Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew

Caleb has been working very hard these last couple of weeks memorizing lines for a school play; Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. They put the play on for parents and students this week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Caleb was one of the main characters. He was Petruchio. I think this was such a great opportunity for him and for all the kids in his class. They all did such a great job. They had to work together and help each other. They entertained the audience for almost a whole hour. I am so proud of Caleb. He had most of his parts already memorized before I even knew that he was doing this. He did it mostly on his own. It wasn't until these last few weeks that I got involved and started reading the other parts to help him practice. Memorizing his parts just came naturally to him. One day he counted 126 parts that he had to memorize. One of my favorite lines was:

"Why? I find you very gentle. Twas told me you were rough and coy and sullen, and now I find that to be a lie. For you are pleasant, courteous, a bit slow in speech, but sweet as spring time flowers. You don't frown or bite the lip as angry girls do. You entertain me with gentle conduct. Why does the world report that Kate has a limp? O slanderous world, Kate like a hazel twig is straight and slender, and as brown in hue as hazel nuts, and sweeter than the kernels. O, let me see you walk. Why you don't limp. Why you walk like a queen."

Petruchio(Caleb) and Katherine(Desirae)

Petruchio is a fortune seeker who enters into a marriage with a strong-willed young woman named Kate and then proceeds to "tame" her temperamental spirit.
In the play, Petruchio comes to the town of Padua in the hopes of marrying a wealthy woman. Hortensio suggests that he marry Kate Minola, as she is very rich and her marriage will allow her sister to marry as well. Petruchio takes an interest in Kate, owing to the dowry he could potentially receive, and agrees. During his first encounter with Kate, he matches her fierce temper and manages to convince her father that she passionately loves him but only pretends to hate him in public. The two are married, with Petruchio arriving at the wedding late and forcing Kate to leave the ceremony feast early.
Petruchio then starts to try to "tame" his wife in a variety of ways. He frightens Kate by yelling at the servants and prevents her from eating by insisting that the dishes are not good enough for her. He then offers Kate presents of dresses and jewelry, only to return them saying that they too weren't good enough. When Bianca and Lucentio are married, he refuses to let Kate go to the wedding unless she agrees with everything he says (no matter how false it may seem). He later puts her to the test by telling her that a man is a woman and that the moon is the sun - she agrees with both statements.
At the wedding, Petruchio is taunted by Hortensio and Lucentio for having married a "shrew". He proposes a contest to see which man has the most obedient wife: All three will call for their wives and see which ones respond. Of the three women, only Kate comes and a triumphant Petruchio is the winner. Petruchio then orders Kate to bring the other wives and give a speech telling them to honor their husbands.

In the play there was a kissing scene. (Of course they don't really kiss...thank goodness.) He told me that he blushed everytime that he had to practice this at school. His classmates gave him a good tease. Was this Caleb's favorite part?

I hope that Caleb is proud of himself and that he will have the desire to participate in more school plays especially when he is in High School. Good job Caleb. I love you! Mom