I think that was sets a true, unforgettable classic apart from what your grandmother might call a classic from back in “her day,” is that you can actually read it. Not because you are told to by your family, or required to in school. Not even on your own accord. No, a true classic will make you, and anyone who reads it feel like they are in the story. They can understand, relate and empathize over the plot, characters, and themes. Even though the book was written in 1924, and set two years prior, we can still hear lines and quotes like they are being spoken in today’s modern world. My personal favorite is “Life is much more successfully looked at through a single window.” I do ask you to read that over. And consider. Consider that even though those words were written 95 years ago by the so called greatest generation. That line resonates even with me, a specimen of the most criticized, scrutinized and doubted generation ever. The wisdom of this novel lives on through every generation. And that, just like Jay Gatsby’s manner, is just drop dead classic.

Seycove Secondary

Looking at The Taming of the Shrew Today 

Was it a Classic?

Adam Gerbrecht  

PLP 12

Ms. Petra Willemse

September 16-27, 2019

The Taming of the Shrew was written by William Shakespeare in 1592, over four hundred years ago. Since then we have discovered electricity, found North America, invented planes, trains and automobiles. Yet we still read, perform, and learn this same play. Why do we still read the same play? Is it the story? The setting? Or is it simply the Shakespearean reputation? No. None of that. In this situation the answer to this question is not a separate answer. The answer is, in fact, the question. Sound confusing? Good. Allow me to elaborate. 

To begin, let me tell you of a first hand experience with an actor from this very play. Touching on the idea of why we perform it. At Bard on the Beach in 2019, The Taming of the Shrew was performed. Set in the Wild West, this play was brought to life once again. After the performance I had the pleasure of participating in a question period with the actors and actresses of this very play. So, of course I asked the question: “What makes The Taming of the Shrew a classic? What has made it stand the test of time?” My question was well answered by Chirag Naik, who was playing Tranio. He emphasized that ‘the ability to change the language, while still maintaining the pose and story,’ (Naik) is what maintains the tale over time. He continued, explaining there had been modifications made to the script, as well as changing the ending. All to make the story more politically correct in today’s lens. Even after all of this, Shakespeare’s unmistakable sentence structure and syntax shone through the immaculate story backbone. 

Chirag Naik mentioned the story being changed. What does that mean exactly? What makes the story learnable today? Well, in the 2019 Bard on the Beach version Katerina and Petrucio run away as outlaws against their family’s will in a rebellious Bonny and Clyde style. In a play about a woman becoming submissive, the entire cast was female in 2003 in London and 2016 in New York. That is to name two of many adaptations of the play. Adaptation, the process of changing to suit different conditions. Common amongst animals, plants and ecosystems. Changing and evolving as time effects their landscape. But a play? A play that is able to not only stand the test of time, but able to adapt to the world around it change. That is a classic. Born in the past, immortalized in the present, undying in the future. That is how the story is classic. 

But what exactly is the story? How do we see it over time? Why do we still read it? The backbone of a story is what holds it all together. The main principles that form the structure for an author to build a world, in which we are transported when exposed to the various media that the product may be displayed. In The Taming of the Shrew, the backbone that is present throughout is the taming of Katerina. Since the plays inception the ending in which she is gives her final speech protesting her apparent submission to Petrucio as her lord. How does any of this relate to the play being a classic? The very fact that we still debate this topic is suggesting that Shakespeare is “critical of Petruchio rather than intent on holding him up as a paragon of woman-taming.” (De Wachter). Intentionally or not, good old William Shakespeare has written this story in such a way that we still question his deep motivations behind his story backbone. If countless generations later we are still discussing these points, then not calling this play a classic. Is unthinkable. 

I love this play. I have seen it as a live production three times. Two this year and once when it was presented earlier at Bard on the Beach in Vancouver a few years ago. What in the world makes a teenage boy who wears double denim enjoy a play from 1592? Even though this play was written 427 years ago, it is still a classic. The actors that perform it today feel that it is adaptable, yet easy to understand when changed. The story backs that up, the more that one reads into the history of the play, the more changes to the story overtime change. The fact that we change the story, instead of replacing it also is a huge point. Why not just teach, perform or read a new play that is more topical? We can’t explain it, we just keep doing it. That is why it’s a classic. We can’t stop it from growing as our civilization does too.

Works Cited

De Wachter, Rachel. “Power and Gender in The Taming of the Shrew.” Discovering Literature: Shakespeare , British Library , 15 Nov. 2016, https://www.bl.uk/ shakespeare/articles/power-and-gender-in-the-taming-of-the-shrew.

Naik, Chirag. “The Taming of the Shrew.” The Taming of the Shrew. 16 Sept. 2019, Vancouver.