'For she is changed as she had never been.'The Taming of the Shrew both built upon and transformed an existing tradition of popular texts about wives behaving badly. Katherina is determined not bend to the will of a husband, but is met with capricious cruelty in the form of Petruchio. The play is considered a comedy despite the considerable history dating to the early seventeenth century of people suggesting it is problematically misogynistic in ways that are not at all funny. Erin E. Kelly's introduction explores key critical debates, performance choices, and adaptations to understand The Taming of the Shrew as part of a centuries-long conversation about women's agency and about the qualities of a good marriage. The New Oxford Shakespeare offers authoritative editions of Shakespeare's works with introductory materials designed to encourage new interpretations of the plays and poems. Using the text from the landmark The New Oxford Shakespeare Complete Works: Modern Critical Edition, these volumes offer readers the latest thinking on the authentic texts (collated from all surviving original versions of Shakespeare's work) alongside innovative introductions from leading scholars. The texts are accompanied by a comprehensive set of critical apparatus to give readers the best resources to help understand and enjoy Shakespeare's work.ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
