Abstract
Machado de Assis's play Lição de botânica (1906) transforms William Shakespeare's chauvinistic play Taming of the Shrew (1590-1592) into an entertaining exercise in feminist thought through the inversion of gender roles. As in Machado's novels, the female characters in Lição become agents, acting rather than being acted upon by others. By creating strong, smart, independent female characters and contrasting them with an awkward and accidentally humorous male character, Machado undermines misogyny and endorses feminist ideals.
Keywords:
Lição de botânica; Taming of the Shrew; feminism; theater; intertextuality