The Taming of the Shrew (The Annotated Shakespeare)

213 Pages·2005·0.54 MB·English

by  William Shakespeare

the annotated shakespeare

The Taming of the Shrew
(cid:2)
William Shakespeare
Fully annotated,with an Introduction,by Burton Raffel
With an essay by Harold Bloom
the annotated shakespeare
Yale University Press • New Haven and London
Copyright © 2005by Yale University.
All rights reserved.
This book may not be reproduced,in whole or in part,including illustrations,
in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107and108
of the U.S.Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press),
without written permission from the publishers.
“The Taming of the Shrew,”from Shakespeare:The Invention of the Human
by Harold Bloom,copyright © 1998by Harold Bloom.Used by permission of
Riverhead Books,an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Designed by Rebecca Gibb
Set in Bembo type by The Composing Room of Michigan,Inc.
Printed in the United States of America by R.R.Donnelley & Sons.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Information
Shakespeare,William,1564‒1616.
The taming of the shrew /William Shakespeare ;fully annotated
with an introduction by Burton Raffel ;
with an essay by Harold Bloom.
p. cm.— (The annotated Shakespeare)
Includes bibliographical references (p.)
isbn0-300-10982-2(pbk.)
1. Man-woman relationships—Drama. 2. Married people—Drama.
3. Padua (Italy)—Drama. 4. Sex role—Drama. I. Raffel,Burton.
II. Bloom,Harold. III. Title. IV. Series.
pr2832.a2r34 2005
822.3(cid:2)3—dc22
2005007313
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
10987654321
For Sandra and Eric Wolman

contents
(cid:2)
AboutThis Book ix
Introduction xix
Some Essentials of the Shakespearean Stage xxxv
The Taming of the Shrew 1
An Essay by Harold Bloom 155
Further Reading 165
Finding List 171

about this book
(cid:2)
W
ritten four centuries ago,in a fairly early form of
Modern English,The Taming of the Shrew is a delight-
ful romp.Many of the play’s social and historical un-
derpinnings necessarily need,for the modern reader,the kinds of
explanation offered in the Introduction. But what needs even
more,and far more detailed,explanation are the play’s very words.
Here is a servant reporting,in act 3,scene 2,the bridegroom’s ar-
rival:
Biondello Why,Petruchio is coming,in a new hat and an old
jerkin,a pair of old breeches thrice turned,a pair of boots that
have been candle-cases,one buckled,another laced,an old rusty
sword ta’en out of the town armory,with a broken hilt,and
chapeless,with two broken points.His horse hipped,with an old
mothy saddle,and stirrups of no kindred,besides possessed with
the glanders and like to mose in the chine,troubled with the
lampas,infected with the fashions,full of windgalls,sped with
spavins,rayed with the yellows,past cure of the fives,stark
spoiled with the staggers,begnawn with the bots,swayed in the
back,and shoulder-shotten,near-legged before,and with a half-
ix