Taming of the shrew
Introduction
The American Conservatory Theater performed a production of The Taming of Shrew in the year 1976 at the Theater of Geary located in San Francisco under William Ball’s direction. On 10th November 1976, it was as well telecast on PBS, and Kirk Browning directed it for television. The show starred Mar Singer as Petruchio and Fredi Olster as Katherine. The act was founded by William Ball in Pittsburgh, in the year 1965, and shifted it to California in 1967. The act comprises of teaching conservatory included in the theater. William Ball acted as the director until the year 1986. Apart from directing of different theaters and acting, Ball did several television works, opera, and film. William died in 1991 at age 60.
The Commedia dell’Arte Style
The American Conservatory Theater of the Taming of Shrew was produced in commedia dell’arte style, which stands for comedy of profession. This form of presentation in theater initiated in Italy in the early 16th century; even though the tradition has declined since the end 18th century, it has impacted several entertainment forms throughout Europe. Several shows and individuals have employed commedia dell’arte in their work. Shakespeare was as well not left behind, he too was conversant with this style, and he utilized it when writing the Taming of the Shrew. As was said in an interview by William Ball, Shakespeare wrote Shrew by borrowing the style. Many of the utilized names, names from Italy – Baptista, is an example character of a Commedia character.
When asked to illustrate what commedia dell’arte style means, William explained that it was not a formal style. There were traveling organization that produced scripts of their own, and a single actor would establish a unique type of personality. He would as well build up a particular business, a shtick, or a certain lazzi. And in fact, it is the father of the entire comedy. The style of Commedia dell Arte is a vanished art type. Still, it possessed a roughly circus-like value since the companies for traveling frequently included few well-educated adventurers, street entertainers, acrobats, unorganized strolling players, and they practiced with types suitable to great taste: vernacular dialects,… recognizable character and abundance of comic activities obtained from the parody or exaggeration of stock or regional fictional types. Masks were ordinary components in commedia dell’arte shows and were particularly dilapidated by stock characters like Capitano. There was as well an assortment of Zanni, who were clownish individuals recognized for their feats of acrobats.
In his production of The Taming of the Shrew, William embraced the style of commedia dell’arte. He had in mind that the liveliness of the style of commedia dell’arte would provide itself appropriately to the Taming of the Shrew. He offered hi show a lively, carnivalesque feeling which was suitable for the play’s comedy. The presentation was significantly loaded with substantial humor. The actors infrequently stood still, and they tended to intersperse their words with rhythmic movements of their bodies that were exaggerated. Whether they were elegant over one another or shaking hands, the actors ensure that the presentation was full of slapstick comedy. Even Gremio, the older man who walked with a cane, was as well involved in substantial humor. As befits the style of commedia dell’arte, the entire presentation involved acrobatics, as presenters could plummet all over the podium, and Petruchio could go up the scaffold-like set. Movements of the body were also utilized to embellish phrases and spoken words. Each time a certain actor utters something, he, and maybe other presenters on the podium would move their bodies in a particular way that would indicate a relationship between the body movement and the phrase said. For instance, each time that any actor or Petruchio mentioned his of the late deceased father. The actors would pay a mark of respect to the deceased by getting rid of their caps and placing them adjacent to their chest for a short period whereas at the same time raising their legs. By doing this, the actors added humor to a line that would not have been funny otherwise and developing a choke that could be presented and wide-ranging all through the evening. When Baptista firstly saw this substantial acknowledgment of Petruchio’s father, he could not recognize what was happening as the joke was presented. Still, he rapidly tried to join the play anyway. In performing that, he unintentionally offered one more joke to entertain the audience.
The slapstick joke of the show could have merely turn out to be exaggerated and sloppy to narrate the story efficiently. On the other hand, the unity and rhythmic precision of the whole organization worked superbly in the presentation. William Ball depended on incorporated gags-tripping, comic tradition, lousy breath, counterfeit noses- that roughly guaranteed laughs, and black-rimmed glasses. This led to the development of a performance that happened like live- activity cartoon evocative of the traditional Silly Symphonies, Merrie Melodies, and Looney Tunes short animations. At one instance, Gremio’s cane was kicked by Kate from under him just as Bunny would have thumped away Elmer’s rifle as he bent over on it. A hook pulled the mercantile from Mantua, who was pretending to be Vincentino, off-podium when he abruptly found himself in the incorrect performance and commenced quoting the speech from Richard III “winter of our discontent.” The quality identical to the cartoon was improved by sound effects offered by an on-podium percussionists’ troupe. The bell sound, drums, and whistles were matched with diverse motions to provide both visual and an aural component of every joke.
The cartoon influence on the show is, in portion, which resulted in the taming to be more comfortable for the audience to watch. The whole performance was very physical, but the interactions of actors were more acrobatic relatively than aggressive. This, together with their embellished expression of the faces and defined body flexibility, roughly gave the intuition that the players were not real human beings. In the eyes of the audience, the Italy of Shrew was not original, but relatively a globe where every individual was a circus – player, where huge grown women could be thrown all over as if they were like small rag dolls. Where a man could be seen having a broken lute hanging alongside his neck, yet he was not feeling any pain. Just as the viewers were not terrified for Wile’s life as he flies over a cliff, the audience of the American Conservatory Theater felt no nervousness that Petruchio would never let anything dangerous to happen to Kate.
