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The Taming of The Shrew

Third Series
3.73 goodreads logo

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( 181,412 ratings, 6,160 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In The Taming of the Shrew, a wealthy gentleman named Petruchio seeks to marry Katherina, a strong-willed woman known for her sharp tongue, to gain her dowry. Meanwhile, several suitors vie for the affection of Katherina's more docile sister, Bianca. Through clever schemes and comedic misunderstandings, the play explores themes of courtship, marriage, and the dynamics of power and identity within relationships.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy classic tales filled with witty verbal sparring and intricate plots. You'll appreciate its exploration of themes like gender roles, marriage, and societal norms, all delivered with Shakespeare's characteristic humour and clever wordplay.

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A major new edition of this perennially succesful play which continues to entertain and perplex modern audiences. The play is discussed in its critial and theatrical contexts and Hodgdon, a leading feminist scholar, opens up new readings for modern audiences and students.

A major new edition of this perennially successful play which continues to entertain and perplex modern audiences. The play is discussed in its critical and theatrical contexts and Hodgdon, a leading feminist scholar, opens up new readings for modern audiences and students.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Taming of the Shrew is unique among Shakespeare's plays and is a perennial and compelling success in the theatre. Its reception is marked, however, by ongoing polarised debate over the meaning and worth of the play.

This edition disengages Shakespeare's exuberant and disturbing marital farce from the tangled history of its reception. It views the two sixteenth-century Shrew plays as textually independent but theatrically interdependent and so includes the full text of The Taming of A Shrew in an appendix.

While the Introduction and Commentary focus on the critical and theatrical debate surrounding the play, the original and comprehensive editing of the playtext makes available a 'different' Shrew, more open to the reader's interpretation than is usually the case.

Barbara Hodgdon is a distinguished feminist scholar whose reading of the play offers a stimulating array of ideas and questions about this enduringly popular yet challenging comedy.

Series: The Arden Shakespeare Third Series

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Taming of The Shrew receives praise for its lively introduction and impressive performance history, which aligns with critical readings while highlighting the comedy's inherent challenges and charms. Barbara Hodgdon's analysis is noted for being thought-provoking, providing a stimulating feminist perspective on this popular but complex play.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781903436936

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 26 April 2010

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: The Arden Shakespeare

Illustration: 20 illlustrations in the introduction

Contributors:

  • Edited by Barbara Hodgdon
  • Edited by Barbara Hodgdon

Audience: General / adult, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 512g

Pages: 472

About the Author

Barbara Hodgdon is Professor of English at the University of Michigan. She is the author of The Shakespeare Trade: Performances and Appropriations, the Arden 3 Online Performance Project, The End Crowns All: Closure and Contradiction in Shakespeare's History, and two books exploring Shakespeare's Henry IV, Parts One and Two as texts and in performance.

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