The beautiful but sharp-tongued 'shrew' Katherina has sworn never to accept the demands of any would-be husband. Her younger sister Bianca, meanwhile, is forbidden to be married until Katherina finds a suitable match - much to the dismay of Bianca's suitors, Hortensio and Gremio.

'I pity the man who cannot enjoy Shakespeare' George Bernard Shaw

The beautiful and witty Katherina has sworn never to accept the demands of any would-be husband. But when she is pursued by the wily Petruchio, it seems that she has finally met her match. As he meets her caustic words with capricious cruelty, Katherina is forced to reconsider her position, in one of the greatest and most contentious of all comic battles of the sexes.

Used and Recommended by the National Theatre

General Editor Stanley Wells
Edited by G. R. Hibbard
Introduction by M. J. Kidnie