Setting

Click on the images below to find out more about the setting of The Taming of the Shrew and what we know about where the play is set.

  • The Taming Of The Shrew _2008_Simon Annand_44120
    Padua is a place where men and women are treated very differently.
  • The Taming of the Shrew production photos_ 2019_2019_Photo by Ikin Yum _c_ RSC_275088
    Wedding ceremonies have strict rules and a dress code in Padua.
  • The Taming of the Shrew_ 1996_1996_Photo by Reg Wilson _c_ RSC_196560
    Status is very important and there is a clear hierarchy in Padua, and other states, with servants at the bottom.
  • The Taming of the Shrew_ 1992_ Tranio and Lucentio_1992_Photo by Reg Wilson _c_ RSC_275468
    Petruchio lives in Verona and it takes some time to travel there.
  • The Taming of the Shrew_ 2003_ production photo_2003_Photo by Jonathan Dockar-Drysdale _c_ RSC_281642
    Padua is populated by wealthy merchants who use marriage like a business deal.
  • The Taming Of The Shrew _2008_Simon Annand_44998
    Padua is famous for its university and learning is very important to several of the characters.

Every performance of The Taming of The Shrew will be set in a place that has all of the elements above. It might be any strict patriarchal society, such as a historical period or an imagined future world like Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, as long as the facts above are included. Although Padua and Verona are real places in Italy, they could become different places in the world of the production.

Why do you think changing the world or setting of the play might be helpful for modern audiences? Where might you choose to set The Taming of the Shrew?

Teacher Notes

On this page students can explore some of the key things that we know about the setting of The Taming of the Shrew by clicking on the pictures.

You can use these pictures, or other images, as a starting point to discuss what they know about the setting of the play and to think about where they would set the play if they were creating their own production. A great way of doing this visually is for students to create a mood board or collage of images that could be used as design inspiration.