Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by nalyak
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
dark
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I normally love Shakespeare. Not this one.
If you want to read a good Shakespeare comedy, read Much Ado About Nothing. That one doesn’t have a man celebrated for gaslighting, abusing, starving, sleep-depriving, and torturing his wife into submission.
It got to the point that he’d say “the moon is bright” in the middle of the day, and she’d agree that it’s the moon, not the sun, so she wouldn’t be tortured again. And then she’d agree that it’s the sun, then the moon again, all within seconds of each other, because he made her (he was delighted by how much of a doormat she was).
She was horrible and cruel early in the book, but it had me feeling absolutely sick for how she was treated. It wasn’t even treated as bad by a single character. It was celebrated and rewarded by the narrative.
Bianca and Lucentio were cool. They actually cared for each other.
If you’re curious about Shakespeare and want to give his stuff a shot, don’t read this. Here’s a list of better stuff:
Comedies: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado about Nothing
Tragedies: Macbeth, Hamlet, Julius Caesar
Gosh this made me feel sick.
If you want to read a good Shakespeare comedy, read Much Ado About Nothing. That one doesn’t have a man celebrated for gaslighting, abusing, starving, sleep-depriving, and torturing his wife into submission.
It got to the point that he’d say “the moon is bright” in the middle of the day, and she’d agree that it’s the moon, not the sun, so she wouldn’t be tortured again. And then she’d agree that it’s the sun, then the moon again, all within seconds of each other, because he made her (he was delighted by how much of a doormat she was).
She was horrible and cruel early in the book, but it had me feeling absolutely sick for how she was treated. It wasn’t even treated as bad by a single character. It was celebrated and rewarded by the narrative.
Bianca and Lucentio were cool. They actually cared for each other.
If you’re curious about Shakespeare and want to give his stuff a shot, don’t read this. Here’s a list of better stuff:
Comedies: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado about Nothing
Tragedies: Macbeth, Hamlet, Julius Caesar
Gosh this made me feel sick.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting
Minor: Physical abuse