Taming of the Shrew (version 2)

Written by William Shakespeare

Narrated by Multiple - LibriVox Community

When local drunkard Christopher Sly walks into a tavern, the last thing he expects is a complex trick where, to the amusement of many others, he is tricked into believing that he's a nobleman! And so begins the Taming of the Shrew, one of Shakespeare's earlier comedies. For the enjoyment of this "lord", a group of players perform a tale of love and devotion, where the beautiful Bianca is pursued by many suitors. But there's a catch. Before her father will allow Bianca to marry, he must find a suitable match for his older daughter, the fiery "shrew" of the title, Katherina. Enter Petruccio, who has "come to wive it wealthily in Padua" and will stop at nothing to tame this shrew!
This play was recorded in two weeks as part of Librivox's celebration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death

Cast List
Narrator, Philip: Rachel
Christopher Sly: LindaB
Hostess, Bianca, Peter: Esther ben Simonides
Lord, Grumio: Phil Schempf
First Huntsman, Messenger, Biondello, Joseph: Sonia
Second Huntsman, Katharina, Fourth Servant, Nicholas: Adele de Pignerolles
Player, Lucentio, Nathaniel: Charlotte Duckett
First Servant, Pedant, Tailor: Maria Kasper
Second Servant: Elijah Fisher
Third Servant, Vincentio: Ray Kasper
Page, Petruchio: Tony Addison
Tranio: Roohi
Baptista: TriciaG
Gremio: Delmar H Dolbier
Hortensio, Curtis: Hamlet
Haberdasher: Kathrine Engan
Widow: Jennifer Fournier

Audio edited by: Esther ben Simonides, Adele de Pignerolles, Maria Kasper, Rachel, & Kim

• Language: English
• Publisher: LibriVox
• Release date: Aug 25, 2014

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, on England’s Avon River. When he was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway. The couple had three children—an older daughter Susanna and twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died in childhood. The bulk of Shakespeare’s working life was spent in the theater world of London, where he established himself professionally by the early 1590s. He enjoyed success not only as a playwright and poet, but also as an actor and shareholder in an acting company. Although some think that sometime between 1610 and 1613 Shakespeare retired from the theater and returned home to Stratford, where he died in 1616, others believe that he may have continued to work in London until close to his death.

Reviews for Taming of the Shrew (version 2)

[R. Michael Markham · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Apparently one of the most popular of Shakespeare's plays, I found it complicated and difficult to follow. This reading helped (along with watching a performance of the play on YouTube). Though taking the play as a straight comedy aids in understanding it. Not as good in my opinion as "A Comedy of Errors", yet still an enjoyable play.