Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew

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YouTube Information and Attribution:
The Taming of the Shrew (1980 TV), Act 1, scene 2-- Petruchio meets Katherine and woos her.
excerpt starts with Petruchio's first meeting with Kate, Act II, scene 2, line 161 (Arden edition - Petruchio's "Now, by the world, it is a lusty wench") and continues through to just past Petruchio and Kate's exit, line 325.
The actor Timothy West considered John Cleese's Petruchio to be "definitive". click below to hear audio of this scene with Peter O'Toole and Siân Phillips

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o9gKy
John Cleese ... Petruchio
Sarah Badel ... Katherine
John Franklyn-Robbins ... Baptista
Jonathan Cecil ... Hortensio
Frank Thornton ... Gremio
Anthony Pedley ... Tranio

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 which 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."

William James Rolfe:

It is important that the formal character of this betrothal
should be noted, as showing that Kate here accepts
Petruchio as her future husband. The contract
could not afterward be abrogated without the consent of
both the parties. If Kate seriously intended to resist or
decline the match, this was the time to do it, or ever
after to hold her peace. It may be said that she yields
to her father's authority, but this is not the case. In the
preceding scene he has discouraged the suit of Petruchio
rather than urged it on. When asked if he has not a
daughter "called Katherina, fair and virtuous," he replies, "I
have a daughter called Katherina," and in the
next speech he says:

"You 're welcome, sir ; ...
But for my daughter Katherine, this I know, She is not for your turn, the more my grief;"

and later, when the arrangements concerning the dowry
are being made, and Petruchio proposes to draw up the
legal papers, Baptista says:
"Ay, when the special thing is well ohtain'd,
That is, her love; for that is all in all."

Much as he desires to have Kate married, he assumes
that her love, or at least her consent, must first be gained.

It is clear, then, that Kate is betrothed not against
her will, though she says nothing at the time. We are
to imagine her as taking Petruchio's hand in a sulky sort
of way, and accepting him thus by act rather than word.
If she had not accepted him, we should not have the
prompt acknowledgment of her father and the witnesses
that the ceremony was complete and valid.

The passage is a good illustration of the necessity in
certain cases of reading between the lines of the text —
for the reader, I mean, as distinguished from the spectator
in the theatre, where the actor of course fills the gap,
or should do so. Here we have only three lines of text,
but there is very important action between the first two.

Petruchio has told Baptista to send out the wedding invitations,
and the latter says, "I know not what to say; but give your hands."

If the joining of hands had not followed at once, with no marked hesitancy on Kate's
part, he would not have added, "God send you joy, Petruchio;
't is a match !" nor would Gremio and Tranio
exclaim, "Amen, say we; we will be witnesses;" nor
would Petruchio say, as he does," Father and wife, and
gentlemen, adieu !" and start off for Venice to buy the
bridal finery. As he goes out, he adds, "And kiss me,
Kate, we will be married o' Sunday."

If she had not kissed him, we may be sure that Petruchio would have
waited until she did. She must be supposed to yield
this point, though very likely in the same silent and ungracious
way in which she has submitted to the formalities
of the betrothal. The company evidently consider
that all has been done in due form, as appears from
their comments upon it after Petruchio and Kate have
gone out.

as part of the "Fawlty Towers" Shakespeare trilogy, go here to see Prunella Scales as Mistress Page in "The Merry Wives of Windsor":

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/oD79V3ZZtYA&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/oD79V3ZZtYA&rel=0</a>

and here to see Andrew Sachs as Trinculo in "The Tempest":

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http://www.youtube.com/user/ShakespeareAndMore