Between masked courtships and bickering, Shakespeare creates a comedy that remains relevant today, with a frenetic pace and sharp dialogue.
In Padua, the wealthy gentleman Baptista has two daughters: the sweet and sought-after Bianca and the elder, Katherina, fierce, rebellious and bad-tempered. Baptista decides that Bianca cannot marry until Katherina also finds a husband, thus discouraging the many suitors of his younger daughter.
A nobleman from Verona, Petruchio, arrives determined to marry a rich woman regardless of her temperament. He accepts the challenge of winning Katherina and with determination and cunning, manages to marry her. After the wedding, Petruchio begins a process of “taming”, imposing a series of deprivations and contradictions to bend her to his will and make her gentler and more compliant. Meanwhile, Bianca’s suitors disguise themselves and pretend to be teachers in order to court her. In the end Bianca chooses and marries Lucentio.
The comedy concludes with a dinner among married friends, where the husbands wager on which of their wives is the most obedient. Surprisingly, it is Katherina who responds promptly and delivers a long speech on a wife’s duties toward her husband, leaving everyone astonished.
A classic that dances on irony, love, and conflict, making us laugh and reflect on our own contradictions.
