The Taming Of The Shrew by William Shakespeare isprobably one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies. Its plot is derived from the popular 'war of the sexes' theme inwhich males and females are pitted against one another for dominance in marriage. The play begins with an induction inwhich a drunkard, Christopher Sly, is fooled into believinghe is a king and has a play performed for him. The play hewatches is what constitutes the main body of The Taming OfThe Shrew. In it, a wealthy land owner, Baptista Minola,attempts to have his two daughters married. One is veryshrewish, Katherine, while the other is the beautiful and gentle Bianca. In order to ensure Katherine is married,Baptista disallows Bianca to be espoused until Katherine is wed, forcing the many suitors to Bianca to find a mate for Katherine in order for them to vie for Bianca's love. Manycritics of the play condemn it for the blatant sexist attitude it has toward women but closer examination of the play and the intricacies of its structure reveal that it isnot merely a story of how men should 'put women in their place'. The play is, in fact, a comedy about an assertive woman coping with how she is expected to act in the societyof the late sixteenth century and of how one must obey the unwritten rules of a society to be accepted in it. Although the play ends with her outwardly conforming to the norms ofsociety, this is in action only, not in mind. Although she assumes the role of the obedient wife, inwardly she still retains her assertiveness.Most of the play's humour comes from the way in which characters create false realities by disguising themselves as other people, a device first introduced in the induction. Initially this is accomplished by having Christopher Sly believe he is someone he is not and then byhaving the main play performed for him. By putting The Taming Of The Shrew in a 'play within a play' structure, Shakespeare immediately lets the audience know that t...
