The Humor in Taming of a shrew

A detailed Summary of The Humor in Taming of a shrew


In The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare creates humour through his characters by creating false realities (as demonstrated by Petruchio's behaviour and attire in the scene of his wedding) and by the use of subterfuge and mistaken identity (shown in the final scenes with the transformation of Kate and Bianca's respective personas). He also uses irony quite extensively, especially towards the end of the play (as can be seen in the final 'wager' scene).

The concept that 'things are not always as they seem' is quite evident in the events surrounding, and including, Petruchio's wedding ceremony. This particular scene in the play demonstrates how the use of false realities (a real situation falsely presented in order to deliberately deceive) can be used to create humour. Biondello describes Petruchio's appearance to Baptista, and by doing so sets up the expectations of the audience. He says that Petruchio comes wearing:

New hat and old jerkin; a pair of old breeches thrice turned; a pair of boots that have been candle-cases, one buckled another laced; an old rusty sworde...with a broken hilt and chapeless; his horse hipped...with an old mothy saddle


She ate no meat today nor none shall she eat...and as with the meat some undeserved fault I'll find about the making of the bed... This is the way to kill a wife with kindness...he that knows better how to tame a shrew, not let him speak

This soliloquy serves to reinforce the fact that 'things are not always as they seem'. So the knowledge gleaned from this soliloquy means that we find the other events involving Kate and Petruchio even more amusing, as we can see that it is nothing more than an elaborate game of chess, instigated by Petruchio.



Some common words found in the essay are:
Bianca Shakespeare, Kate Bianca's, Scene II, Kate Bianca, Bianca Lucentio, Shrew Shakespeare, Kate Petruchio, IV Scene, Petruchio Lucentio, 'things seem', false realities, taming shrew, mistaken identity, kate bianca, Taming Shrew, shakespeare creates humour, creating false, create humour, humour audience, concept 'things, true identity, concept 'things seem', creating false realities,

Approximate Word count = 809
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

join now Save Paper

Related Essays

  • the taming of the shrew ... The Taming Of The Shrew is a lighthearted comedy that is better seen than read. This is especially true since a lot of the humor in it is physical or ... 1047 words
  • Taming of the Shrew Taming of the Shrew In the Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio recognizes ... of his enjoyment of verbal sport, a good example of Petruchioamp39s sense of humor and his ... 846 words
  • TAMING OF THE SHREW Analysis TAMING OF THE SHREW Analysis In the Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio recognizes ... of verbal sport, a good example of Petruchioamp39s sense of humor and his ... 759 words
  • Taming of the Shrew ... of The Taming of the Shrew is, is the best way that Shakespeare displays appearance versus reality. He fills the play with deception and trickery, humor, and a ... 749 words
  • The Taming Of The Shrew ... Grumio, Petruchioamp39s servant he is a comic servant who provides several humor scenes. ... Henceforth I vow it shall be so for meampquotThe Taming Of The Shrew, Act IV ... 1782 words

Professional Essays

  • Comedies and Romances of Shakespeare ... In The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio sets out to domesticate an obstreperous Kate as he would a pet falcon, to ampquotcure her mad and headstrong humorampquot IV.ii. ... 1118 words
  • Representations of Women in Shakespeare ... The pattern The Taming of the Shrew as a ... her into a drudge but rather to tame her as he would a pet falcon, to ampquotcure her mad and headstrong humorampquot IV.ii. ... 2588 words
  • Women in Three Plays by Shakespeare ... The pattern of ideas in The Taming of the Shrew as a ... a drudge but rather to tame her as he would a pet falcon, to ampquotcure her mad and headstrong humorampquot IV.ii ... 2591 words


Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.
Home Join Now Support
Acceptable Use Policy About us FAQ
All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
© 2002-2009 DirectEssays.com. All Rights Reserved.