While the Bard tends to come in pretty low on the controversy meter, Taming of the Shrew is one of the few exceptions. There's been a lot of warranted uproar over the treatment of women and the techniques Petruchio uses to tame Kate in the play.

However, a quick scroll on the internet shows that most modern analysis tends to defend the play as a vehicle for highlighting Kate as the hero and Shakespeare's criticism of the treatment of women during his day. While modern interpretation tends to be much more generous, there are a few things that you should probably arm yourself with prior to launching into the play.