The Tamer Tamed or 8 Things I Hate About Shrew
The Tamer Tamed or 8 Things I Hate About Shrew
1. The rebuttal we’ve all been waiting for!
As a sequel to Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, The Tamer Tamed or A Woman’s Prize, probably was not created as the feminist play that we have all been looking for. But, nearly 20 years after Shrew’s first appearance, Fletcher flips the tables on Petruchio by placing his new wife Maria at the center of the story along with Bianca and Lydia have major stories to uncover.
2. Censored by the government?
On the 19th of October, 1633, the revival for The Tamer Tamed performed by the King’s Men was ordered not to be played unless they wish to face particular wrath from the Master of the Revels due to foul and offensive language! The Company worked quickly to get the show back up and running by greasing hands, talking pretty, and re-writing the prologue and epilogue resulting in the play being performed for the King & Queen at St. James’ Palace on the 26th and 28th of November of that same year.
3. Passes the Bechdel Test!
The Woman’s Prize joins esteemed plays such as Henry V and Richard II in putting multiple women on stage discussing something other than a man in 2.5 with maids discussing barring the doors. One might also count 2.2 where the women are discussing a sex-strike but don’t discuss who they are going on a sex-strike from.
4. Grecian comedy throwbacks anyone?
I don’t know about you, but I came to Shakespeare school not just for the Shakespeare but also for the rest of the classics and this one delivers. A healthy dose of farce and a nod back to Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, it lives on today in such classics like 9 to 5.
5. Flying chamber pots
Need I say more?
6. Money making mogul
While Taming of the Shrew was “well-liked” by the Elizabethan public, much like The Empire Strikes Back, the Jacobean Tamer Tamed was “very, well-liked” and seemingly made bank. With the King’s Men being the biggest name in theatre at the time as the group putting it on and the perfect timing of being at the beginning of a decade where a women’s place in society was up for a lot of debate it was the perfect catalyst for an amazing show.
7. Female led action
With strong, plucky women driving forward the plot throughout the play it truly stands out against other works. The women are constantly amused by male folly and are willing enough to forgive the men for their grievances towards their wives by the end; after some playful teasing of course!
8. Early feminism or female exploitation?
The Woman’s Prize certainly dares to cross a lot more lines and push a lot more social boundaries than Taming of the Shrew ever did, but is also a play that can be read through the lens of taking advantage of women still. With the knowledge that it was written as a money-maker: was Fletcher writing a truly feminist piece to combat The Arraignment of Lewd, Idle, Froward, an Unconstant Women or was he simply appealing to the debate that was going on at the time to appeal to the masses and spark some controversy? The choice is yours.