#TAMING OF THE SHREW

[mrs-starkgaryen]

Favourite Shakespeare's Comedies

After my other poll, I am going to be specific. There shall be a battle of the favourites!!

For-

Two Gentleman of Verona (comment 🐕)

Winter's Tale (comment ⌛️)

For the love of Shakespeare, please reblog for a better analysis

[transsexualcoriolanus]

obsessed with tragedies that were almost comedies and comedies that were almost tragedies and comedies in which the happy ending is actually tragic

[sea-owl]

You know what era of romcoms I miss? It's the early 2000s teen romcoms that were based on classic literature. They were some of my favorite ones, and yeah, some were loosley based, but they still hit those important bases, and they were so much fun.

We had:

Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew - 10 Things I Hate About You

Shakespeare's 12th Night - She's the Man

Snow White - Sydney White

Cinderella - A Cinderella Story, What a Girl Wants

Little Mermaid - Aquamarine

Jane Austen's Emma - Clueless

The Scarlett Letter - Easy A

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet - Warm Bodies

Shakespeare's Midnight Summer's Dream - Get Over It

Pygmalion - She's All That

Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor - John Tucker Must Die

Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility - Material Girls

I might be missing some, but I remember just having fun with these. One of my English teachers also showed us a few of these movies while studying Shakespeare to show how pieces of literature can change over the years and inspire other's own takes.

[writingsofwesteros]

Aemond being betrothed to his older sister, she’s such a tease and reckless like Aegon. Running off from her duties to drink or gamble while her Aemond only watches in disappointment. Poor Aemond having to send her back to her chambers to change her revealing dresses or guide her away from lustful knights and maids. But he feels so much ego and pride having his new bride whining and moaning for mercy at the feeling of his cock abusing her soft spot. His older sister being at his mercy and service, straying away from her old habits and clinging onto her beautiful husband. The rebellious princess now being found with her mother or sister attending to her duties and little babes while her husband is away.

Aemond has tamed her!

Poor thing is completely obsessed with Aemond now, much to Aegon's annoyance as he watches his sister cling to him.

The guards whisper about what they hear in the martial chambers.

Her chubby babies following her around now ; she's the picture of the mother

[cabbage20122]

Taming of the Shrew is so funny, like there's a story inside of another story, half of the characters in both are disguised as someone else, and the only character who actually gets everything he wants in the end does it by being as annoying as he possibly can.

Hortensio: I can't marry Bianca until someone marries her older sister, but I wouldn't wish that girl on any- hey Petruccio you said you wanted to marry rich, right?

Petruccio: Your daughter is definitely in love with me, she's just pretending to hate me in front of other people because she's shy. Can we get married?

Baptista: How sweet! Absolutely

Katherine, standing right next to him: the audacity-

Katherine: sister bonding~ tell me who you have a crush on!

Bianca, crying: please untie me

Lucentio: I'm not actually a tutor, I switched places with my servant to woo you in secret

Bianca: Good start, but you call this wooing? You can do better

There's some old guy named Gremio who also wants to marry Bianca but he doesn't really do much

The wedding is not shown, but apparently Petruccio shows up hours late dressed in the most ridiculous articles of clothing he could find (and all of them are clashing) and riding a horse riddled with every disease under the sun (intestinal worms, tumors, a stuffy nose, etc.) punched the priest, and threw wine in his face because his beard was so thin it looked hungry.

On the way to his house, Katherine's horse falls in the mud and somehow lands on top of Katherine

Grumio, shivering: hey I've been sent to make sure the house is ready. Also can you light a fire?

Curtis: are they coming to the house now?

Grumio: yes, now about that fire

Curtis: is she as rude as they say?

Grumio: please I'm so cold

Curtis: i want gossip

Katherine, sleep-deprived and starving: can I have some food?

Grumio: sure would you like some beef and mustard?

Katherine: yes, that sounds great!

Grumio: ah, but the mustard might make your stomach hurt

Katherine: that's OK, I'll just have beef

Grumio: well, I can't just give you beef without mustard. . .

Katherine: just give me something I don't care

Grumio: would you like just mustard

Katherine, hangry: would you like to die

Petruccio: this dress is horrible, I didn't order this!

Tailor: your servant gave me instructions on how to make it, I just followed those

Grumio: ok but I didn't instruct you to make it ugly

Lucentio, conning a foreigner into pretending to be his dad so he and Bianca's dad can discuss the marriage between Bianca and the servant pretending to be Lucentio: I'm such a genius this plan can't possibly go wrong

Lucentio's actual dad: I think I'll go visit my son

Petruccio: it's 7 am, so if we leave now, we'll get to your father's house at lunchtime

Katherine: it's 2 pm, we won't get there til supper

Petruccio: do you have to disagree with everything i say? Maybe we won't go

Katherine: wait no I want lunch-

Lucentio: hi dad, meet my new wife!

