Much of our research focused on how the character of Kate is presented by the text and how problematic that becomes when experienced by modern audiences. Since we will be presenting the moment Petruchio and Katherine meet, and that much of their relationship becomes apparent in that scene, we felt that this was important to recognize. We also plan to present a pseudo audience. In this we wanted to present a background to the presentation that underlined class and gender differences. Some of our research tied that in to other scenes of The Taming of the Shrew as well. So we presented only one scene, our intention was to try to put as much of the play and it's cultural and historic circumstances into it as we could.

Moisan,Thomas. "Knock Me Here Soundly": Comic Misprision and Class Consciousness in Shakespeare." Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 42, No. 3. (Autumn, 1991), pp. 276-290. Annotation by Rebecca Sodomsky.

Moisan’s article, within a new historicist perspective, examines the scene between Petruchio and Grumio in The Taming of the Shrew, during which Petruchio tells Grumio to "knock me here soundly" (1.2.5-46). Grumio misunderstands him, generating a sequence of jests, as the characters continually build upon the miscommunication. This exchange, Moisan argues, "fuses class consciousness and comic dramaturgy in an interesting nexus" (Moisan 277). Moisan draws upon the writings of William Harrison to show how the scene between Petruchio and Grumio emphasizes the "quasi-mythic identity" that most servants had as a part of the master’s family (281). He also analyzes the epithets that Petruchio bestows upon Grumio when the latter does not obey him immediately. According to Moisan, the language of these epithets is evident of how the ideology of a servant's inferiority to his master had been internalized.  He uses this as a springboard for his last argument, which is to say that the exchange between Petruchio and Grumio is a sort of preview for the interaction between Petructhio and Kate. In supporting this, he uses a claim by the author of The Seruingmans Comfort which asserts that the relationship between a master and servant is not unlike that of a man and his wife. In closing, Moisan points out that the end of the play succeeds in fixing the problem of disobedience had by Petruchio with Grumio as Kate explicitly speaks of the degree of obedience which wives should afford their husbands.

Pearson, Velvet D. "In Search of a Liberated Kate in The Taming of the Shrew." Rocky Mountain Review of Language & Literature v. 44 Number 44 (1990): 229-242. Annotation by Amber Grunwald.

Pearson investigates numerous productions of The Taming of the Shrew and looks at the different ways in which Kate and Petruchio have been  presented. She comments that The Shrew is a challenging play to produce for modern audiences since it "seems totally offensive to our age and our society" (Pearson 229). One such obstacle is Kate's last speech. Pearson finds it hard to believe, however, that the speech is Kate's "final capitulation to Petruchio's taming" (230) since England had, at the time, Elizabeth I for a ruler. Pearson upholds throughout the article that Kate doesn't just reiterate the harsh patriarchal values of the time, rather she enjoys an intellectual freedom that the other women in the play don't possess. She also argues that Petruchio enjoys his wife's "intelligence and wit, and expends much time and effort encouraging her to use them" (240). Pearson admits, however, that endowing Kate with this freedom isn't always easy for theatre companies to accomplish. In fact, English actor David Garrick produced a shortened version of The Shrew that eliminated Bianca and her suitors and presented Kate and Petruchio with more dimensionality. Likewise, she comments that cutting the induction, as many productions do, is harmful to the play since it serves as a distancing device that calls attention to the fact that the play is merely a theatrical performance and not real life. Pearson ends the article by proposing that it would be interesting to see a modern interpretation of The Shrew that shifts the dramatic attention completely to Kate by having the story originate from a woman's mind.

Detmer, Emily. "Civilizing Subordination: Domestic Violence and The Taming of the Shrew." Shakespeare Quarterly v. 48 (Spring 97): 273-294. Annotation by Joshua Bone.

Detmer's article begins by explaining that while Elizabethan men were concerned with a husbands' control over their wives, the use of physical violence to ensure this was not considered civil behavior. She then takes a New Historical approach by claiming that Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew "acts as a comedic roadmap...for subordinating a wife without resorting to the 'common' man's brute strength"(Demter 274) and supports it by quoting treatises of the time; most notably The Lawes' Resolution of Women's Rights from 1632. Women were still intended to be subordinated to their husbands in other ways. (Detmer supports this by quoting other 17th century treatises). Petruchio methods are in keeping with all of this. Detmer claims that his treatment of Kate was considered a more effective way of "taming" a wife. Applying a modern feminist approach, Demter claims that this is domestic violence, even though no physical violence occurs. From the first scene they meet, Kate becomes Petruchio's prisoner in a sense and Detmer examines their relationship as captor and hostage. She states that a "farcical reading" of the play is problematic because it forces the reader to read from the point of view of the abuser. Closing her article she warns of the dangers of seeing domestic violence as only what causes physical injury and that this play could help perpetuate that if not taught properly.

Myers, Jeffery Rayner. "In Nothing Am I Chang'd but in My Garments: Shakespearean Cross-Dressing and the Politics of Sexual Frustration." Annals of Scholarship v.3 (1997): 217-236. Annotation by Ty Young.

In his article, Jeffery Rayner Myers points out instances of cross-dressing found in Shakespeare's play The Two Gentleman of Verona, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and The Taming of the Shrew.  Myers argues that the instances of cross-dressing are a device that Shakespeare uses to point out both gender and class distinction. In terms of gender cross-dressing, Myers uses the example of the Page, who has taken on the role of Christopher Sly's "wife," in The Taming of the Shrew. The page not only dresses himself in women's clothing, but also takes on a "typical" married woman's dialogue. In the scope of the play, Myers explains that Sly, upon being duped by the Lord, immediately expects the Page to perform as he would expect a wife to perform. Shakespeare, as Myers argues, is poking fun at the  patriarchic society both in the play, but also in England when the play was performed.

