The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare’s most controversial and ambiguous comedies. Written in the early 1590s, it purports to tell the story of how a “shrew,” the strong-willed Katherine, is “tamed” by the even stronger-willed fortune hunter Petruchio. Petruchio marries Katherine and, in the eyes of onlookers, seem to “kill[] her in her own humour.” But the play leaves us wondering whether Katherine really is tamed – and whether Petruchio, Shakespeare, or Shakespeare’s own audiences really wanted her to be. As much as this play draws critical fire, it continues to draw artists’ and audiences’ attention as we return to this play again and again to ask our own questions and make our own statements about gender and gender roles. In this course, you’ll learn the story of The Taming of the Shrew, explore the relationship between Katherine and Petruchio and the many possible ways of interpreting it, and discuss what the play reveals about what we need from theatre and from Shakespeare.  
In Part 1, you’ll be guided through a detailed account of the story with commentary by Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Oxford. You’ll see how Shakespeare embeds, within the text and physical action of the play, crucial questions about Katherine and Petruchio that the text itself doesn’t answer. This summary is told using the language of the play itself, placing key quotations in context to help you understand where these lines come from and what they mean.