The Taming of the Shrew (The New Folger Library Shakespeare) (Mass Market Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Folger Shakespeare Library

The world's leading center for Shakespeare studies

Each edition includes:

• Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play

• Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play

• Scene-by-scene plot summaries

• A key to famous lines and phrases

• An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language

• An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

• Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books

Essay by Karen Newman

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs.

About the Author

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu.

Barbara A. Mowat is Director of Academic Programs at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Editor of Shakespeare Quarterly, Chair of the Folger Institute, and author of The Dramaturgy of Shakespeare's Romances and of essays on Shakespeare's plays and on the editing of the plays.

Paul Werstine is Professor of English at King's College and the Graduate School of the University of Western Ontario, Canada. He is the author of many papers and articles on the printing and editing of Shakespeare's plays and was Associate Editor of the annual Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England from 1980 to 1989.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074347757X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743477574
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #145,307 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hilarious play of the battle between the sexes., May 24, 2007

By	S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This play is one of Shakespeare's most ribald, but I enjoyed it just the same. It's lusty, earthy and somewhat farcical. It's a very popular play because it is funny and fast-moving. And Shakespeare's wordplay is at its best here. I defy anyone not to laugh out loud numerously as they read this play. It is wonderful!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Irony, brilliant irony, July 23, 2008

By	E. M. Van Court "Van, emvc (at) lycos.com" (Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is a show piece for Shakespeare's ability to portray the human condition. It is about wanting what isn't what we think it is, not wanting what is as it seems, marrrying out of pragmatism and finding love, loving blindly and not finding love, the impact of social pressure on love, the impact of love on social pressure, some utterly blind fantasy about women, and some clear understanding of women. I enjoyed it immensely once I caught on to the sarcastism and irony of the depiction.

This play is easily misunderstood, as irony always is (cinema fans will note that Paul Verhoeven swore off irony after people falsely accused him of glorifying a totalitarian society in "Starship Troopers"). Things aren't what they appear, people change, men in love (or lust) have a diminished capacity for rational thought, and women are not property or predictable.

My favorite character was Bianca, the bookish but beautiful woman who had men falling overthemselves for her for all the wrong reasons. She deserved better than she got, and I suspect that this character was intended as an homage to Queen Elizabeth. Katharine was a little too shallow, swinging from all fire and venom to meek and subserviant all too quickly, but she was the core of the irony and sarcasm of the play.

A great work from the Bard!

E.M. Van Court

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Depature From Anything Previously Read, June 10, 2006

By	Friendly "M" (MI, USA) - See all my reviews

First off let me say that this is my first and only Shakespeare play that I have read so I have nothing to compare it too, author wise. I had to read this for my 9th grade english class, and my first thoughts on the text were that it was hard to understand, it was boring and I hated it. Looking back, I was wrong. The plot is a little lacking (I won't bore you with the details, you have read them elsewere), but the dialouge is very clever if you can understand it. Also, this edition has scene summaries and word definitions to help you understand it. Once I let it sink in after I completed it, I relized the underlying messages, the quick witted dialouge and the absurd (although a little weak, as mentioned before) plot make this a pretty good read. If you are up for a challenge I would recommend The Taming Of The Shrew. If you are new to Shakespeare, this seems as good of a place as any to start with his works.