Myers also argues that the instances of cross-dressing in the play displays a direct correlation to Shakespeare's distaste for class-distinction. For instance, Myers points to Sly, dressed in the Lord's clothing, as the antithesis to class distinction due to his cross-dressing. Through both class and gender cross-dressing, Myers argues that Shakespeare shows distaste for oppressive societal norms housed in the patriarchic and gendered social structure of Elizabethan England.

Boose, Lynda E. "Scolding Brides and Bridling Scolds: Taming the Woman's Unruly Member." Shakespeare Quarterly v. 42 no 2 (Summer 91): 179-213. Annotation by Donna Bazzell   .

In this article, Lynda Boose is arguing that Shakespeare's The Taming of  the Shrew may not be as "tame" and harmless as it appears. Boose begins by discussing that Kate is froward when she marries Petruchio, so he makes her the object of ridicule on her wedding day. Women were supposed to be honored on the bridal day. However, at the end of the play (Act V, Scene II),  Bianca's wedding day is converted to honor Kate for her submissiveness and compliance. Also, Boose explains that Kate is robbed of her bridal dinner and the marriage is not consummated until Kate gives her speech (symbolizing her vows) and places her hand under Petruchio's foot (symbolizing a pre-Reformation marriage ritual). The majority of Boose's article is spent discussing the punishment of bridling. There is evidence to suggest that women with unruly tongues were punished by having iron bridles put on their faces with pieces that held down their tongues so they could not speak. Many times they were then displayed in public to be shamed and ridiculed. Boose compares the bridle to the concept of the chastity belt, but the chastity belt was meant to keep the offender out whereas the bridle was meant to keep the offender in. Boose stresses that while Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew may seem quite separate from the torture women experienced with bridling, they are actually not that different.

Ranald Loftus, Margaret. "As Marriage Binds and Blood Break: English Marriage and Shakespeare." Shakespeare Quarterly, 1979: 67-81. Annotation by Melissa Hayes.

This is a commentary in which Ranald talks about how the regulations of marriages of Elizabethan times have greatly affected the plots of many Shakespeare plays. This is largely based on the fact that Shakespeare was well educated in the area of English marriage laws and he was able to use this knowledge in not only his own life but also his writing. The article does not only focus on Taming of the Shrew but also makes references to plays such as The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing. The article says that the laws of marriage were very confusing during these times and the there were two kinds of bethroal contracts which could be determined simply by the tense that was used when the "deal was made". There were also many other customs that were used to determine a woman's future including her being secured to a husband even before courting had begun and her silence in this matter was to be considered her consent (71). The article concludes with Ranald stating that to be able to fully  understand Shakespeare's plays we need to look deeper and fully understand his views on marriage.

Priest, Dale G. "Katherina's Conversion in The Taming of the Shrew: A Theological Heuristic." Renascence, Fall 94, Vol. 47 Issue 1, p.31,10p. Annotation by Marlene Montes.

Priest's article first explains that any reading of The Taming of the Shrew, even the most conservative, can recognize that Kate's "taming"in Act V is a reflection of her position in the chain of authority in whichpatriarchal order is reinforced, and goes on to argue that this "illustratesa paradox found elsewhere in the teaching's of St.Paul," (Priest 31). Priest argues that like Jesus, Petruchio's role in "The Shrew" is to teach Kate (the cursed) and enlighten her. Priest illustrates this by taking us through the steps that Petruchio takes to reach Kate's ultimate salvation, by the use of metaphors.

Priest compares Kate's experience at Petruchio's house, in which she is denied food, drink, and sleep as a lesson to liberate her, to Jesus' brother James' admonitions, in which he says that "trials are to be counted a blessing because they lead to steadfastness and wisdom (James 1.2-5)." Priest then goes on to argue that Kate is in a sense resurrected at the end of the play  when she submits to her "lord," Petruchio, who like Christ announces his divine origin and powers at the end of the play, and "with her confession she is converted to her lord's subjunctive doctrine," (Priest 35). Finally, Priest sums up and says that Kate's transformation and last speech is overlooked and misinterpreted and that we must embrace the idea that Kate was "playing the role designed to win the game. She is behaving in a manner that would have been impossible before her conversion. Kate is now able to experience the joys of responsible freedom rather than the misery and bondage of the self-centered will" (Priest 36).

"Reading The Taming Of The Shrew." http://www.english.vt.edu/~jwatson/secure/essay_2.html. Annotation by Jay C. Cotner.

I found this article in a module for a class at another university. Hence, the name of the author is not revealed. What interested me about the article was its subject matter, namely discussing the varied critical analysis of Shakespeare's works and how everyone has tried to uncover the "true" meanings behind Shakespeare's texts. The article talks about Taming Of The Shrew, and tries to decide whether or not Shakespeare has written Katherina as a silly, idiotic character who cannot fit into societal norms, or as a very shrewd, intelligent woman who uses her shrewishness to gain what she wants. In the end, the author states that, while reading Shakepeare is marvelous, his works are meant to be seen on the stage, with the unspoken being filled in by the director and the actor. In this way, Shakespeare's true intentions prove ever elusive, and up to interpretation.