Taming of the Shrew
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Sparknotes: Click here
No Fear Shakespeare: Click here
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Scholarly Essays about this play:
From Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human by Harold Bloom: Click here
From Shakespeare After All by Marjorie Garber: Click here
From The Meaning of Shakespeare by Harold Goddard: Click here
From Shakespeare by Mark Van Doren: Click here
Image collection from the Folger Library: Click here
Folger Library Introduction to play: Click here
Black and White film version: Click here
RENT: Zefferelli, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton 1966 version: Click here
Modern adaptation by the BBC: Click here
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What is a "shrew"?
A small, long-nosed, mole-like mammal (not a mouse). Pictured below.
Elephant Shrew
Why were certain women called Shrews?
In Shakespeare's time, moles were thought to have a poisonous bite. When they opened their mouths and bit you, you would die.
In a very sexist and misogynistic metaphor, a woman who was aggressive or told her opinion was said to have a "poisonous tongue," thus she was labeled a "Shrew".
Current definition from Google:
A bad-tempered or aggressively assertive woman.