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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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The Taming of the Shrew
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(c.1593) Comedy by *Shakespeare in which Petruchio, visiting Padua in search of a wife, marries the notoriously difficult Katharina for the sake of her dowry. The comedy derives from his attempts to humiliate her into obedience and from her spirited resistance. By the end – in a final scene often embarrassing to modern sensibilities – she has been tamed into willing submission and is presented as a perfect wife. Petruchio's peremptory demand 'Kiss me, Kate' provided the title of the American musical of 1948 about a company performing Shakespeare's play.
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