As Will Shakespeare wrote this story, it was supposed to be a comedy. However, Burton & Taylor removed all the comical elements to make it just plain drama probably to portray their own lives.
Shakespeare wrote comedies where a great deal of the comedy is acted by minor characters in the stories. In this production, no minor characters were allowed to do that and the removal of all that comedy can only be attributed to Burton & Taylor being producers of the film. It appears that Burton & Taylor wanted to use this production to portray their own personal marriage travails, not to portray Shakespeare drama.
The scene where Biondello brings the books for Baptista's daughters to study became very dry though Biondello is supposed to be comical in this scene. The scene where Petruchio gets clothes becomes dry because the Haberdasher is not allowed to react to Burton's comments.
All this might be of small consequence if Burton & Taylor could act comedy themselves, but they can't. Neither Burton nor Taylor were capable of comedy. They are both fine dramatic actors, but not for comedy. They take their parts far too seriously to act comedy. Unless the actor is doing a monologue, comedy usually requires a working relationship between two actors. Burton & Taylor did not allow that relationship with the minor characters in this production, though they did attempt it between themselves. But they are far too serious in their dialogue to come off comically.
For real Shakespeare comedy, see "Much Ado About Nothing" with Kenneth Branagh & Emma Thompson. Now that is real Shakespeare comedy. Be sure to observe the flippant dialogue & bantering between Benedick & Beatrice, as well as Dogberry's lines to the judge and the criminal's reactions when they are brought before the judge. This production of "The Taming of the Shrew" is a true disgrace to the spirit of William Shakespeare.
Shakespeare wrote comedies where a great deal of the comedy is acted by minor characters in the stories. In this production, no minor characters were allowed to do that and the removal of all that comedy can only be attributed to Burton & Taylor being producers of the film. It appears that Burton & Taylor wanted to use this production to portray their own personal marriage travails, not to portray Shakespeare drama.
The scene where Biondello brings the books for Baptista's daughters to study became very dry though Biondello is supposed to be comical in this scene. The scene where Petruchio gets clothes becomes dry because the Haberdasher is not allowed to react to Burton's comments.
All this might be of small consequence if Burton & Taylor could act comedy themselves, but they can't. Neither Burton nor Taylor were capable of comedy. They are both fine dramatic actors, but not for comedy. They take their parts far too seriously to act comedy. Unless the actor is doing a monologue, comedy usually requires a working relationship between two actors. Burton & Taylor did not allow that relationship with the minor characters in this production, though they did attempt it between themselves. But they are far too serious in their dialogue to come off comically.
For real Shakespeare comedy, see "Much Ado About Nothing" with Kenneth Branagh & Emma Thompson. Now that is real Shakespeare comedy. Be sure to observe the flippant dialogue & bantering between Benedick & Beatrice, as well as Dogberry's lines to the judge and the criminal's reactions when they are brought before the judge. This production of "The Taming of the Shrew" is a true disgrace to the spirit of William Shakespeare.