"kiss me kate..."

Taming of the Shrew was the more enjoyable comedy of the two for me because of the humor in it. Overall comedy hasn't changed all that much. In A Midsummer Night's Dream there are still the fools, the idiots, that are placed there for quick comic relief; the three stooges are a more modern version of Bottom and his band of "actors". Although this sort of comedy works for a majority of people, I'm more a fan of subdued intelligent humor. To me, Taming of the Shrew is the more witty and funny play of the two we read, but that's solely personal opinion. I like the dialogue between Kate and Petruccio, and the latter just astounds me in how far he's willing to go to subdue Kate.

I also like Kate's character and the way Shakespeare makes her see her own personal flaws. People are initially intimidated of her; she is quicker than most of Padua. However it takes Petruccio, a man that isn't afraid to stand up to her, to make her see herself from a different perspective. The fact that he beats her at her own game is comedic.

I didn't like the conclusion of the play in that Kate basically concedes to Petruccio and is "tamed". Her character, an independent woman, was out of the norm in Shakespeare's day. I think that she did just become part of the crowd at the end, and although that was the point of the play, I was a little disappointed in her.