Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew - IV.i (John Cleese)

The Taming of the Shrew (1980 TV), Act 4, scene 1--just before Petruchio arrives.

The actor Timothy West considered John Cleese's Petruchio to be "definitive".

go here to see Marc Singer perform this scene in a very comic style:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsL8K9rtQoc

go here and listen to Peter O'Toole and Siân Phillips perform this and an earlier scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o9gKyuynaI

as part of the "Fawlty Towers" Shakespeare trilogy, go here to see Prunella Scales as Mistress Page in "The Merry Wives of Windsor":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD79V3ZZtYA

and here to see Andrew Sachs as Trinculo in "The Tempest":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P-lNzgA7jI

John Cleese ... Petruchio
David Kincaid ... Grumio
Angus Lennie ... Curtis
Sarah Badel ... Katherine
Harry Webster ... Nathaniel
Denis Gilmore ... Peter

Directed by Jonathan Miller

John Cleese was persuaded to undertake this role only after he was assured it would not be the typical sort of "Shrew" production he disliked, those that in his words, were "about a lot of furniture being knocked over, a lot of wine being spilled, a lot of thighs being slapped and a lot of unmotivated laughter."



A bunch of technical terms from falconry used in Petruchio's famous monologue which ends this scene ("Thus have I politicly begun my reign").
Appropriate, what with the unusual mixture of cruelty and kindness necessary in falconry, with it's aim to tame and toward power over the subject/pet/tool.

"The Woman's Prize or the Tamer Tamed", Fletcher's 1611 sequel to Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew (1594), also utilizes falconry terms--must have been popular then.


notes on the falconry metaphors in Petruchio's monologue, from Variorum edition by Furness:

{My falcon, etc.} The image is suggested in the old play, p. 520, "He mew her up as men do mew their hawkes, | And make her gentlie come vnto the lure." . . . " As hungrie hawkes do flie vnto there lure." In Turberville's Booke of Falconrie (1575), éd. ion, pp. 105-107, are directions " How to lure a Falcon lately manned " —" Secondarily that shee be sharpe set, and eager . . . And . . . the lure must be well garnished with méate on both sides" . . . (the falconer retires with the lure to a distance, giving the hawk to another man), ' ' that he may vnhoode her as soone as you beginne to lure, and if shee come well to the lure, and stoope vpon it roundly, and seaze it eagerly, then let her feede two or three bittes vpon it, and then vnseaze her and take her from off the lure, and hoode her . . . and goe further off and lure her, feeding her alwayes vpon the lure on the ground, and vsing the familiar voyce of Falconers as they cry when they lure."

{sharp . . . empty"} So Venus and Adonis, 55, "an empty eagle, sharp by fast." 191. full-gorged] Cf. Lucrèce, 694, " the full-fed hound or gorged hawk."

{man my haggard} tame my wild hawk, make accustomed to the man. Cf. Lyly, Euphues, II. 139, I (of the opposite effect), "Hawkes that waxe haggard by manning are to be cast off." 195. watch her] causative, keep her watching, i.e. awake. In Turberville's chapter, " How you shall manne a Falcon "(ed. ion, pp. 100, loi), occurs —"When you feede her, you must whoope and lewre as you doe when you call a hawke, that shee may know when you will giue her méate "... " beare her late vpon your fist before you goe to bedde, setting her vpon a trestle or stoolevery neare you, so that you may wake her often..

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• Shakespeare
• Taming-of-the-Shrew
• John-Cleese
• play
• theatre

[Contextcatcher]

Headstrong? Shakespeare knew the social effect of masks and commands in words. In these scene also he proofed to be a real genius of the human soul. Most modern psychologist and sociologist (addicted to many abstractions) seem to have almost no feeling for his 'politics' 7:10 ....Cleese was the right man for this great comical scene! ("BAD!!!......" smile) But the scientist are excused: it's only a theatrical situation...

[falconwriter]

This is just Quality!!

[jamanticus]

The main thing about great Shakespearian acting is really to get the feelings and thoughts across to the audience without letting the archaic language getting in the way.

And, yes- John Cleese does it so perfectly!

[julaybib]

Some luvvies revel in making shakespeare incomprehensible babble 'for art's sake', but Cleese always manages to make the meaning translucent and evocative. What's more, as intended, the play really is genuinely funny!

[zamethyst]

Oh I never knew this existed!!!!! Must see whole thing!

[platzie]

does anyone have the end of this, when they are all having dinner and john cleese does that hilarious wheeze laugh?

[loppy90]

i have a dancing character to this x

[awesomebitch]

i...love...john...cleese. the end.

[iluvcheezitsheyhey]

Must get this on DVD!!!

[ken131]

This the the very zenith of John Cleese's talent. his greatest performance ever.