Rating: 
Summary: Extremely Worthwhile
Review: "The Taming of the Shrew" was one of Shakespeare's first comedies and is consequently not his best. However, it is STILL a must-read for anyone who loves literature. There seems to be some prevalent opinion that Shakespeare's language is boring and cannot be humorous. Anyone who thinks that has not read this play. Just because a work requires thought does not mean that it is boring. The early exchanges between Pettruchio and Katherine are about as witty as anything you will ever read and so are many of the others episodes within this play. Some claim that this work is sexist. Though they are certainly entitled to this opinion, I would have to disagree with it. Compare the induction to the play's body. More specifically, compare what happens to Sly to what happens to Katherine. What the play, atleast in my own humble opinion, is about is how language, the manner in which we are treated, and (seriously) the clothes we wear affect how we think of ourselves and, consequently, how we act. Think about it and then go outside, watch the way people dress, hear the way they talk, and then go back inside, build a shrine to Shakespeare and memorize all his works. Ok, well maybe I wasn't serious about the last part, but if you read many of The Bard's works, you will discover not only their beauty, but their relevance to society, even four-hundred years later.
Rating:
Summary: A Grand Apprentice Piece
Review: "The Taming of the Shrew," despite its imperfections, remains one of Shakespeare's most memorable achievements. The story of Petrucchio and Katharine, particularly their colloquy upon first meeting one another, and his taming of her, are pure enjoyment. However, though this comedy will provide plenty of gleeful guffaws for readers of all reading levels, it seems that there will inevitably always be those offended by its ending. This is perfectly understandable. However, I'd like simply to say that a) the infamous speech (which I purposely elude to vaguely so as to not give anything away) may or may not be delivered with sly sarcasm, and b) that Shakespeare wrote this play in the late sixteenth century, long before the civil rights or feminist movements, so perhaps it would be unfair to reproach him for expressing a perspective prevalent and commonplace in his society (if he even in fact does so). I hope that these words have been useful to you and urge anyone who has not read this play to do so, and with an open mind.
Rating: 
Summary: Shakespeare's funniest farce.
Review: 'The Taming of the Shrew' is Shakespeare's most purely enjoyable play, especially in the theatre. Its language is easy to understand, with very little of the elaborate figures that can be difficult to follow on stage; the plot, with various suitors vying for the hands of sisters beautiful Bianca and shrewish Katerina, a web of disguises and mistaken identities, with servants pretending to be masters and vice versa, is pure bawdy farce. this fluidity of social roles is quite subversive - fixed hierarchies are shown to be merely a case of good acting. Formally, 'Taming' is one of Shakespeare's most audacious, as a play-withing-a-play-within-the-play - it starts with an aristorcrat and his servant playing a joke on a drunken peasant, by making him believe he is a lord; the play put on for him, 'The Taming of the Shrew', is full of comic and thematic echoes of this framing plot, in thich the servant dresses as the peasant's noble wife. Within this play, characters play roles and stage plays for various unwitting audiences. for all its entertainment and brilliance, however, 'Taming' has always been one of Shakesepeare's most notoriously uncomfortable plays - we are asked to watch the subduing of a strong, vocal, witty, satirical, indepedent woman by a bullying braggart. There are moments within the general sneering, when we are allowed sympathise with Kate in her loneliness and feelings of being made the butt of abuse and jokes, but it is difficult to watch scenes with a gang of men holding the stage, deciding the fate of the women. Shakespeare's cunning text leaves plenty of room to displace the misogyny - as a play-within-a-play, 'Taming' can be seen as reflecting a smarmy nobleman's assumptions rather than Shakespeare's; the knowledge that in Shakespeare's day, all female roles were played by males can ironise what seems an oppressively gendered work. In a production I recently saw in Galway's Town Hall Theatre, the gender roles were reversed, and the doubling of parts provocative, taking cues from the framing play - this transformed 'Taming' into a miraculous precursor to 'Some Like it hot', with gender stereotypes overplayed to reveal that gender is, mostly, stereotype.
Rating:
Summary: Comedy or Commentary?
Review: Bianca is a beautiful, educated woman, modest and loved by nearly all who lay eyes upon her. But she cannot be wed until her older sister, the shrew, witty, and temperamental Katharina, is married. This is our situation. I enjoyed this play, as I do all of Shakespeare's comedies. But I found the latter half of the play to be far less humorous. I preferred Katharina outspoken ... she is full of insults and violence, as she beats her music teacher of the head with the lute. But after she marries Petruchio, she is "tamed," and subordinate. This in itself is important, (though not too funny), because Shakespeare is commenting on the subservient and domesticated role of women, and he obviously doesn't agree with it. I'd say that was a step forward towards equal rights if I ever heard one. The number of sex jokes it phenomenal ... ha ha, Shakespeare is just as human as the rest of us.
Rating:
Summary: Comedy or Commentary?
Review: Bianca is a beautiful, educated woman, modest and loved by nearly all who lay eyes upon her. But she cannot be wed until her older sister, the shrew, witty, and temperamental Katharina, is married. This is our situation. I enjoyed this play, as I do all of Shakespeare's comedies. But I found the latter half of the play to be far less humorous. I preferred Katharina outspoken ... she is full of insults and violence, as she beats her music teacher of the head with the lute. But after she marries Petruchio, she is "tamed," and subordinate. This in itself is important, (though not too funny), because Shakespeare is commenting on the subservient and domesticated role of women, and he obviously doesn't agree with it. I'd say that was a step forward towards equal rights if I ever heard one. The number of sex jokes it phenomenal ... ha ha, Shakespeare is just as human as the rest of us.
Rating: 
Summary: The Worst Book Known to Man
Review: First of all Katharine and Bianca are two spoiled, self-centered, wenches. Katharine enjoys defaming others character,hearing her own voice, and inducing pain in her little sister while Bianca is a pathetic, whinny, future trophy wife, who has never had an original thought in her life. Katharine and Bianca embody two female extremes, extremes that no self respecting woman should ever be. The guys on the other hand... Are no better. Lucentio is your typical male. He wants a demure, innocent but dumb blonde bombshell while Petruchio in today's time would be considered a hick. His moto concerning women would be "They should be barefoot and pregnant."
So if you enjoy stories that are insulting to woman, difficult to understand, and glorify hicks then this is the book for you, if not, don't bother.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing drama!
Review: I acted in this play for my school spring play. We had every character played by high schoolers, and being able to discuss the topics. I love how all the characters seem so real.
Rating:
Summary: Taming Of The Shrew
Review: I found this story to be extremely elementary. This Shakespeare fellow obviously has no idea what he is talking about, and I hope he refrains from releasing anything in the near future.
Rating:
Summary: Taming Of The Shrew
Review: I found this story to be extremely elementary. This Shakespeare fellow obviously has no idea what he is talking about, and I hope he refrains from releasing anything in the near future.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Book
Review: I read this book when I was 11, and it is very easy to comprehend! It is great book. Kate is my favirote character, and its a comedy! You should read it!
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