Shakespeare Unbard Episode 02. Is The Taming of the Shrew as sexist as they say it is? Spoiler Alert: Yes.

Bernard Shaw, whose opinions on Shakespeare are too much fun not to quote on a daily basis, called The Taming of the Shrew "one vile insult to womanhood and manhood from the first word to the last." The common critique against Shrew is that it is misogynistic but Shaw's remark is an arrow that hits closer to the mark: The Taming of the Shrew is a play that hates men and women alike. In the second episode of Shakespeare Unbard, Joel Fishbane examines this question. Also: the show is summarized in one minute and adaptations of Taming of the Shrew are discussed, including Kiss Me Kate and 10 Things I Hate About You.

On this episode, you'll hear quotes and clips from:

Junger, Gil. dir. 10 Things I Hate About You. Touchstone Pictures, 1999.

Porter, Cole. Kiss Me Kate. Original Broadway Cast Recording. Sony BMG Music Entertainment.

Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. (The Riverside Shakespeare) Houghton and Mifflin, 1974.

Shakespeare, WIlliam. The Taming of the Shrew. Arkangel Shakespeare. Blackstone Audio.

Shakespeare, William. The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Librivox Recording

Wilson, Edmund. ed. Shaw on Shakespeare. Penguin, 1961.

Zeffirelli, Franco, dir. The Taming of the Shrew. Columbia Pictures, 1967.