Seven Ages

Comedy · c. 1594

Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew

The most argued-about comedy: Petruchio arrives in Padua to “wive it wealthily” and takes on Katherina, the city’s famously sharp-tongued unmarried daughter.

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By the Seven Ages editors2 min read · Contains affiliate links

What follows is either a battle of equals discovering each other or a domestication played for laughs — the text supports both readings, and productions have staked their lives on each.

Read it with the frame story (a drunken tinker tricked into watching the play) intact, and with Katherina’s final speech as a live question rather than a verdict. Fast, physical, and guaranteed to start a conversation.

Which edition?

Typeset series plate: Arden Shakespeare, Third Series — The Taming of the Shrew. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the book's cover.ARDEN SHAKESPEARE,THIRD SERIESThe Taming ofthe Shrew

1Arden Shakespeare, Third Series

Ed. Barbara Hodgdon · Bloomsbury

Hodgdon’s stage history is the best argument for why this play survives.

Amazon
Typeset series plate: Oxford World’s Classics — The Taming of the Shrew. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the book's cover.OXFORD WORLD’SCLASSICSThe Taming ofthe Shrew

2Oxford World’s Classics

Ed. H. J. Oliver · Oxford University Press

Oliver is the clearest editor on the Sly frame and what it does to the play.

Typeset series plate: The New Cambridge Shakespeare — The Taming of the Shrew. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the book's cover.THE NEW CAMBRIDGESHAKESPEAREThe Taming ofthe Shrew

3The New Cambridge Shakespeare

Ed. Ann Thompson · Cambridge University Press

Thompson was asking the hard questions about this play decades before it was usual.

Amazon
Typeset series plate: Folger Shakespeare Library — The Taming of the Shrew. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the book's cover.FOLGER SHAKESPEARELIBRARYThe Taming ofthe Shrew

4Folger Shakespeare LibraryFirst read? Start here

Ed. Barbara Mowat & Paul Werstine · Simon & Schuster

Read Katherine’s last speech cold, before anyone tells you how to take it.

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Taming of the Shrew on stage

Taming of the Shrew on screen

Typeset plate for the screen adaptation Kiss Me Kate (1953), directed by George Sidney. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the poster.1953Kiss Me KateGEORGE SIDNEY

1Kiss Me Kate (1953)

Film · dir. George Sidney · inspired by The Taming of the Shrew

Typeset plate for the screen adaptation The Taming of the Shrew (1967), directed by Franco Zeffirelli. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the poster.1967The Taming ofthe ShrewFRANCO ZEFFIRELLI

2The Taming of the Shrew (1967)

Film · dir. Franco Zeffirelli

Typeset plate for the screen adaptation The Taming of the Shrew (1980), directed by Jonathan Miller. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the poster.1980The Taming ofthe ShrewJONATHAN MILLER

3The Taming of the Shrew (1980)

TV film · dir. Jonathan Miller

BBC Television Shakespeare; John Cleese as Petruchio

Typeset plate for the screen adaptation 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), directed by Gil Junger. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the poster.199910 Things IHate About YouGIL JUNGER

410 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Film · dir. Gil Junger · inspired by The Taming of the Shrew

Seven Ages recommends editions on their merits and takes no payment for placement. As an Amazon Associate, Seven Ages earns from qualifying purchases.

Reading Taming of the Shrew this year?

Mark it in your record when you finish — one seat, kept for decades.

Track Taming of the Shrew