The Taming of the Shrew: Key Questions & Answers: 25 flashcards
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1. Who wrote The Taming of the Shrew and when?
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William Shakespeare, written around 1590–1592.
2. In which Italian city is the main plot of The Taming of the Shrew set?
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Padua.
3. What is the induction in The Taming of the Shrew?
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A framing story in which a drunkard named Christopher Sly is tricked into believing he is a lord, and a play is performed for him.
4. Who is Christopher Sly?
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A drunkard in the induction who is deceived into thinking he is a wealthy nobleman.
5. Who is Katherina (Kate)?
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The elder daughter of Baptista Minola; she is sharp-tongued, witty, and refuses to conform.
6. Who is Bianca?
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The younger daughter of Baptista Minola; she is sweet, obedient, and surrounded by suitors.
7. Why can Bianca not marry until Kate does?
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Their father Baptista decrees that Bianca cannot wed until her elder sister Katherina is married.
8. Where does Petruchio come from and what does he seek?
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He comes from Verona seeking a wealthy wife.
9. What psychological tactics does Petruchio use to tame Kate?
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Praise (love-bombing), contradiction, deprivation (of food, sleep, clothes), and mirroring her behaviour.
10. What is the purpose of the induction in The Taming of the Shrew?
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It frames the main story as a play-within-a-play, emphasising theatre and illusion.
11. How does Lucentio woo Bianca?
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He disguises himself as a tutor to get close to her.
12. What is the final wager in The Taming of the Shrew?
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A bet over whose wife will come when called; Kate comes immediately, so Petruchio wins.
13. What does Kate's final speech urge?
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It urges wifely obedience, telling women to submit to their husbands.
14. Why is Kate's final speech debated?
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It can be read as either sincere submission or ironic performance.
15. What is the title 'shrew' an old term for?
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A bad-tempered or nagging woman.
16. What are the main comic devices used in The Taming of the Shrew?
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Farce, disguise, wordplay, irony, and satire.
17. What themes does The Taming of the Shrew raise?
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Gender roles, power, consent, and the tension between performance and reality.
18. Who is Baptista Minola?
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The wealthy father of Katherina and Bianca; he is controlling and arranges their marriages.
19. How does Petruchio behave at his own wedding?
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He arrives late, dressed in rags, behaves wildly, strikes a priest, and drags Kate away before the feast.
20. What does Petruchio do at his house to 'tame' Kate?
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He throws food away, rejects new clothes, and insists the sun is the moon, demanding Kate agree.
21. Why is The Taming of the Shrew considered controversial?
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Because Kate's final speech on obedience can be read as either sincere submission or ironic performance.
22. What does the induction with Sly suggest about the main story?
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It suggests the whole thing is a performance, not a moral lesson.
23. How do modern productions often reinterpret Kate's final speech?
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They set the play in different eras or highlight the tensions around gender and power.
24. What is the central question the play raises about marriage?
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Whether a relationship built on manipulation can ever be healthy.
25. What is the significance of Kate delivering the longest speech in the play?
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It gives her a powerful voice, which complicates a simple reading of the play as silencing women.
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