A Shrew by Any Other Name: Balancing Female Power and Performance in Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew and Fletcher's The Tamer Tamed

Transcription

1 Linfield College 2013 Projects Keck Summer Collaborative Research Projects A Shrew by Any Other Name: Balancing Female Power and Performance in Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew and Fletcher's The Tamer Tamed Kate McMullan Linfield College Kyra Rickards Linfield College Follow this and additional works at: Part of the Dramatic Literature, Criticism and Theory Commons, and the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation McMullan, Kate and Rickards, Kyra, "A Shrew by Any Other Name: Balancing Female Power and Performance in Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew and Fletcher's The Tamer Tamed" (2013) Projects. Presentation. Submission 1. This Presentation is brought to you for free via open access, courtesy of DigitalCommons@Linfield. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@linfield.edu.

2 A Shrew by any Other Name: Balancing Female Power and Performance in Shakespeare s Taming of the Shrew and Fletcher s The Tamer Tamed Kate McMullan and Kyra Rickards Linfield Center for the Northwest 2013

3 The Taming of the Shrew

4 Portland Shakespeare Project Kate (Maureen Porter) and Petruchio s (James Farmer) first meeting Photo Credit: David Kinder

5 Disbanding the wedding party Photo Credit: David Kinder Kate is led to bed by Petruchio

6 A seemingly perfect ending? Photo Credit: David Kinder

7 Is Kate Really Tamed?

8 Timeline of Shrew Performances and Adaptations from 1594 to ? The Taming of the Shrew first performed 1667 Sauny the Scot John Lacy 1754 Catharine and Petruchio David Garrick 1594 The Taming of a Shrew Anonymous 1611? The Tamer Tamed John Fletcher 1633 Dual performances of Shrew and Tamer 1735 Cure for a Scold James Worsdale 1844 The Taming of the Shrew performed again

9 Kate s Final Monologue Shakespeare s first Folio, 1623

10 Sauny the Scot (1667) John Lacy Margaret: Fie, Ladies, for shame, How dare you infringe that Duty which you justly owe your Husbands; they are our Lords, and we must pay em Service. Petruchio: I ve Tam d the Shrew, but will not be asham d, if next you see the very Tamer Tam d.

11 A Cure for a Scold (1735) James Worsdale Authors should study nature, but how few In life resemble these our author drew: In every house some observation spend, At Westminster begin, at Wapping end, You ll find the scene reversed, and every Dame Like old Alcides,--making monsters tame.

12 The Tamer Tamed: John Fletcher, aprx

13 What is the significance of The Tamer Tamed in response to The Taming of the Shrew?

14 Portland Shakespeare Project Director Michael Nehring gives a few notes to the cast prior to rehearsal Photo Credit: David Kinder

15 Petruchio s (Peter Platt) wife, Kate, has died & he remarries Maria (Kayla Lian) whom the men think Petruchio will bury within the week. Photo Credit: David Kinder

16 Maria, with the help of her friend and cousin Bianca (Ashley Williams), decides to tame Petruchio, who has earned a violent reputation for taming women. The women come together to defy their husbands/fathers in a show of solidarity for their cause, barricading themselves in the city and throwing a party. Photo Credit: David Kinder

17 Maria defeats all of Petruchio s attempts at taming, using her intellect to remain a step ahead of his antics. Photo Credit: David Kinder

18 Finally defeated, Petruchio realizes his wife s merit and promises to never attempt to tamer her again, in turn Maria concedes to fulfill her role as dutiful, but equal, wife to Petruchio. Photo Credit: David Kinder

19 Prologue; 1633 Ladies to you, in whose defence and right Fletcher s brave Muse prepared herself to fight A battle without blood twas well fought too; The victory s yours, though got with much ado We do present this comedy, in which A rivulet of pure wit flows, strong and rich In fancy, language, and all parts that may Add grace and ornament to a merry play, Which this may prove. Yet not to go too far In promises from this our female war, We do entreat the angry men would not Expect the mazes of subtle plot, Set speeches, high expressions, and, what s worse, In a true comedy, politic discourse. The end we aim at is to make you sport, Yet neither gall the city, nor the court. Hear and observe his comic strain, and when Y are sick of melancholy, see t again. Tis no dear physic, since twill quite the cost, Or his intentions, with our pains, are lost.

20 Epilogue; 1633 The tamer s tamed, but so as nor the men Can find one just cause to complain of, when They fitly do consider in their lives They should not reign as tyrants o er their wives; Nor can the women from this precedent Insult or triumph, it being aptly meant To teach both sexes due equality And, as they stand bound, to love mutually. If this effect, arising from a cause Well laid and grounded, may deserve applause, We something more than hope our honest ends Will keep the men, and women too, our friends.

21 Alternate Prologues/Epilogues Prologue; 1660, by Thomas Jordan: Epilogue; 1660, by Thomas Jordan: [ ]Pray keep your seats, you do not sit in fear As in the dangerous days of Oliver. It is not now in good time be it spoke Enter the Red-Coats, Exit at and Cloak [ ] [ ]I fear I have offended the good laws Of household government, and given cause By my example (in this wild assay) For some to put into practice what we play, [ ] Epilogue; 1757(?), unknown: Epilogue; 1760, by Richard Owen Cambridge: [ ]They [beaux] are by nature ready tamed to hand; If not, their wives were in a poor condition, For beaux have nought to please us but submission [ ] Well! Since I ve thus succeeded in my plan, And conquered this all-conquering tyrant, To father conquests still my soul aspires, And all my bosom glows with martial fires [...]

22 What does this all mean moving forward? Photo courtesy of osfashland.org

23 Citations Fletcher, John. Appendix 2: Prologues and Epilogues. Ed. Lucy Munro. The Tamer Tamed. London: Methuen Drama, Print. Fletcher, John. The Woman s Prize, or the Tamer Tam d. A Comedy. London; Early English Books Online. Web. 21 July John Fletcher. N.d. John Fletcher, Dramatist. Flickr, 30 Sept Web. 30 July < photos/ @n00/ /> Lacy, John. Sauny the Scot: or, The Taming of the Shrew: a Comedy. As it is now acted at the theatre-royal. Written by J. Lacy, servant to his Majesty. London: Printed by E. Whitlock, near Stationers-Hall, EEBO. Web. 14 June Kinder, David. Portland Shakespeare Project's Taming of the Shrew Collection. Photograph. Kinderpics. SmugMug. Web. 5 August Dress rehearsal photos for PSP's The Tamer Tamed Collection. Photograph. Kinderpics. SmugMug. Web. 5 August Petruchio Photograph. Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland. Taming of the Shrew. Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Web. 30 July Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. Published according to the True Originall Copies. London: Printed by Isaac Jaggard, and Ed. Blount, Internet Shakespeare Editions. Brandeis University Library. Web. 8 August Worsdale, James. A Cure for a Scold, As it is now acting at the theatres in London and Dublin, with universal applause, By Mr. Worsdale. London: Printed for L. Gilliver, at Homer's Head, Fleet Street, Facsimile. London: Cornmarket Publishing, 1969.