace.’ ; fift: fifth (Riverside, 142)

12 by law: I’ll not budge an inch, boy: let him come,   Boy: here, a term of contempt, applicable to either sex (Riverside, 142); wretch (Heilman, 45)

13 and kindly.   Kindly: welcome (Riverside, 142); by all means (Heilman, 45)

Falls asleep

Wind horns. Enter a Lord from hunting, with his train   Wind: blow (Riverside, 142)

LORD

14 Huntsman, I charge thee, tender well my hounds:   Tender: care for (Riverside, 142)

15 Brach Merriman, the poor cur is emboss’d;   Brach: "bitch hound. In view of the repetition of the word in the next line most editors emend, commonly either to Broach ( = bleed) or to Breathe ( = allow to rest)." (Riverside, 143); embossed: exhausted (Wright, 2); foaming at the mooth (Heilman, 46)

16 And couple Clowder with the deep—mouth’d brach.   Brach: hunting bitch (Heilman, 46)

17 Saw’st thou not, boy, how Silver made it good   Made it good: i.e., picked up the scent (Mowat, 8)

18 At the hedge-corner, in the coldest fault?   In… fault: when the scent was coldest (Riverside, 142)

19 I would not lose the dog for twenty pound.

FIRST HUTSMAN

20 Why, Belman is as good as he, my lord;

21 He cried upon it at the merest loss   Cried upon it: bayed, i.e. was the first to recover the scent; at… loss: when the scent had been completely lost (Riverside, 142)

22 And twice to-day pick’d out the dullest scent:

23 Trust me, I take him for the better dog.

LORD

24 Thou art a fool: if Echo were as fleet,

25 I would esteem him worth a dozen such.

26 But sup them well and look unto them all:

27 To-morrow I intend to hunt again.

FIRST HUNTSMAN

28 I will, my lord.

LORD

29 What’s here? one dead, or drunk? See, doth he breathe?

SECOND HUNTSMAN

30 He breathes, my lord. Were he not warm’d with ale,

31 This were a bed but cold to sleep so soundly.

LORD

32 O monstrous beast! how like a swine he lies!

33 Grim death, how foul and loathsome is thine image!   Image: likeness (with reference to the ancient view that sleep was the image of death) (Riverside, 143)

34 Sirs, I will practice on this drunken man.   Practice: play a joke (Riverside, 143)

35 What think you, if he were convey’d to bed,

36 Wrapp’d in sweet clothes, rings put upon his fingers,   Sweet: perfumed (Riverside, 143)

37 A most delicious banquet by his bed,   Banquet: light repast (Riverside, 143)

38 And brave attendants near him when he wakes,   Brave: finely dressed (Riverside, 143)

39 Would not the beggar then forget himself?

FIRST HUNTSMAN

40 Believe me, lord, I think he cannot choose.   Cannot choose: i.e., will have no other choice (Mowat, 8)

SECOND HUNTSMAN

41 It would seem strange unto him when he waked.

LORD

42 Even as a flattering dream or worthless fancy.   Worthless fancy: empty fantasy (Riverside, 143)

43 Then take him up and manage well the jest:

44 Carry him gently to my fairest chamber

45 And hang it round with all my wanton pictures:   Wanton: gay

(Heilman, 47)

46 Balm his foul head in warm distilled waters   Balm: anoint (Riverside, 143)

47 And burn sweet wood to make the lodging sweet:

48 Procure me music ready when he wakes,

49 To make a dulcet and a heavenly sound;   Dulcet: sweet

(Heilman, 47)

50 And if he chance to speak, be ready straight   Straight: immediately (Riverside, 143)

51 And with a low submissive reverence   Reverence: bow (Mowat, 10)

52 Say What is it your honor will command?

53 Let one attend him with a silver basin

54 Full of rose-water and bestrew’d with flowers,

55 Another bear the ewer, the third a diaper,   Diaper: towel (Riverside, 143); napkin (Wright, 3)

56 And say Will’t please your lordship cool your hands?

57 Some one be ready with a costly suit

58 And ask him what apparel he will wear;

59 Another tell him of his hounds and horse,

60 And that his lady mourns at his disease:

61 Persuade him that he hath been lunatic;

62 And when he says he is, say that he dreams,   Is: i.e. is indeed mad (Riverside, 143)

63 For he is nothing but a mighty lord.

64 This do and do it kindly, gentle sirs:   Kindly: naturally, i.e. convincingly

(Riverside, 143)

65 It will be pastime passing excellent,   Passing: surpassingly (Riverside, 143)

66 If it be husbanded with modesty.   Husbanded with modesty: managed with restraint (Riverside, 143)

FIRST HUNTSMAN

67 My lord, I warrant you we will play our part,

68 As he shall think by our true diligence   As: so that (Wright, 3)

69 He is no less than what we say he is.

LORD

70 Take him up gently and to bed with him;

71 And each one to his office when he wakes.   Office: duty (Riverside, 143); he: i.e., Sly (Mowat, 10)

Some bear out SLY. A trumpet sounds

72 Sirrah, go see what trumpet ’tis that sounds:   Sirrah: ordinary form of address to inferiors (Riverside, 143)

Exit Servingman

73 Belike, some noble gentleman that means,   Belike: probably (Riverside, 143); means: intends (Mowat, 12)

74 Travelling some journey, to repose him here.

Re-enter Servingman

75 How now! who is it?

SERVANT

76 An’t please your honor, players   An’t: if it (Riverside, 143); players: actors (Mowat, 12)

77 That offer service to your lordship.

LORD

78 Bid them come near.

Enter Players

79 Now, fellows, you are welcome.

PLAYERS

80 We thank your honor.

LORD

81 Do you intend to stay with me tonight?

A PLAYER

82 So please your lordship to accept our duty.   So please: if it please (Mowat, 12); duty: expression of respect (Riverside, 143)

LORD

83 With all my heart. This fellow I remember,

84 Since once he play’d a farmer’s eldest son:

85 ’Twas where you woo’d the gentlewoman so well:

86 I have forgot your name; but, sure, that part   Sure: certainly

(Mowat, 12)

87 Was aptly fitted and naturally perform’d.   Aptly fitted: well suited (to you) (Heilman, 48); naturally: realistically (Riverside, 143)

A PLAYER

88 I think ’twas Soto that your honor means.   Soto: "A character of this name, with a role like that described by the Lord, appears in Fletcher’s Woman Pleased, but since that play was first acted around 1620, the reference here must either be a late addition or point to a much earlier play on which Fletcher’s play was based." (Riverside, 143)

LORD

89 ’Tis very true: thou didst it excellent.

90 Well, you are come to me in happy time;   In happy time: opportunely (Wright, 4)

91 The rather for I have some sport in hand   The rather for: the more so because

(Riverside, 143)

92 Wherein your cunning can assist me much.   Cunning: skill (Riverside,