Throughout the play "The Taming of the Shrew," William Shakespeare has utilized several ingenious techniques resulting in an effective piece of work. One of the more unique and creative methods is the use of mistaken identity. With the use of mistaken identity, Shakespeare has successfully given the play an element of humor from the beginning to the end.
The mistaken identity within the two induction scenes must have been quite humorous for the upper-class noblemen who watched the play. In Shakespeare's time, the upper-class often found their amusement in the poorer, more unfortunate lower-class. Christopher Sly was no exception. When the lord finds
Sly, a drunk beggar, he immediately plots a …show more content…
Then, when everything appears to be all tangled up Lucentio arrives and sets everything straight, ending the entertaining confusion.
The mistaken identity in the main plot between Petruchio and Kate is the question of who the real shrew is. The audience is first led to believe that
Kate is the shrew because of the way she treated everybody. Also, the comments and opinions of the other characters describe Kate to be a very stubborn and negative person. But later, when Petruchio and Kate are married, the audience soon realizes that the real shrew is Petruchio. By observing the way Petruchio treats Kate, it can be noticed that she is no where near as shrewish as he.
The mistaken identities used throughout this play have given it a very unique quality. The audience is no doubt entertained by the confusion and chaos between the characters. Even in reality, people tend to always laugh at another person's confusion. So therefore, if a play is full of mistaken identities, then the audience watching it will unmistakably be amused and laughing frequently. William Shakespeare's play, "The Taming of the Shrew" definitely,
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