The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a Shakespearean play which encompasses a variety of humour techniques, many of which, are utilised effectively in the play. The majority of the play's humour comes from the way in which the characters create false realities by disguising themselves as other people. This device is first introduced in the induction, in which Christopher Sly is lead into believing he is someone which he is not. Techniques such as mistaken identity, witty repartee, ridiculous situations, sexual innuendo, irony and slapstick can also be observed in The Taming of the Shrew, particularly through the characters of Petruchio and Katherina. These two characters are responsible for generating a good deal of the humour in the play and hence presenting it to the audience in an entertaining fashion.In summary, Shakespeare creates humour in The Taming of the Shrew by creating false realities, for example, occurrences which would seldom take place in real life. He also utilises a number of effective humour techniques, adding to the humour created in the play. The way in which Shakespeare is able to create humour is much due to his use of mistaken identity, which often is intended to generate confusion and anger amongst the charac
Biondello: "Why, Petruchio is coming in a new hat and an old jerkin; a pair of old breeches thrice turned; a pair of boots that have been candle-cases, one buckled, another laced..." In Scene 2 of Act 3, a ridiculous situation is illustrated when Petruchio arrives at his own wedding not only late, but dressed in a mad attire. Biondello's description of his appearance raises the expectations of the audience and sets up the humour which is created through Petruchio's horrible conduct throughout his wedding: Witty repartee is another humour technique which Shakespere utilises very effectively to create humour in the play. This is the use of clever and cheeky remarks by the characters, often in the form of sarcasm or simply contradicting another character in a way which is humorous to an audience. An example of witty repartee occurs in Scene 3 of Act 4, when Petruchio and Katherina argue over the time: The audience would find this humorous, not simply because it is a fine example of Katherina arguing with Petruchio, but also that Shakespeare has already conveyed to the audience Petruchio's plan to deny his wife of food and sleep. These examples demonstrate Shakespeare's use of ridiculous situations in The Taming of the Shrew to create humour.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1161
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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