Vincentio: . . .

Lucentio: Ok I'm sorry I got you arrested for impersonating yourself but in my defense-

Petruccio: wow, the moon is so bright

Katherine: it's the middle of the day, that's the sun

Petruccio: again with the arguing? Let's go back

Hortensio: are you kidding me we walked all this way

Katherine: WOW, LOOK AT THE MOON

When they finally get to the house for dinner, Katherine and Petruccio win a bet against the other couples and brag about how they're better than everyone there.

And the whole thing is just an elaborate prank on some random drunk guy WHO IS NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN AFTER ACT 1

[misslevel]

Couldn't fit all the comedies in the 12 options, so made separate polls for Problem Plays and Late Romances.

(Also: Shakespeare poll tag, for all the different genres.)

[thoraeth]

Ava and Buggy in some sort of Taming of the shrew AU? He's the shrew obviously.

Little birthday nonsense for me 🎂🎉

[apathetic-tortoise]

I forgot to post this last week, but seeing as Heart Killers is based on The Taming of the Shew, and I’m a literary nerd:

Here is a bingo I made for Heart Killers using Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew:

[blnationwins]

My stream of conscious having just finished the 4th episode of The Heart Killers:

I’m so confused… I thought they were hit men. But they also plant bugs and tap into software like spies. And they’re also just plain thieves who break into safes to steal jewels? And they have such an extensive wardrobe. Did they also rent a fire truck or hop out Fadel’s jeep dressed like firemen? Did they start a fire? Is there a cat stuck in a tree? Where did Bison get a fresh janitor’s outfit w/ no wrinkles & a PE outfit in their sizes in less than an hour? Speaking of which, where in the world did Style get a burger costume? I can only imagine it’s handmade. What other crafts does Style like to do? When will Style ever help his dad at the shop? Does Style order crop tops or know how to hem and crops any shirt he likes himself? Is he bisexual? Everyone has chemistry with everyone. When will they have a foursome? Is that incest? And why do Fadel and Bison have a burger restaurant as a cover up in the first place? A cover up for what exactly? It’s not a money laundering front. Is it illegal to arrest small business owners in Thailand? Is it truly just Fadel’s passion project? Why does he love burgers? Where did he learn to cook and manage a business? Did he take online classes while training to be a killer? Why did Mother agree to it? Is she a shareholder? Can he cook anything else? How does Fadel not pull his hair out cooking and running food and bussing tables by himself? When will he hire real staff? The most shady part is that there are literally zero employees other than him & Bison and sometimes Style. What is happening?! Why does Kant never lock his door? When is he going to get a ring doorbell? Why do Fadel and Bison live in a mansion? Not really keeping a low profile. Do they have savings accounts? Or do they get an allowance from Mother? Who is Mother and why is she so bad at Mothering? What even is Keen? He looks older than both Bison and Fadel so why is he not “in the field” yet? Is he such a good assistant that Mother doesn’t want him to get killed? How did they train to become hitmen? Where at? Are they actually Mother’s adopted sons or what? Which came first, the adoption or the hitman training? How and when did Bison discover his kink? Does he listen to Rihanna? Does he go on r/bdsm? When will he get to use his ball gag? Why did Kant take a picture of it? How did no one notice him drugging Bison’s drink? He did it so conspicuously! Why would the bartender agree to make those shots and not call security immediately? Dude’s sus! Will they start a gay bowling league? Can Fadel bowl? Will Style have to get a C-section? How in the world are they going to be able to raise a kid? They’re both so busy. Is Bison ready to be an uncle? What are the hours Heart Burger is open? Do they have milkshakes? When will we see a shrew?

Phew!😮‍💨 I could do this all day… Anyway, so far I’m loving this series! Shakespeare would be proud (and I actually mean that)

[opheliawillowbrook]

Damirae Week Day 5: AL ISIKANA / SUBMISSION

Lol meant to post this sooner, but between one tiny chicken refusing to put herself to bed and one silly kitten forcing his entire head into a cat nip container (he might need rehab) I'm finally in my sweatpants and ready to chill... Also have a wedding tomorrow I'm doing hair for so I had to pack for that too... Anyway I wrote yesterday:

You guys have no idea how excited I am to have completed this update for Damirae Week, especially for the theme of Al istikana / Submission. Taming of the Shrew has always been one of my favorite works by Shakespeare because of how richly layered it is, full of endless interpretations. One of the things that fascinates me most about it is its exploration of marriage, along with the themes of submission and acceptance, which are central to the story and resonate in such complex ways.

