De Getemde Feeks
1623
De Getemde Feeks
1623
Translated by L. A. J. (Leendert Alexander Johannes) Burgersdijk
De Getemde Feeks is Shakespeare's most dangerous comedy: a play that masquerades as romantic entertainment while asking uncomfortable questions about power, performance, and who truly controls the narrative. Petruchio arrives in Padua with a plan to marry the notorious Katharina Minola, the sharp-tongued "shrew" no man dare touch. What follows is a masterclass in psychological manipulation disguised as courtship, as Petruchio starves, sleeps deprive, and verbally dismantle Katharina until she submits. But here is the twist that has kept audiences arguing for four centuries: Katharina's final speech of obedience is so perfectly performed, so precisely pitched, that we can never be certain if she has been broken or is quietly winning. This is a play that rewards anyone willing to sit with its contradictions.
