Further reading and resources

Key works inspired by The Taming of the Shrew

• Fletcher, John The Woman’s Prize, or The Tamer Tamed (see http://www.archive.org/stream/worksoffrancisbe08beau/worksoffrancisbe08beau_djvu.txt for the full online text). John Fletcher, a playwright with the King’s Men after Shakespeare left, wrote a reply to The Taming of the Shrew called The Woman’s Prize, or The Tamer Tamed around 1611. In this sequel to Shakespeare’s play, Petruchio’s second wife, Maria, sets out to tame her husband. After Katherina’s death, Petruchio finds that his old tactics of domination and manipulation are no longer effective.

Critical reading

• Aspinall, Dana E, The Taming of the Shrew: Critical Essays (New York: Routledge, 2002). This book contains a range of critical essays on Shakespeare’s play
• Henderson, Diana E, Collaborations with the Past: Reshaping Shakespeare Across Time and Media. (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2006)
• Hodgdon, Barbara, The Shakespeare Trade: Performances and Appropriations (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1998). This book analyses cultural and political aspects of film and stage productions
• Graham Holderness, Shakespeare in Performance: The Taming of the Shrew (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1989)
• Kidnie, Margaret, The Taming of the Shrew (London: Palgrave, 2006). This book explores the text and early performances, cultural context and key productions on stage and screen
• Schafer, Elizabeth, The Taming of the Shrew (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002). This book is part of the ‘Shakespeare in Production’ series and examines how theatre directors and performers have explored the play.

Websites 

• Cambridge School Shakespeare online is a resource from Cambridge University Press. It includes webinars recorded by Dr Anjna Chouhan of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust on Shakespearean comedy and Shakespeare in context www.cambridgeschoolshakespeare.com/webinars 
• The Royal Shakespeare Company has online resources exploring past productions, dates and sources and the stage history of The Taming of the Shrew www.rsc.org.uk/the-taming-of-the-shrew/about-the-play 

Stage and Screen adaptations

• Sam Taylor’s film version of The Taming of the Shrew in 1929 starred Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, a famed Hollywood couple
• Franco Zeffirelli’s film version of The Taming of the Shrew in 1967 starred Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, another famous celebrity couple
• The BBC’s television adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew in 1980 was directed by Jonathan Miller and starred John Cleese and Sarah Badel
• A film adaptation of Cole Porter’s 1948 musical based on The Taming of the Shrew was made in 1953 with the same title as the musical: Kiss Me, Kate (1953)
• A more recent adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew is 10 Things I Hate About You starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger (1999)

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