In modern times, the idea of submission in relationships often carries a narrow, sometimes negative connotation—often viewed as inherently misogynistic or restrictive. But in Shakespeare’s day, submission within marriage or partnership was seen in a broader, more nuanced way. It was understood not just as compliance or passivity but as a layered form of harmony and balance, where two people could work within society's rules to build a union of mutual support. For instance, Katherine and Petruchio’s relationship can be interpreted not only as a battle of wills but also as a journey toward understanding and interdependence, with submission working both ways, even subtly, at times.

In my update, I’m exploring how Taming of the Shrew’s perspectives on submission might unfold within the Damirae pairing—bringing out those themes in a way that resonates across eras, where submission isn’t just about control or obedience but about discovering a form of love that’s rooted in respect, honesty, and even defiance. I can’t wait to share how it’s come together thus far.

That being said, some of these themes and prospect will be explored further down the line as the story further unfold, but for now this where we're at!

Hope you all enjoy and once again, Happy Damirae Week

With love --Ophelia

[beesposting]

if i had a nickle for every podcast starring angela giarratana that included taming of the shrew readings that premiered this week, i'd have two nickles. which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

[bethanydelleman]

You mentioned Taming of the Shrew in your post about how Shakespeare writes women and now I'm curious to hear your analysis on it

Caveat: It's been a while since I read or watched Taming of the Shrew.

I took a Shakespeare class in university and my very old and very conservative professor told us that Kate desperately wanted to be a part of proper society but didn't know how to do it. I found this perspective odd at the time, but now I think it may have some merit. After all, Kate does go to the wedding and it doesn't seem like anyone forced her to be there. Maybe you could argue that she's just really unhappy in her current situation and that comes out as rage. I think it can be argued that she ends by playing her husband's game, but not really being "tamed." Also, Petruchio seems to actually appreciate Kate's wit and intelligence.

I think its also interesting that despite Kate being outwardly the shrew, it's Bianca (her sister) who really defies social convention and obedience to her husband and father. She is the one with secret lovers, she elopes, and she fails to come at the end, losing her husband a lot of money. So the girl who looks like the perfect wife at the beginning is inferior to the one considered unmarriagable.

I won't claim to know what Shakespeare was thinking, but given how he treats women in his other works, I have a hard time believing he meant for this to be taken seriously. It's probably over-the-top satire. But I'm not an expert so this is just my opinion.

[poetrysweetashoney]

[sea-owl]

Hey, I have a question. Does anyone know if Julia Quinn took inspiration from Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew when she wrote The Viscount Who Loved Me? Because I just reread that play and I see similarities.

I kinda like the idea that she did because we know AOFAG was based on Cinderella, and RMB has aspects from the Odyssey in it. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Shakespeare inspired some of her writing decisions.

[ladyartichokie]

It's just occurred to me that if I didn't already have a book picked out for my senior thesis (Taming of the Shrew, my beloved), exploring the themes of Hope vs. False Hope vs. Reason in Emma by Jane Austen would be fascinating.

[the-full-shakespearience]

I have always hated The Taming of the Shrew. One time, in high school, a dude in my parents' church said that it was his favourite Shakespeare play and I decided I couldn't stand him anymore after that. But this week I went to see a production of it, and I actually loved it??? They made some tweaks that were really interesting (Also Katherina was a 1920s ameteur aviator while Bianca was a silent film star), and I loved it so much I watched it twice... I'd love to know more about what you enjoy about Taming of the Shrew.

Look, if any man told me Taming of the Shrew was his favourite Shakespeare play I’d need a PhD dissertation on why before I could trust him. It’s the same reaction I have to men who really like Lolita. Sometimes you have to verify whether it’s about the literary value or whether they’ve romanticized violence against women to a staggering and haunting degree.

I think Taming of the Shrew is a bit like Merchant of Venice. They’re both improved by modern interpretation. If you take everything that’s happening at face value those plays both have some heinous themes, but I think leaning into the horror can be a very effective way to present those stories. The first half of Shrew is genuinely very funny. There are great lines and lots of opportunities for physical comedy. The second half becomes extremely dark, and if it’s presented right it makes you wondering why you were laughing before. Was your laughter at the dynamic between Kate and Petruchio somehow tacit approval of what he does to her? Romeo and Juliet starts like a comedy too, but no one is laughing by the end.

I guess what I like about Shrew is that it still resonates, even if it shouldn’t. We still expect women/ afab people to be nice in a way we don’t expect from men/ amab people. We still punish people for being themselves when it contradicts social norms. People are still persuaded to accept all kinds of terrible treatment in their relationships because of family, culture, and society. What gets communicated about those themes comes down to director and actor interpretation as much as the text.