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Make a list
of words used to describe a character or the character uses to describe him/herself.
Develop a character sketch for the character centered around three or four words
from your list. Included examples of the character's actions and quotes from the
play to support your interpretation of the character.
Write
production notes for a specific character in the form of an essay. What would
you want emphasized by the actor portraying a specific character? Use quotations
from the play as examples and explain how the actor should deliver them. (What
actions should accompany the words? What is the meaning to be conveyed?)
Discuss
the play as an example of comedy. Incorporate references to the play, and you
may also refer to other critics of the play.
Discuss
how power is used, abused, or subverted in one of these relationship types: master-servant,
father-child, husband-wife, or nobility-lower class. Include references to the
play to strengthen your argument.
What
does The Taming of the Shrew say about courtship/dating? Can we make any
modern-day applications?
Kate
and Bianca do not particularly get along. Discuss sibling rivalry in the context
of the play.
Discuss
the roles deception and disguise play in one of these characters' relationships:
Lucentio, Tranio, Petruchio, Bianca, or Kate. Examine if your chosen character
is deceptive or deceived.
Write
an essay of advice on dating or marriage as Kate or Petruchio would offer it.
Include references to the play to bolster the advice.
Craft
your own essay question. (Be sure to discuss it with the teacher before you get
very far along in your preparation.)