The Tamer Tamed

The Nick Hern Books RSC Classics - a series of rarely performed plays from the 16th and 17th centuries, published alongside their resurrection by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon and the West End. John Fletcher's play The Tamer Tamed is an irreverent and hugely entertaining 'sequel' to Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Here, Petruchio marries for a second time and is tamed by his wife Maria in a reversal of roles echoing Aristophanes' Lysistrata. Written in 1611, twenty years after Shakespeare's original, The Tamer Tamed is also a revealing insight into changing attitudes to women and marriage in the Jacobean period. This edition was published alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company's production in 2003, directed by Gregory Doran. It is edited with an introduction by Gordon McMullan and preface by Gregory Doran. The plays in the RSC Classics series reflect the diversity of styles, themes and subjects of the Elizabethan and Jacobean stage, and include a 'new' addition to the Shakespeare canon. 'Wonderfully exhilarating proto-feminist piece, combining outrageous humour with rich humanity and good sense' Daily Telegraph