THE TAMING OF THE SHREW AND THE SPANISH TRAGEDY.

The article examines the relationship between William Shakespeare's play "The Taming of the Shrew," and Thomas Kyd's play " The Spanish Tragedy." Despite the knowledge of Shakespeare's highly retentive memory and his general willingness to adapt other men's stories and words, one often seem reluctant to accuse him of being the borrower but prefer to assume that the other dramatist borrowed from him. Despite the fact that the two plays are written in completely different genres they have considerable formal similarities in the widespread use they both make of on-stage audiences, setting up situations whereby the audience in the theatre is encouraged to see part or all of the action through the eyes of another audience.