When Petruchio and Kate met the first time in scene 1, the second act, there was an immediate, substantial attraction between them. As they interact in person, expecting to find the other despicable, they unexpectedly found two gorgeous persons standing in front of one another. Each one of them was taken aback to the extent that they could not move for a short period. Then, as Petruchio continued in his stationary pose, Kate gradually walked around him, totally taking a look at the man who her dad had decided will wed her. While standing right behind Petruchio, Kate blazed a rapid smile to the viewers whispering to them that she admired what her eyes saw. Unfortunately, she could not even try to let Petruchio know this. Instead, she recovered her hard expression and declared to him that she was a shrew.
When they ultimately commenced talking to each other, Petruchio played the role of gentleman wooing Kate. The congregation knew that this act was not real, but possibly he wished that the delusion would convince Kate. Kate did a haste act that was clear that she was not ready and not the one to be wooed, and Petruchio suddenly changed his approach. They suddenly commenced to orally spar, throwing insults to one another that the writer had cleverly shaped. But as the feelings increased and Kate progressed to be stubborn, the dispute turns out to be increasingly physical. They smacked one another and strumbled over each other. Everyone pinned the other down the floor. Whereas Kate was an equivalent contestant for Petruchio, he, in due course, confirmed to be muscular between the two. This did not surprise the audience in any way, as Petruchio displayed virile masculinity since he first set his foot on the podium. He was dressed in a vest only (that he already had removed before Kate appeared), cuffs, a choker, a hat, and thick leggings with a codpiece, the physical prowess of Petruchio was apparent to every individual who glimpsed at him. He proved his physical prowess when he continued to pick up Kate above his head and curl her around his body. However hard she tried, Kate couldn’t endure him, and when Petruchio proclaimed to Kate’s father that the wedding ceremony would be held on Sunday, she had no choice than stamp way and offered a dissatisfied mumble.
Roles of gender are the behaviors, attitudes, and values that the community well-thought-out to be appropriate for both females and males. Throughout the decades, males have subjugated always; several women to sight for their rights, whereas others are too nervous to acknowledge the challenge. The women’s stereotype is succulence, deference, nurturance, tolerance, compassion, sweetness, caring, sensitivity, empathy, and gentleness. These are the traits that are considered feminine in traditional society. Women were just supposed to be kind to their husbands, cook, clean, and look after children.
The roles of gender have not changed in our community due to male’s perception to emphasize authority with disregard for responsibility and consequences. In the taming of the shrew, there is an identical case to indicate that male’s perception desires to be powerful than women. As shown on page 3.2.204-205, we see Petruchio say that Kate is her anything, ox, horse, barn, field, household staff, house, and chattels. This shows that Petruchio intentionally puts her in place with inanimate households and animal positions. He is attempting to bestow her with the aspects of things he has strong desires. This confirms the point that men tend to utilize power to manipulate women.
If gender roles are reversed, the play will change significantly. All the traits mentioned above and considered to be feminine are the characteristics every person requires for them to love one another and live happily together. If a woman is placed in power, she takes care of the society as it were her child, she puts herself in the shoes of everyone and strives to help anyone who desires assistance. Unlike men who do not bother, but only need power and fame for their benefit.
Commedia troupes usually carry everything they require whenever they make any travel: they travel with props, costumes, and event staging that are portable and could be set up at any public place. Even triumphant troupers with prosperous patrons and indoor spaces of performing kept scenery and props to a minimum to ensure the attention on the skills of performance, rather than spectacle. Props consist of weapons, furniture, food, and animals. The actor Arlecchino typically use to carry two sticks tied together, which made a loud noise when came into contact through impact. This is the point where the terminology “slapstick” came from.
Commedia actors mainly wear masks with embellished comic features to draw concentration to themselves and to praise their acrobatic and physical skills. The use of masks by performers forced them to display the emotion of their characters by use of their bodies, stock gags, tumbles, leaps, and obscene gestures were hence included in their performances.
In turning the table of romance, two characters were young lovers, the dons and daughters of the Vecchi. They so much enjoyed a high status in the community. They are always explained in the play’s predicament – whether to obey the desires of their parents or to follow the wish of their hearts. These two young lovers were grave serious on their love matter than other actors to the extent that they did not wear masks. They were continually scheming, argumentative, youthful, and either beautiful or handsome. They were professionals in the science of courtship, and they loved to write sonnets. They fell madly in love with each other and then proceeded to despair, and they were as well jealous and suspicious. They disagreed, come into solution, and at the climax, they flew into one’s other arms on their way to marriage.
The theme of reality and imagination appears to be always a present theme in many comedies of Shakespeare, and this play is no exception too. Of course, in scene 2 Act II, the real subject is apparent. Petruchio is now a new husband and how he shames and commands his wife, trying to find out an excuse to intentionally “tame” her from her ways of shrewish—and offering him abundant opportunity to state his power over her as her husband. It is seen how Petruchio is haste to inconvenience Kate and intentionally aggravate a reaction from her. It is not possible to envisage a bridegroom claiming on departing with his bride before the feast of the wedding is over, and even before she bid goodbye to family and friends. But Petruchio finally does this, and additionally, depart in such mad manner as to embarrass and humiliate Katharina