The plot in six lines
A lord tricks the drunken tinker Christopher Sly into believing he is a nobleman, then arranges for travelling players to perform the story of Katherina and Petruchio.
In Padua, Baptista Minola bars Bianca's courtship until Katherina marries, while Lucentio falls for Bianca and plans to approach her disguised as a tutor.
Petruchio seeks a wealthy wife, agrees to court Katherina, and declares their marriage settled despite her resistance, then arrives late and absurdly dressed for the wedding.
Lucentio and Hortensio court Bianca disguised as teachers, while Tranio impersonates Lucentio and seeks someone to pose as his father to secure Baptista Minola's approval.
After the wedding, Petruchio takes Katherina away, denies her food and sleep while claiming concern, and demands agreement with statements that contradict what she sees.
At a wedding feast, Katherina alone answers her husband's summons, winning Petruchio's wager, then speaks on a wife's duty before they leave together, while the sincerity of her obedience remains open to interpretation.
Themes
Power in marriage: Petruchio demands Katherina's agreement even against visible facts, making the distinction between obedience and willing consent central to their relationship.
Money: Dowries, competing offers and proof of wealth make marriage a financial bargain, even within Lucentio's apparently romantic pursuit of Bianca.
Performance: Sly's invented nobility and the suitors' disguises suggest that identity depends partly on roles others are persuaded to accept.
Language: Katherina's wit answers public insults, while Petruchio uses praise and contradiction to impose his own account of their relationship.
Appearance and reality: Bianca's apparent meekness and Katherina's final obedience invite readers to distinguish outward behaviour from feelings the performance may conceal.
Characters
- KatherinaThe sharp-tongued elder daughter of Baptista, known in Padua as a shrew, who answers insult with sharper wit and resents being traded like goods.
- PetruchioA bold gentleman from Verona who comes to Padua to marry a rich wife and is not frightened by her reputation for temper.
- BiancaKatherina's younger sister, seemingly gentle and obedient, sought by many suitors and more strong-minded than she first appears.
- Baptista MinolaA wealthy Paduan father who will not let Bianca marry until Katherina has a husband and who treats marriage as a bargain.
- LucentioA young student from Pisa who falls for Bianca at first sight and disguises himself as a tutor to win her.
- TranioLucentio's quick and resourceful servant, who takes on his master's identity so that Lucentio can court Bianca in secret.
For the A level English Literature exams, summer 2027
- The summer 2027 A level exams run from 10 May to 22 June 2027.
- AQA (Literature A): Paper 1 (7712/1), Love through the ages (Shakespeare), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning, 3 hours.
- AQA (Literature B): Paper 1 (7717/1), Aspects of comedy (Shakespeare), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning, 2 hours 30 minutes.
- Pearson Edexcel: Paper 1 (9ET0/01), Drama (Shakespeare), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning, 2 hours 15 minutes.
- OCR: Paper 1 (H472/01), Section 1 (Shakespeare), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning, 2 hours 30 minutes.
A two-week plan
- Day oneRead the 15-minute summary of The Taming of the Shrew from start to finish, then tell the story back to yourself in five sentences.
- Days two to threeA drunk is fooled into playing a lord: Notice how clothes, servants and repeated claims persuade Sly to accept an invented identity.
- Day fourTwo sisters and a father's strange rule: Watch how public discussion of marriage gives Katherina reasons for anger and Lucentio opportunities for disguise.
- Day fivePetruchio comes to Padua to find a rich wife: Compare Petruchio's praise with Katherina's resistance, considering whether verbal equality can coexist with coercion.
- Day sixDisguises, tutors and a tangle of suitors: Follow the contrast between romantic lessons and financial bargaining as different routes towards marriage.
- Day sevenTaming at Petruchio's house, or cruelty as a game: Notice the gap between Petruchio's caring language and Katherina's hunger, exhaustion and enforced agreement.
- Day eightControl, money and performance: what the play is about: Consider how money and performed identities complicate any simple reading of obedience as surrender.
- Day nineThe cast: Katherina, Petruchio, Bianca, Baptista Minola and Lucentio. Write one line on what each of them wants.
- Day tenThemes: Power in marriage; Money; Performance; Language; Appearance and reality. Pick one moment in the story for each.
- Day elevenForm: study how the play is built: its scenes, its speeches and its turning points.
- Day twelvePractice: plan and write an essay on one theme, then read your argument back and test it against the story.
- Day thirteenPractice: try a second question with a different focus, such as a character or the form.
- Day fourteenRecap: reread your notes and the summary, say the plot out loud once, then rest.
From the boards' published specifications and final summer 2027 timetables, read on 23 October 2026. Ask your school which board and papers you sit.
Perguntas
What is The Taming of the Shrew about?
The Taming of the Shrew concerns Katherina's marriage to Petruchio and his attempts to bring her behaviour under his control. Bianca's disguised suitors provide a parallel courtship shaped by deception, money and parental authority.
Who are the main characters in The Taming of the Shrew?
The main characters are Katherina and Petruchio, whose marriage forms the central story, alongside Bianca and her suitor Lucentio. Baptista Minola controls his daughters' marriage prospects, while Tranio and Hortensio help drive the disguises and competing courtships. Christopher Sly watches the inner play after a lord tricks him into accepting a noble identity.
What are the main themes of The Taming of the Shrew?
The main themes are power in marriage, money, performance, language, and the relationship between appearance and reality. Katherina's final speech brings these concerns together because its meaning depends on whether her obedience is sincere or performed.
Is The Taming of the Shrew a set text for A level English Literature?
Yes. AQA (Literature A) lists it in Paper 1 (7712/1), Love through the ages (Shakespeare). AQA (Literature B) lists it in Paper 1 (7717/1), Aspects of comedy (Shakespeare). Pearson Edexcel lists it in Paper 1 (9ET0/01), Drama (Shakespeare). OCR lists it in Paper 1 (H472/01), Section 1 (Shakespeare).
When are the A level English Literature exams in 2027?
The summer 2027 A level exams run from 10 May to 22 June 2027. AQA (Literature A): Paper 1 (7712/1), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning. AQA (Literature B): Paper 1 (7717/1), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning. Pearson Edexcel: Paper 1 (9ET0/01), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning. OCR: Paper 1 (H472/01), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning.
