Comedy

Question 1

What comic tradition does the play draw from?

Answer 1

Commedia dell’arte
Italian - traveling - semi improvised.

Question 2

What Commedia dell’arte role do Baptista, Gremio and Hortensio fit?

Answer 2

The foolish, elderly Pantaloon. ‘Pantalone’ - old often wealthy merchant -

Question 3

What Commedia dell’arte role does Bianca fit?

Answer 3

The seductive innamorata - young female lover.

Question 4

What comic stereotype does Kate fit?

Answer 4

The shrew - long comedic tradition of tales, jokes and songs about female ‘shrews’- an unpleasant, ill-tempered woman characterised by scolding, nagging, and aggression

Question 5

What Commedia dell’arte role does Petruchio fit?

Answer 5

Capitano - vainglorious, deceitful and braggart soldier.
His part usually involves him boasting of great exploits of war, but he is also the subject of pranks and jokes from the other characters.

Question 6

What Commedia dell’arte role do the servants fit?

Answer 6

-Fast moving scenes with their superiors - dependent of physical comedy - commedia tradition calls this Lazzi (gags) - involves beating or cuffing - throwing around food or clothe - gross behavior.
-Clowns show great ability in making up on the spot fantastical excuses to get out of a difficult situation.

Question 7

Is violence comical in the shrew?

Answer 7

For:
-Typical characteristic of farce.
-Highly physical performance - comedy depends of actors ability to bounce back and on pacing - control whether audience is comfortable.
-Lazzi comedy.
-Never hits Kate.

Against:
-Depends on how cast depict it - is Petruchios bullying shown to be distressing and hurtful - sadistic taming.

-Starved of food and sleep - constantly beating servants - not funny to a modern audience. Threat of violence hangs through all Kate and Petruchio scenes.

-‘Come Kiss me Kate’ - how consensual it this?

Question 8

Is the ending comical?

Answer 8

Very dependent on how it is performed - built into the plays dramaturgy - audience is educated by an exploration of the power and limits of farce.

For:
-Speech can be seen as mutually enjoyed erotic game.
-Seen as ironic - delivered with sarcasm.

Against:
-May be delivered as broken and brainwashed - however her eloquence and the length of the speech does not seem to come from a person with a loss of self-worth.

Question 9

What differs the Shrew from a classic farce?

Answer 9

-Classic Farce - artificial chaos is finally resolved in a simple soloution.
-Shrew - far more unstable - uncomfortably exaggerates the structures of ‘real life’ - Elizabethan.

Question 10

Significance of comedy in the induction

Answer 10

-Sets up idea of both class and gender as a matter of clothe, people are deceived by costume into truly believing they are of a different class or gender.

-Idea of behavior as performative - Lord gives instructions for Bartholemew to act ideal wife - says he can use an onion to cry - idea that the personalities we see are merely performative (Bianca).

-Sets up play within a play - meta-drama - Shakespeare reminds us what we are seeing is theatre - fabrication.