The Taming of a Shrew: The 1594 Quarto

This is a new edition of an anonymous play, long known to scholars, which appears to be an alternative version of Shakespeare’s popular comedy, The Taming of the Shrew. Stephen Miller suggests that an anonymous person rewrote Shakespeare’s more complicated version, making it shorter, simpler and different in some ways. The main difference between the two plays concerns the framing story of Christopher Sly, the drunk, who disappears early on in Shakespeare’s version. A Shrew, as it is usually known, contains additional material for Sly which is familiar to playgoers because it is often included in productions of Shakespeare’s play. The Taming of a Shrew, The 1594 Quarto, provides a modernised text based upon a re-examination of the quarto and extensive commentary. Miller’s introduction establishes a direct link between A Shrew and The Shrew and includes an illustrated stage history.