Comedy, Taming, and Desirability in The Taming of the Shrew

Lesson 15
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ELA

Unit 17

9th Grade

Lesson 15 of 20

Objective


Analyze how Shakespeare uses literary devices to reveal the development in Katherine and Petruchio’s relationship.

Readings and Materials


  • Play: The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare  — act 3, scene 2, lines 151–261

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

How does Shakespeare use details and tone to reveal how and why Petruchio’s treatment of Katherine has changed?

Sample Response

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Key Thinking


Annotation Focus

What lines, words, and phrases reveal the changes in Petruchio’s attitude towards Katherine?

Scaffolding Questions

In this scene, Kate fights back and loses. How is her behavior similar and different from her behavior in previous scenes?

Similarly, how is Petruchio’s behavior similar and different from his behavior in previous scenes?

What fantastic reason does Petruchio give for taking Kate away from the wedding feast? How do you explain the readiness of the other members of the wedding party to accept such wild behavior?

Zoom into the following quote: "I see a woman may be made a fool / If she had not a spirit to resist" (3.2.226–7). What does Katherine mean when she says this? How has she shown her "spirit to resist" so far in the play? To what extent will she continue to do so?

Discourse Questions

Who or what is responsible for the changes in Katherine and Petruchio’s relationship? 

What would you do in Kate’s situation? What would you do in Petruchio’s situation?

Homework


Read and annotate act 4, scenes 1–5 by Lesson 17 through the following annotation focus:

  • Annotation focus: Where do you see examples of "taming" in these scenes?

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Standards


  • LO 1.3B — Analyze how the writer's use of stylistic elements contributes to a work of literature's effects and meaning.
  • RL.9-10.3 — Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
  • RL.9-10.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

Supporting Standards

LO 1.3A
LO 2.3A
LO 2.3B
LO 2.3C
LO 5.1A
LO 5.1B
RL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.1
W.9-10.2

Next

Analyze how a character’s failure to meet societal expectations around desirability convey the values, attitudes, and traditions and how it creates social commentary about romantic and social desirability. 

Lesson 16
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